Part 2 of my Saturday tour of three DC breweries…

Second stop: DC Brau

Where it’s located: In Northeast DC just 3 miles or 10 minutes from our first stop, Chocolate City Beer at 3178-B Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington D.C. 20018. Be careful, because it’s not obvious — go down the alley between the buildings and turn to the right.

Tasting Room and Growler Fill Hours: Saturday from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. Tours are held at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

Beers on Tap:

• The Public, a crisp American-style Pale Ale (6.0%)
• The Corruption, an excellent citrusy IPA (6.5%)
• Penn Quarter Porter, a drinkable robust porter (5.5%)

The Scene: DC Brau offers a small but cozy tasting room in a warehouse behind a Post Office on Bladensburg Road. Or maybe it only seemed small because it was crowded.

There was a buzz among the crowd of craft beer fans inside the tasting room at DC Brau (no pun intended). After experiencing the laid back vibe at Chocolate City, we felt an energy upon entering DC Brau. We were given four beer sampling tickets and then made our way to the large bar where you could get beer samples, growler fills, and DC Brau merchandise, like the cool DC Brau/Caps motif t-shirt pictured to the right.

The crowd wasn’t confined to the tasting room. Off to the left you could enter the brewery where there was another beer-pouring station serving samples. It was a large open space featuring entertaining murals on the wall of the brewery. The day we visited, an artist was hard at work on a large mural on the back wall. I can’t wait to go back when all of the murals are complete – the art will add to dynamic ambiance.

The food was provided by the tailgate-like grill just outside the open warehouse garage door of the brewery.

Our original beer tour plan consisted of only two brewery stops, so I only brought two empty growlers. Instead of filling a growler, I bought a bomber of Penn Quarter Porter, which still awaits consumption. Looking forward to savoring that one.

With four beer sampling tickets and three drafts, I had to select one brew for a second sample. No surprise that I chose the Corruption, a “dank, resinous, piney hops” IPA as described on the DC Brau whiteboard in the gallery below.

Next Stop: 3 Stars Brewing Company, 4.5 miles or about 15 minutes from DC Brau on the way back towards Kensington.

More pics below!

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