D.C. Beer Spots

The beer gardens may have been oversold. Those that come to mind are Dacha in Shaw, Biergartern Haus on H Street NE and Sauf Haus in Dupont. All are good if you want a bit of the overdone DC crowd with expensive liters.

Cask beers can be found at Churchkey, which has a crazy selection and is probably worth going to (recommend afternoon and not evening). Meridian has a cask system and is always a great spot. Even Big Hunt (criminally underrated) has a pair of casks. Paradiso locations have casks too.

 

Don't skip Right Proper if you're into funky farmhouse stuff.

 

Check out Craft Beer Cellars, on H. St. or Whole Foods P. St. for starters. If you have a car, you can get into Virginia, there are a number of good ones not too far out of the city including Total Wines, you have Arrowine, Craft Beer Shop in Court House, K-1, the Lost Dog Cafes have beer to go and a good selection, and the best is probably Dominion in Falls Church. All of these are inside the Beltway.

 

Church Key, Sovereign in Georgetown, Right Proper, Blue Jacket.

 

Don't expect dive-y beer prices to accompany the filthy bathrooms...

 

I saw that show too, but as an FYI Churchkey switched chefs and I don't think that's on the menu anymore. But definitely go anyway, and if you want a donut/chicken sandwich, I heard that Astro Doughnuts makes a good one.

You might want to check out Bluejacket and The Sovereign too.

 

Have fun! I lived in Norfolk until about 3 years ago and have drank many beers in Cogans. I've had fun at the beer gardens up here but the crowds can be a bitch. Having said that, I've only ever gone in the summer, its never even occured to me to go in January (are they even open?). I would not expect crowds to be a problem in the winter.

 

One place I haven't seen mentioned here is Bier Baron in Dupont Circle. Granted, it's certainly not up everybody's alley--it's in a pretty dark basement and has a sort of dive-y feel--but they have a HUGE selection of beers from all over the place and their prices aren't half bad. Maybe it's just because I live close, but I'm a fan.

That being said, I agree with the other statements that the beer gardens here are overhyped. Sauf Haus is cool, but if you get there after 5:30 you won't be able to move. If you really want a beer garden experience, I'd actually check out Midlands in the Georgia/Petworth area. They have indoor and outdoor sections, and since it's sort of new it doesn't have the following that Sauf Haus/Dacha have. The selection isn't that wide, but what they do have is excellent and you can get everything in liters. Also, I'd definitely check out Bluejacket. Kind of pricey, but I love the vibe.