Metro DC Brewery Discussion Thread

Churchkey is more of a bar than a restaurant, but it's definitely one of the top beer bars in the country and well worth your time. It has food though, which is decent. There's also a restaurant below it which I believe shares the tap and bottle list, but I can't comment on the food as I've never eaten there.

 

Having looked through a few that Right Proper could be exactly what we're looking for. Outdoor space? And beer is pretty good?

 

Right Proper is a great spot--very good food and beer at surprisingly reasonable prices for DC. Really cool space, too.

 

I would not suggest taking a metro ride out to Aslin, especially if you're trying to pack as much into the day as possible. Its a long ride out to an industrial park, and the brewery itself isn't really that great of a place to hang out (ie, your wife and kids will probably want to leave asap). There is a lot of great beer to be drank in DC, the only thing you could get at Aslin that you couldn't get in DC is a NE IPA, and that's a really long trip for one beer.

 

Right Proper sells almost exclusively their own beers. It's not too far from Churchkey or Meridian Pint though if you wanted to hit up a few places. The aboce mentioned places are so close that I would recommend Ubering even though all three places are accessible via metro.

Aslin does not distribute it's beer to any restaraunts currently, as far as I know. However, I believe Meridian/Brookland Pint are working to aquire a keg or two.

Aslin is SMALL. They have some great beers but no kitchen so if you want food you could have it delivered or pick it up.

 

Ah, as much as I want to try Aslin I think the points raised are valid. We're going for the day so every minute is precious to pack in as much stuff as we can. Allotting 2 hours for a brewery is probably not in the plans unless we went at night, but then its 40 minutes in the opposite direction of home.

Good to know Churckey and Meridian are close to Right Proper. I'm planning on driving home that same night though, so as long as Right Proper beer is good I'll probably have to call it a night there. I have a relative in DC so ~25% we stay over in which case I'm hitting everything

 

Thanks for the carpool offer, I just don't know what our schedule is once we arrive. Wife has a long list of places to see and things to do. We get there later today, fly back home Monday afternoon. Am going to try and get to Aslin but I may only be able to visit some of the other suggested places around town. Great info from all that answered, thanks! I had Churchkey on my list and want to stop by Cairo, Calvert Woodley, or Whole Foods P St for some stuff to bring home.

 

Photo taken when I lived in Boston and frequently bought Trillium. No trade required. It wasn't till the hype train came that people started waiting in line for hours to get there beers and bought cases to trade them away for other beers. Here's hoping the same doesn't happen to Aslin.

 

Yea think we're gonna stick to Right Proper at this point too.

 

It's the best brewery in DC by a mile, so you won't be disappointed. The food is way better than most of the NRG establishments (Churchkey, The Partisan, The Sovereign, etc). The menu is your typical gastropub/upscale bar food, but it's executed very well. They have really good cheese plates which pair well with the type of beers they make. Personally, I think it's one of the best places for food/drink in DC. It can get pretty damn crowded at night though, so just keep that in mind.

 

Has anyone tried 3 Stars Two to the Dome lately? Apparently they've reworked the recipe to make it less malty and bitter. Can't say I have high hopes considering how mediocre most of their stuff is, but it sounds like a step in the right direction.

 

Off topic but if you are driving up/down 95, make sure to hit State Line Liquors at the DE/MD border. Google it, you can exit before it and skip a $6 toll each way. Plus they have a bathroom making it an excellent pit stop. Lots of stuff there that is out of market for DC and growler station.

 

Right Proper has some great outdoor seating. Aslin does as well, but Aslin does not have food. Their rep will soon enough bring food trucks, but regardless there is decent food within a 3 minute walk.

If you're addicted to hops Aslin is a must hit. If you can take or leave hops, but appreciate good beer you probably wouldn't kick yourself for skipping them. Have a blast, its finally warming up here.

 

Man, I really love hops. I think we're gonna do all the touristy stuff this time and end with Right Proper, but maybe come back in the summer for a baseball game or something without having to do the downtown DC stuff and hit Aslin

 

Woah great call. $5 64oz growlers??? Is Evolution Brewing like PBR level or something?

 

Wow, just saw their growler board, Evolution is actually an excellent brewery on the Eastern Shore of MD. Those are excellent prices! I think the lower price is for 32oz growlers though. Like Hops, try their Lot 6.

 

Amazingly, it appears that these are actually 64oz prices according to their site:

"Check out the first 2 taps on the Growler Board…WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s right, the $5 Growler (the 64oz size) fills are back! So as long as we can fill those taps with quality beer, we’re going to keep them flowing. Thanks for visiting!"

How is that possible? If that's a good brewery as you say I will certainly be stopping. Apparently it's cheaper to stop, fill 64oz of a good beer, then it is to continue driving and pay a toll

 

I'll tell you that I had a 1 day old Lot 6 from Evolution at the Brewers Ball last week and it was freaking fantastic - I think with all the new breweries popping up they tend to be overlooked a little

 

Lots 6 has a 91 BA rating, a 64oz $5 growler would amazing.

 

Making a separate trip would be a good idea. 15 minutes from Aslin is Ocelot which makes great west coast ipas. Ocelot is a must stop if you are going all the way out to Aslin. 30 minutes north is the Leesburg area where there are a bunch of breweries, wineries and restaurants.