A Brooklyn Brewery Famous for Its IPAs Kickstarts Production in Ivy City Next Month

D.C.’s already robust craft beer scene will get a big boost this fall when Other Half Brewing Co. unveils its anticipated taproom and production facility in Ivy City.

Founded in 2014, the beloved Brooklyn brewery has quickly gained a cult NYC following for its hazy IPAs, lagers, and barrel-aged stouts. Its inaugural D.C. facility in the new Hecht Warehouse (1401 Okie Street NE) plans to kick off production in late September, according to a statement from its team on Wednesday. Come October, the brewery plans to offer curbside pickup and delivery options to start.

A 5,000-square-foot indoor tasting and taproom will offer 20 draft pours at a time. Al fresco beer drinkers will have 7,500 square feet of outdoor space to work with, between a patio with a covered pavilion and roof deck. COVID-19 will dictate when and how on-site activations will go live to the public. “TBD, based on regulations at time of opening,” a PR rep tells Eater.

Other Half’s project, in the pipeline since fall 2018, anchors Douglas Development’s industrial-styled conversation of the former Pappas Tomato Factory building.

Other Half’s expansion to D.C. represents a homecoming of sorts for its co-founders Andrew Burman and Matt Monahan, who grew up in the area.

Other Half/official photo

Like Virginia’s artsy Aslin Beer Company, Other Half is also known for its wildly eccentric and cartoon-ish can designs. Wacky and colorful labels feature everything from food to animals:

Other Half/official photo

Other Half/official photo

Other Half/official photo

Along with its signature brews, Other Half plans to fill tap lines with limited releases made with brewers and vintners from near and far. The team says they hope to collaborate with fellow D.C. brewers on future pours.

The soaring D.C. facility will help roll out a “more robust, barrel-aged Imperial Stout and barley wine program,” per a release, and larger tank sizes will enable the team to ramp up production of its lager lines.

A food component at Other Half’s Ivy City project is “TBD,” per a rep, dependent on what COVID-19 restrictions look like come fall. Other Half visitors will have a Michelin-starred restaurant at their fingertips (Gravitas is right next door).

Back at its Brooklyn home base, the busy brewers are working on planting a much-smaller flag at Williamsburg’s hip waterfront development that currently counts Danny Meyer’s taco stand Tacocina as a tenant. Other Half is now targeting a late fall 2020 opening, a rep tells Eater.

Other Half will join a sea of booze-making neighbors in Northeast, including brewers Atlas Brew Works and Supreme Core, City Winery, and distillers Don Ciccio & Figli and One Eight.

Another Northeast neighborhood (Brookland) is prepping for the arrival of its own microbrewery and taproom from ambitious beer startup City-State Brewing Co., which just broke ground on the 13,000-square-foot project last month.

To get customers excited about its new Ivy City digs, Other Half plans to do weekly drops of its Brooklyn-brewed beer at Downtown Crown Wine & Beer in Gaithersburg, Md.

• Other Half Brewery Will Open in Ivy City Warehouse [UT]
• IPA Hitmaker Other Half Brewing Is Joining Williamsburg’s Domino Development [ENY]
• Startup Brewery City-State Breaks Ground on a New Brookland Facility [EDC]