City guide · Washington DC
Washington DC Craft Beer Guide: 10 Stops in Navy Yard, Ivy City & Shaw
Washington DC went more than half a century without a production brewery before DC Brau tapped its first keg in 2011. Today the city pours some of the East Coast's most serious beer. Navy Yard pairs Bluejacket and Atlas Brew Works by the ballpark; NoMa and Eckington bring Red Bear and Lost Generation; Ivy City is home to Other Half; Brookland to Right Proper. Then the beer bars: Dacha in Shaw, ChurchKey on 14th Street and The Sovereign in Georgetown. We've mapped them all with neighborhoods, hours and what to order.
Last updated: October 2026 · Curated by MyBeerStops · 10 hand-picked stops
Our selection: the 10 craft beer stops
A hand-picked selection, not a ranking or a popularity list. Seven DC breweries first, then three beer bars, in a loop from Navy Yard to Georgetown. No tourist traps around the Mall.
-
1. Bluejacket
Brewery (brewpub) — Navy Yard · Tingey St SE
300 Tingey St SE #180, Washington, DC 20003, USA
Mon–Thu 11am–12am · Fri–Sat 11am–1:30am · Sun 11am–11pm (kitchen closes earlier · weekend brunch 11am–3pm)
Navy Yard's showpiece brewery, set over three levels of a century-old industrial building a few blocks from Nationals Park. Twenty house drafts and cask ales rotate daily, from crisp traditional lagers to hop-forward IPAs, with a full kitchen and cans to go.
Three-level brewpub, 20 drafts + cask, full kitchen
House lager on draft · Cask ale of the day
1h30
-
2. Atlas Brew Works (Navy Yard)
Brewery (taproom) — Navy Yard · Half St SE
1201 Half St SE Ste 120, Washington, DC 20003, USA
Sun–Wed 11am–11pm · Thu 11am–12am · Fri–Sat 11am–1am
Atlas's Half Street brewery and taproom sits right by Nationals Park and fills up fast on game days. A long board of house beers, from Bullpen Pilsner and Ponzi IPA to Blood Orange Gose, with Andy's Pizza on site.
Ballpark taproom, long house tap list, pizza on site
Bullpen Pilsner · Ponzi IPA
1h30
-
3. Red Bear Brewing Co.
Brewery — NoMa · M St NE
209 M St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Mon–Thu 11:30am–11pm · Fri 11:30am–1am · Sat 11am–1am · Sun 11am–10pm
Founded by three Seattle transplants, Red Bear brews West Coast-style lagers, pale ales and stouts in the historic Uline Arena building, around the corner from NoMa-Gallaudet Metro. Big, welcoming hall with a kitchen, board games and a busy events calendar.
Welcoming neighborhood brewery, board games, events most nights
House lager · Pale ale or stout of the day
1h30
-
4. Lost Generation Brewing Company
Brewery — Eckington · near Union Market
327 S St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Mon–Tue closed · Wed–Thu 4pm–11pm · Fri 4pm–12am · Sat 11am–12am · Sun 11am–10pm
A husband-and-wife brewery started by locals who trained in California before coming home to build the brewery they wished DC had. The focus is hop-forward IPAs, patiently lagered beers and a barrel-aging program, poured in a relaxed taproom with rotating food trucks.
Neighborhood taproom, IPAs + lagers + barrels, food trucks
House IPA · Lager of the day
1h30
-
5. Other Half Brewing (Washington DC)
Brewery — Ivy City · Okie St NE
1401 Okie St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
Mon–Tue 4pm–8pm · Wed–Thu 12pm–9pm · Fri 12pm–10pm · Sat 10am–10pm · Sun 12pm–8pm
The Brooklyn hazy-IPA specialist's DC outpost sits next to its largest production brewery, in Ivy City. Fresh IPAs pour in a big taproom with a covered patio, a rooftop and cans to go.
Hazy IPA taproom, rooftop + covered patio, cans to go
Green City hazy IPA · Latest double IPA release
1h30
-
6. DC Brau Brewing
Brewery — Fort Lincoln · Bladensburg Rd NE
3178-B Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018, USA
Mon–Wed closed · Thu–Fri 3pm–9pm · Sat 1pm–9pm · Sun 1pm–7pm
The brewery that relaunched DC beer: in 2011 it became the District's first packaging brewery since 1956. The Public pale ale and Corruption IPA are the city's local classics, poured at the source in a big taproom with a beer garden and a Pizzeria Paradiso pop-up Thursday to Saturday.
