Washington has always been a thirsty town, with a brewing tradition stretching back centuries. Spend a day tracing its past and sampling its present as local historian Garrett Peck leads a bus tour of brew-related sites.
Start with a taste of history on a docent-led tour of Dupont Circle’s Heurich House Museum, the imposing Gilded-Age mansion of brewer and philanthropist Christian Heurich. Then it’s on to the Navy Yard and one of the city’s newest beer makers, Bluejacket Brewery, for a sampling of their products and lunch at the Arsenal restaurant.
The afternoon begins with a quick stop at Congressional Cemetery, where many of the city’s first brewers are buried. The itinerary stretches to include spirits at New Columbia Distillers, a family-owned craft maker located in a 90-year old warehouse on New York Avenue, N.E., where local favorite Green Hat Gin is made. End the day at Atlas Brew Works with a tour and optional flight tasting.
Peck is a journalist and licensed Washington tour guide. His fifth and latest book is Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C.
