Metro DC Brewery Discussion Thread

Does anyone know how the top rankings work? I know you're dinged if you have fewer reviews but is there something more? Master of Karate now at 215, Thursday May 19, 2016, 8:30pm.

 

Hey, I just finished my crowler of Orange Starfish, and it was amazing, just like last time. But I already gave it a great review.

 

Got to try a can of Crucial Taunt from Veil the other day. Huge mango flavors, and pretty dank. I can't believe they are only a month old. The head brewer definitely learned a thing or two from working at HF, The Alchemist & Cantillon.

 

I think Ocelot are killing themselves from a BA rating/top 250 perspective with their mostly "only brew beers once" policy - I'm sure they don't give a shit - they are doing really well regardless but you really need to be brewing certain things on a regular basis to amass the reviews needed

that being said their new DIPA, Impression is absolutely amazing

 

Folks are headed out to Aslin today for crowlers I recommend getting there early. I was there last night - they were on their second to last keg of Mater of Karate.

 

based on the FB post MoK is no more.......

 

Finally got to check out Aslin yesterday. MoK and Dunley Place definitely live up to the hype, but they aren't the type of beers I want to drink all the time; a little too thick and sweet. Tried their Berliner too--not bad, but waaaay too much going on. Mango and raspberry are such strong flavors and they totally overpower everything else. Barely tastes like beer.

Ocelot on the other hand...I will be crushing bottles of their IPAs all summer. Impression and Tomorrow are both so good, especially Impression. Crazy drinkable for 8%.

 

Why should a brewery pander to the BA top 250? The BA community is tiny compared to the majority of craft beer drinkers, sure it's great for marketing for some, but I'd rather a brewery stick to their principles and to what is working for them.

 

How does that on-demand bottling thing work? I'm trying to figure out how to score bottles of Impression and Tomorrow. thx

 

Just show up to the brewery, order the bottles you want and they bottle them for you while you have a drink or two.

 

Both Ocelot & Aslin are great.

They do different things and complement each other.

We are very lucky to have beer, that is so good, fresh!

 

Made it out to Ocelot on Saturday for the 1st time. Impression was outstanding, in fact my whole flight was excellent but what really stood out, to cap things off was the BA My Only Friend.

 

Headed out to Shenandoah Valley for some hiking this weekend with my wife and 2.5 year old daughter. Wanted to hit up both Aslin and Ocelot on the way back, maybe for tastings, but definitely to grab a crowler or something on the way home. Are they both family friendly? There is a good chance both of the ladies will be very tired after the hike, that's why I may need to just run in and grab beer to go.

I get the feeling Aslin is better to go and Ocelot is better for staying in. Any confirmation on that suspicion?

 

You might have a tough time getting a quick fill at Aslin, the crowler queue seems to get fairly long. Not bad if you want to stick around for a couple pints, but not ideal if you've got family waiting on you. Haven't been in on a weekend, but I could see it getting cramped inside.

 

That's good to know. It'll all depend on the family for that one.

 

Both times I was at Aslin it was Saturday, lunch time. It was busy but relaxed and I had no trouble getting a glass or a fill whenever I wanted.