Local Restaurants Welcome SoCal’s Bruery With Back-to-Back Drinking Fests

Local restaurants are celebrating the arrival of legendary barrel-aged beer producer the Bruery’s first store outside California with not one, but two booze-fueled parties sandwiched around the new retail shop’s grand opening on Friday, January 19.

The welcome wagon gets rolling with a meet-and-greet with Bruery founder Patrick Rue starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, January 18, at Georgetown’s Sovereign, followed by a grand opening after-party Friday, January 19, at Anxo Cidery & Pintxos Bar.

The independent craft brewery, founded in 2008, will stock its forthcoming D.C. location (513 Morse Street NE) with bottles, cans, and branded swag. Rotating taps for growler fills are in the works for the Union Market-adjacent outpost.

It’ll pay off to stand in the cold on opening day. Starting at 11 a.m., the first 100 customers will get a commemorative T-shirt and a three-bottle set of beer (no purchase necessary), while the next 100 shoppers will be handed two bottles, among other promotional perks.

Belgium-style brews under Bruery’s umbrella include Bruery Terreux and Offshoot Beer Co. Expect to get pretty bombed off some of its experimental beers; The Bruery has pushed the boundaries in the potency department, creating a new category for bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts that hovers around 20 percent ABV.

D.C. was picked for its first East Coast location largely because many of its members, which belong to “society” categories dubbed Hoarders, Preservation, and Reserve, live around the area and will be able to pick up online orders of limited and exclusive releases at the new store. Current members can enjoy freebies during opening weekend.