Washington DC Craft Beer Guide: Best Breweries, Taprooms & Beer Trails

Washington DC's craft beer scene has undergone a remarkable transformation from a city once dominated by imported and macro beers to a destination with over 30 breweries within the District and a thriving taproom culture that reflects the city's educated, cosmopolitan population. The growth has been driven by the DC Brau Brewing Company's pioneering establishment in 2011 (the first DC brewery since the 1950s) and the subsequent wave of breweries that have opened across the District and into Virginia and Maryland.

DC Brau in the Edgewood neighbourhood is the founding story — a production brewery with a taproom that opened when DC's zoning laws were changed to allow brewery operations within the city limits. Right Proper Brewing Co. in Shaw (now with additional locations) remains the most convivial taproom — a converted barbershop building in a neighbourhood that DC's creative class has adopted as its own, serving experimental beers alongside a thoughtful food menu.

The Navy Yard neighbourhood along the Anacostia River has become DC's brewery district — Atlas Brew Works, Bluejacket (in the historic Washington Navy Yard Arsenal building), and several others have clustered near Nationals Park to create a walkable beer destination. The Northern Virginia suburbs contribute some of the region's most respected operations: Port City Brewing in Alexandria and Old Bust Head Brewing in Vint Hill have followings that cross state lines. For a guided experience, the DC Beer Run tour covers multiple taprooms by bicycle, combining the city's expanding bike infrastructure with its equally expanding brewing scene.