Best grouping of breweries within walking distance (or short driving distance) of each other? Was thinking Scott's Addition. What else is there to consider?
Probably not as good as Scott's addition but Charlottesville has a grouping of breweries within a few blocks of the pedestrian mall.
Charlottesville local here and was going to also plug it in my biased opinion. We have the 9 beer breweries within 2 miles of the city one could easily make a day of a walk between and then a couple more just outside the city limits. Also some distilleries, sake brewery. You can get an idea of them by checking out the Charlottesville Ale Trail site. I would also say Frederick, Maryland too. Did a guys weekend trip there almost two years ago and we were able to walk to 7-8 breweries within a mile. Four of them are clustered pretty much right next to one another along Carroll Creek. You can read my thoughts about it on a post I did back then. I was also told The Maryland Craft Beer Festival held in Frederick is also the states largest beer fest annually.
Fwiw, rocklands still has Saison Bernice on tap and also Coffee Abraxas which was imo disappointing this year (it didnt taste anything like Abraxas).
I forgot about frederick that's a good walk with 4 breweries being about 2 - 4 blocks apart and walking the creek is nice.
Roanoke, Va would be a good option too. We did that about a year and a half ago. Stayed at an Airbnb near downtown and walked to 7-8 breweries in the area then a 10-15 minute drive to a couple in Salem (Parkway and Olde Salem) as well as Starr Hill and Barrel Chest just outside downtown.
Responding to a question from @RKP1967 in the 2025 thread, as of around 1PM today, Safeway Belle Haven looked like they might be down to their final two BCBS 4-packs. I'd imagine any other local Safeways that still have inventory are running the same $18.99 deal, but no clue which locations still have it.
Gonna be staying for a week in Arlington in April. I always hit up Churchkey, Aslin and DC Brau. What is new and interesting, what's stuff I should hit up that's not one of those three. I won't have a car, but I have my legs and an aptitude for using transit.
I would highly recommend prioritizing Other Half DC over Aslin and DC Brau. Metrorail doesn't get particularly close, and I would not recommend hoofing it for reasons of personal safety, but I think they have a bus stop right at the corner by their facility. Uber/Lift would also be good options.
Agreed. You didn't mention how long it's been, but if you're expecting the Aslin of the late 20-teens, you're going to be very, very disappointed.
Fully agree. Aslin has fallen a loooong, long way since their heyday. I used to buy more beer from them than any other brewery, but it's been nearly a year since they've seen a dime from me. They're now just a grocery store shelfie brand, and they're not even the best option at most grocery stores. Woof.
I last stopped at Aslin in 2019. I did OH last time in 2024, I walked there but it was daytime so less of an issue I would think. I'll hit up OH again. Anything new and exciting?
You'll be right in the middle of their 12th anniversary releases so expect some sort of throwbacks/collabs. Not to say OH has been absolutely hitting it out of the park either, but they're still solid across the board.
Yeah they are always doing something with their Hazy IPA’s, their cans to go in their refrigerators use to also include Red Hook releases. If you are into Belgians, you may want to try The Sovereign in Georgetown, if you are in Arlington it’s a short walk across the bridge in Roslyn.
Idiom Brewing is closing, with 2/15 slated to be their last day of operation. I honestly never had a single beer from them, but I thought I'd pass the word along.
Had many of their beers; mostly good/very good but a bit shy of outstanding. Their building and location helped make them special to us. There are still a few other breweries in that general area to lessen the impact.
I completely spaced on the Fidens drop at Churchkey today and was more than a bit surprised to find that nearly everything is still available. But, just before clicking the "buy" button, I remembered the last drop. Last time CHKY got some Fidens, it was basically all month-old IPAs, and those cans proved that not even Fidens' hop sorcery can overcome father time's degradation of IPAs. That drop was my second round with a few of those beers, and those I'd had before were considerably better when fresher. Looking at Fidens' IG, these beers are even older, with most having been released in mid-December or earlier. Yeah, no thank you. As much as I love opportunities to buy their stuff, I have no interest in paying a premium for past-prime hops.
I went to Idiom many times. Solid beers and great wings. I never really cared for sitting inside though, was always very loud and crowded, Outside seating along Carrol Creek was very nice. RAK across the creek from Idiom is really making good beers lately and they doubled their space into 2 areas now. With 3 breweries next to each other on Carrol Creek, and 5 others within a mile or so (Olde Mother, Brewers Alley, Monocacy, Sandbox and Midnight Run), Frederick has a lot of options within short drive of each other.
Sitting at Churchkey for the first time as we speak. Enjoyed a good gem salad and buffalo wings for dinner (wings were nice and spicy, but not excessive). Place is probably about 85% full and people still coming in the door. Tap list is pretty decent. Fidens heavy given the recent tap takeover. Would love to see a little more diversity in the dark stuff given it’s mid-winter…not a single porter or stout to be had on tap which is disappointing. Looking forward to Bluejacket for lunch and beers tomorrow afternoon.
