Atlas Brew Works Is Putting a Supersized Second Facility Right By Nationals Park

Ivy City-based Atlas Brew Works announced today that it will open a second brewing facility and taproom next year near Nationals Park, continuing the beer boom in Navy Yard.

The new brewery is expected to land in spring 2020 on the street level of the West Half development on Half Street SE, which means it’s part of the strip from the Metro station to the center field gate of the ballpark. The Bullpen, the outdoor venue walled in by shipping crates next-door, is next-door. The Washington Post reported in 2017 that the Bullpen’s days were numbered, but the venue returned for baseball season last year.

With the new property, Atlas says it will become the first manufacturing brewery to have multiple sites in D.C. According to the announcement, Atlas’s new facility is 4,500 square feet, double the size of the original in Ivy City. The company plans to purchase carbon offsets to mitigate its energy usage.

The Navy Yard brewery will sell the 1500 South Cap lager, a pre-existing collaboration with the Nats, as well as exclusive special releases and familiar favorites.

Expansion plans bring bright news for a company that alleged last month that the partial government shutdown threatened its survival. Atlas Brew Works made national headlines in January by suing the federal government over an apricot draft beer that it couldn’t sell because furloughed inspectors couldn’t approve labels. In the lawsuit, Atlas argued that a backlog could have a devastating domino effect on its business.

The new Atlas brewery won’t be open in time to serve Nationals fans this year. Dacha, the popular beer garden in Shaw, has plans to open a location in the neighborhood this spring.

Bardo opened its dog-friendly outdoor brewery and riverfront beer garden by the ballpark in 2017. Herndon-based brewer Aslin Beer Company opened a seasonal beer garden in the neighborhood last year.

• D.C. Brewery Sues Government, Alleges Shutdown Could Destroy Its Business [EDC]
• What’s next for The Bullpen, the beloved Nats Park destination? Not even the owner is sure. [WaPo]
• Here’s a Timeline for Dacha’s Beer Garden in Navy Yard [EDC]
• Bardo Sets Up Shop by Nats Park [EDC]
• Virginia Brewery’s Temporary Navy Yard Beer Garden Debuts April 5 [EDC]