We visited DC Brau on Saturday, one of the larger breweries in the District right now, although the craft brewery scene is definitely growing quickly here. >Of course we went to a Mexican restaurant after DC Brau. I don’t have pictures of the food, as I was too hungry to bother, but if you are around H Street NE, the queso fundido and the enchiladas at Impala Cantina are delicious. I resisted ordering a second round of queso fundido…my health will thank me. My stomach still is angry about that decision. (Backstory…we are running a marathon in October, and now that our long runs have topped 14 miles, I suggest you read “the feeding” for a little more insight to my ravenous eating habits).
On to DC Brau….DC Brau is a bit annoying to get to without a car, so if you are visiting the city I’d suggest just grabbing a cab from somewhere in Northeast, DC. For example, from either H Street NE or the NY Avenue metro station, it’s just a quick hop. Tours are offered at DC Brau at 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm on Saturdays. And they are free. And you get 4…yes 4…free tasting tickets. You don’t even have to take the tour to get the tasting tickets…you just walk in. Kids are most welcome to visit the brewery, hang out, and go on the tour (younger kids, not you 18 year olds looking for some underage drinking…you’re going to be out of luck). They even had a band playing while we were there.
The tour is short, sweet, and to-the-point, but really interesting. DC Brau is a small operation, and just recently leased another 10,000 square feet of space (in addition to the approximate 10,000 they have now). I’d guess they probably have about 10-12 fermenters, though I didn’t stand there and count them. Yes, the brewery has that weird, sort of gross, fermented grain smell–but just remember the deliciousness that eventually comes from fermented grain! DC Brau uses two different kinds of yeast which they source–a American strain and a Belgian strain. Because of the UV light infiltration into bottles, DC Brau still only offers cans. You can also fill growlers at the brewery.
Fermenters
Carbon Dioxide Bubbling Out from the Fermenting Process
Cans Awaiting Beer
As for the tastings…they had about 8 beers available to try, with healthy sample sizes. I think there were two other IPAs, but considering my general lack of affinity for IPAs, I have no idea what they were. Sorry for all the IPA fans out there.
– The Public (American Pale Ale)
– The Citizen (Belgian Style Pale)
– El Hefe Speaks (a Hefeweizen)
– The Tradition (Golden Ale)
– Daughters of Poseidon (Black Oyster IPA)
– Natas (Belgian Style Imperial Porter)
The Natas was absolutely delicious…probably the best of the bunch. El Hefe was also a great hefeweizen, one of the best DC-brewed hefeweizens I’ve had. I’d definitely go buy either one of these in the store. I didn’t try The Public, but The Citizen, The Tradition, and the Daughters of Poseidon were all really good too. I probably wouldn’t go buy a six-pack, but I definitely would order it on draft.
We had a great experience at DC Brau, and wouldn’t hesitate to return, particularly if we had beer-drinking visitors. It’s a friendly, local establishment with some excellent beers. What more could you ask for, really?
