Cantillon in DC area

Barmy & 1 West Dupont almost always have bottles available, but they're usually $30-$40.

Churchkey (and other NRG bars) has bottles for in-house consumption for a similar price.

 

If you're willing to be (very) patient, follow Churchkey on FB, they occasionally get a keg and they usually advertise it, I've had both on tap there within the last year and didn't have to spring for a whole bottle.

 

It is a very high price for a beer but we are not in Belgium and if they were priced "reasonably", then the answer to your question would be "no, there are no bottles of Cantillon available in DC".

They are very nice beers but not worth that price in my opinion.

 

pizzeria paradiso in gtown also has cantillon usually.

 

It all ends up in Churchkey's cellar or the most part.

 

I've heard that Perfect Pour near Columbia MD has bottles from time to time that aren't gouged, but they fly off the shelves. I've never seen it there myself but don't hit that store very often.

One of the guys working there told me this summer that 3-4 years ago they'd routinely have most of the lineup that sees Shelton Bros. distro on the shelves. How times have changed....

 

Yeah, was much more available a couple of years ago, but Cantillion seems to be more popular now.

I've had bottles at Brasserie Beck before, so maybe check there.

 

So I chatted to someone from Shelton Brothers (the U.S. Cantillon importer) recently, and they told me that they no longer have an official distributor in DC since they terminated their relationship with DOPS a couple of years ago. Shelton does, however, have personal relationships with ChurchKey and the Pizzeria Paradiso locations and sends beer directly to those bars without going through a distributor. If you want Cantillon in DC, it's going to be at one of those bars. Shelton does distribute in Maryland, however, but I believe you can only get Cantillon at 3 stores and 1 bar: Perfect Pour in Columbia, Wine Source in Baltimore, State Line Liquors in Elkton, and Max's in Baltimore. It shows up pretty infrequently and sells out within a matter of days when it does.

 

When I first really started getting into craft beer in 2010, it was not hard to find Cantillon at all. Connecticut Ave. Wine & Liquors in Dupont used to have the Gueuze and Kriek on the shelves year-round, and would get stuff like Lou Pepe Kriek that would sit there for weeks. I'm not sure what changed, but that all stopped at some point in 2011, and it's never been the same.

 

Just visited West Dupont and they have some RR sours (Damnation 19.99, Temptation 29.99), Cantillon Kriek 375 - 39.99. Also saw some Lost Abby, Imperial Biscotti break, among other things. Expensive, yes. But it's there.

 

I picked up a 750 of Classic Gueuze at PP for $24, if I remember correctly, in April. The stuff used to sit around longer there because it was priced so high. I remember it being closer to the $50-60/750 range.

 

I found a bottle of Cantillon LPG on the shelf at a store here in Baltimore for $42.. only time I've ever seen one in the wild