DC/MD/NoVA Beer Updates (2022)

Went to Churchkey last night for the first time since they reopened. Went for a Monkish IPA, which was great, but was really blown away by the Suarez Fine Line Kolsch, and even more so by the Bierstadt Slow Pour Pils—definitely the best pilsner I've ever had.

 

Their beers are incredible. They have such a nice spot out it Waterford. Super chill. It's well worth the trip out there. They have a mini farmers market on Saturday as well.

 

what are everyone's favorite domestic shelf pilsners these days?

I mentioned Wheatland Spring above but it's hard to find and expensive.

 

Von Trapp and Jacks Abbey, I've enjoyed all (2 from each) the Pilsners I've had from both breweries.

 

i must have missed jack's abby being available here now. good to know, thanks!

 

Definitely those two. Also:
-Bingo Lager (lager focused brewery out of Richmond. Picked up a 16oz 6-pack for $10.99 at the Whole Foods in Fairlakes last week)
-Zero Gravity Green State

 

I went to TW looking for Von Trapp and found 4 Jacks Abbey beers (2 pilsners, amber and IPL)...this was in VA, not sure if JA is in DC or MD. Also picked up some Nightshift Nite Lite, not bad and it was like $8/4-pack.

 

Thanks. I work near the TW in Ballston so I will definitely swing by soon to grab some of those.

 

Went to Churchkey last night. Felt good to be back after 2+ years. Rothaus Pils + fried chicken sandwhich. Incredible. Can't wait to go back.

 

I had a wheatland springs alberto and dang that was good, wish they were distributing cans to central VA when I lived there a year ago

 

Happened to be looking at Old Ox’s website (which could use a little work) and came across this 2-month old “news” my searches couldn’t find a reference to:
https://www.oldoxbrewery.com/2022/04/the-old-ox-family-is-expanding-in-a-big-way/

Apparently Old Ox in VA and Silver Branch in MD are merging (https://dcbeer.com/2022/04/11/silver-branch-merges-with-old-ox-what/), though I haven’t found much beyond the original news releases which indicate both brands will maintain their own identities. Their claims that they each focus on different styles of beers seems fairly legit based on what I’ve seen, so it might make sense.

 

Have you seen the collaboration beer they mentioned in dcbeer link? I can find Silver Branch fairly easily but have only tried one Old Ox (probably from my local TW) and that was a while back. Guessing the distribution systems could be a plus for both.

 

I have not seen it, though oddly enough I did see an Old Ox an Fair Winds collaboration at the store yesterday. Saw Silver Branch on this side of the river briefly at Dominion Wine and Beer, but they don’t seem to have it regularly. I liked what I’ve had from them.

 

In the lead-up to Savor, has anyone seen anything about tap takeovers and notable tap lists with out-of-town breweries? This week used to be one of the best beer weeks of the year in the area, but aside from a nice tap list announced for Thursday night at Churchkey and The Sovereign, I haven't seen anything at all.

 

Any buzz on the brewery Saga out of Columbia MD? I had a TIPA last night from a can (from retail store) and thought it was quite delicious. Just wondering if rest of their lineup is solid.

 

There isn't much this year:
https://dcbeer.com/2022/06/21/savor-weekend-the-events/

 

Definitely good stuff. They are currently contract brewing 2 beers a month at Oliver, and I believe at least one owner has worked/works at Oliver. They're still working on a physical location, but latest rumor was Elkridge.

 

Yeah, I wound up seeing that post too (it was put up after my query) - thank you for the response, though!

 

Thanks for the intel. I need to try more Oliver beers. I’ve had a couple old school beers from them. Solid but nothing amazing, but they’ve really pumped out a lot of new beers in last year or two so maybe I need to revisit them.

 

Has anyone else noticed how difficult it is lately to find fresh IPAs? If I want a locally brewed IPA that doesn't necessitate an Instagram post from a bottle shop, it seems like they are all 3-4 months old on the shelves. Even something not local like Sculpin is impossible to find fresh, which didn't always be the case. Whole Foods on H St is like an IPA graveyard.