Last weekend the hubs and I decided to stop by one of DC's local breweries, the aptly-named DC Brau, to visit a friend who works there and to do a quick tour. It was the tail end of the crazy heat wave, yet the humidity wasn't showing any signs of mercy, so a cold beer sounded like the perfect afternoon treat.
The brewery is hidden away in one of the far corners of the city, and almost completely invisible. Its entryway is in the back of a strip mall, and unless you know where to look, you would probably completely miss it. Luckily, the hubs had been before and knew where to lead us. As we turned the corner, we saw lots of other like-minded twenty-somethings gathered around the food truck parked outside, and we mozied on indoors for our free tasting.
However, our friend ended up not being on the schedule to work that day (though we did see another friend who works there!), and for the first time in a very long while, there was no scheduled tour! Apparently the owners were off at a music festival in Ohio, so the brewery lacked any official tour guides. We were a tad disappointed, but we managed to entertain ourselves with a self-guided tour of the facility as we sipped on our pale ale.
It was really cool to just hang out in the space where they do all of
their work, and everyone seemed to be having a good time as they tried
out different beers and relaxed with friends. It's a no-frills,
industrial type of environment, and I think that's what made it so fun.
This isn't the type of place where you gather at high-top tables or
munch on gastropub delicacies. Instead, you walk around with a beer in
hand, peek in at the loading station, tie your shoe in front of the
canning equipment, and lean back next to a crate of cans waiting to be
shipped out. Want a snack? Sit down on the floor with a slice of pizza
from the food truck outside. DC Brau is honest and open, and it's a
chance to glimpse the day-to-day operations of a small brewery.
If you're in the mood to skip the formalities and flash and want to jump right to the production of beer, DC Brau is a place to check out. The hubs and I will definitely be back to fill up our growler... and maybe even to get that tour.