DC's pioneer production brewery, beer garden, family friendly
The Public pale ale · The Corruption IPA
1h30
-
7. Right Proper Brewing (Brookland Taproom)
Taproom (production brewery) — Brookland · Girard St NE
920 Girard St NE, Washington, DC 20017, USA
Mon–Thu 4pm–9pm · Fri–Sat 12pm–9pm · Sun 12pm–7pm
Right Proper's production brewery doubles as a woodsy taproom, the freshest place to drink its beers. Raised by Wolves, the pale ale it has brewed for 12 years, sits alongside seasonals and limited releases.
Brewery taproom, woodsy and low-key, fresh from the tanks
Raised by Wolves pale ale · Seasonal farmhouse ale
1h
-
8. Dacha Beer Garden (Shaw)
Beer garden — Shaw · 7th St NW
1600 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Mon–Thu 4pm–10:30pm · Fri 12pm–12am · Sat 11am–12am · Sun 11am–10:30pm
Shaw's original open-air beer garden, pouring a curated list of German, Belgian and American craft beers plus local meads and ciders. Bavarian-inspired seasonal food, and dogs and families are welcome.
Open-air beer garden, German + Belgian + local drafts, dog friendly
German lager by the liter · Belgian or local craft draft
1h30
-
9. ChurchKey
Craft beer bar — Logan Circle · 14th St NW
1337 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Mon 4pm–12am · Tue–Thu 4pm–1am · Fri 4pm–2am · Sat 12pm–2am · Sun 12pm–12am
Since 2009 this upstairs bar on 14th Street has been one of the East Coast's great beer destinations. Fifty drafts, cask ales and Czech side-pull lager taps sit alongside around 500 bottles and cans, poured with real care for glassware and temperature.
Landmark beer bar, 50 drafts + cask, ~500 bottles
Czech pilsner from the side-pull tap · Cask ale of the day
1h30
-
10. The Sovereign
Belgian beer bar & bistro — Georgetown · Wisconsin Ave NW
1206 Wisconsin Ave NW #1, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Daily from 5pm (closes late) · Sat–Sun brunch 11am–3pm
Georgetown's Belgian beer bar and bistro, tucked up a lane off Wisconsin Avenue. Fifty drafts and more than 350 bottles cover Trappists, lambics and modern Belgian-style ales, with mussels and flammekuchen from the kitchen.
Belgian bar & bistro, 50 drafts, deep lambic list
Gueuze or lambic from the bottle list · Trappist on draft
2h
Washington DC craft beer: frequently asked questions
Which craft breweries should I visit in Washington DC?
Start with DC Brau (Bladensburg Rd: The Public pale ale, the brewery that relaunched DC beer in 2011), Bluejacket (Navy Yard: 20 house drafts and cask ales), Other Half (Ivy City: hazy IPAs, rooftop), Right Proper (Brookland: Raised by Wolves pale ale), Atlas Brew Works (Navy Yard, by Nationals Park), Red Bear (NoMa) and Lost Generation (Eckington: IPAs, lagers, barrel-aged beers).
Which DC neighborhood is good for a craft beer crawl?
Navy Yard is the easiest: Bluejacket and Atlas Brew Works are a 7-minute walk apart, next to Nationals Park and the riverfront. NoMa and Eckington pair Red Bear and Lost Generation (15 minutes on foot), with Other Half a short ride east in Ivy City. For beer bars, Shaw and Logan Circle (Dacha → ChurchKey) are a 15-minute walk apart.
Can you visit several DC breweries in one day?
Yes. Start at Navy Yard for lunch (Bluejacket → Atlas), take the Metro (Green Line, then Red Line to NoMa-Gallaudet) to Red Bear, walk to Lost Generation, then ride to Other Half in Ivy City. Finish with dinner and beer in Shaw (Dacha) and on 14th Street (ChurchKey). Keep DC Brau, Right Proper and Georgetown's Sovereign for a second day.
Which DC breweries and beer bars are open on Mondays and Tuesdays?
Bluejacket, Atlas Navy Yard, Red Bear, Dacha, ChurchKey and The Sovereign open every day. Other Half and Right Proper open at 4pm on Mondays. Lost Generation is closed Monday–Tuesday, and DC Brau is closed Monday–Wednesday (open Thursday–Sunday). The Sovereign opens at 5pm, with weekend brunch from 11am. Hours change often, so check the venue's site before going.
Where can I drink Belgian or German-style beer in DC?
The Sovereign in Georgetown is the Belgian specialist, with 50 drafts and more than 350 bottles, lambics included. Dacha in Shaw is an open-air beer garden pouring German, Belgian and American craft beers. ChurchKey pours Czech-style lagers through side-pull taps, and Bluejacket brews traditional lagers alongside its IPAs.
Heading to Washington DC for craft beer?
Skip the spreadsheet. Get a hand-tuned itinerary in 30 seconds.