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Great Bars Where Not Every Beer Has to Be Local

by Ross Perkins Aug 11, 2014, 7:00am EDT

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by Ross Perkins Aug 11, 2014, 7:00am EDT

Photos: R. Lopez

When it comes to local beers and breweries, D.C. can certainly represent, and it's been exciting to see more and more bars carry DC Brau, Atlas, Port City and more. But just as sometimes diners need a good avocado or lemon to shake up their locally-sourced meals, sometimes drinkers need to branch out beyond the local offerings. These bars stand out for either an international focus (Japanese beer, anyone?), a diverse domestic selection, a regional specialty or just a wide selection of beers where local may be included, but it isn't the emphasis.

Have another favorite bar serving non-local beer? Share in the comments.

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Bayou Bakery

Bayou Bakery brings Louisiana to Northern Virginia, and that includes its beers. Chef David Guas has locked it down with Louisiana's Abita Brewery so expect the whole lineup, including the brewery's famous Purple Haze.

1515 N Courthouse Rd, Arlington, VA 22201

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Belga Cafe

Bart Vandaele is a Belgian through and through, and his restaurant was one of the first to celebrate the cuisine here. Belga's Belgian beer list is so extensive that when diners want to order, they are handed a book. But for those who are overwhelmed looking through a tome for the perfect pint, just ask one of the knowledgeable bartenders.

514 8th St SE, Washington DC, D.C. 20003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Bier Baron Tavern

The West End beer haven has pretty much everything for everyone. With 600 beers in its lineup and a tap list that's always changing, drinkers can get local brews and lots of not-so-local beers as well. Because change ups are always happening, it's like every visit is the first time.

1523 22nd St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20037

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Biergarten Haus

It's pretty well-established that Germans know beer. So when a German beer hall comes to the neighborhood, German beer will be flowing. H Street's Biergarten Haus has plenty of beers (or biers) available, and not one of them is from anywhere nearby.

1355 H St NE, Washington DC, D.C. 20003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Burger Tap & Shake (BTS)

The second word in the restaurant's name is "tap". So BTS better deliver. And it does with more than a dozen ales and half a dozen lagers from across the U.S. Plus, with happy hour drafts running at $5 and $6 or $7 after happy hour is over, it's also a solid deal for the neighborhood.

2200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20052

Visit Website

Also featured in:

ChurchKey

The mecca for beer lovers for sure. The bar above Birch & Barley has such an extensive bottle list that it runs for more than 30 pages. Fortunately it's draft list isn't a novella, but there are still more than 50 beers to choose from. East Coast, West Coast and international beers are all represented.

Open in Google Maps

1337 14th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20005

Visit Website

City Tap House

City Tap House emphasizes craft brewed beers. And it's no joke when checking out its beer menu. There's everything from the popular Allagash White to Michigan's Founder's Porter to Anchor IPA out of California. From coast to coast, there is a beer right for everyone.

Open in Google Maps

901 I St. NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20536

Visit Website

Dacha Beer Garden

This Shaw beer garden is often packed with happy imbibers hoisting heavy boots of beer. What kind of beer? German beer. Unfortunately, the boots are so popular they have been hoisted out of the beer garden. But that noise has got to stop.

1600 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Galaxy Hut

Arlingtonians need to drink, too. Fortunuately Galaxy Hut has them covered with 28 beers on tap with an emphasis on craft and small-batch brews. Galaxy does some beer that's local and other that's far away. All they care about is if it's good.

2711 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Meridian Pint

Meridian Pint on Columbia Heights's 11th Street is a watering hole staple. Its website is updated constantly to give revelers a pretty-much real time look at the number of casks, taps and bottles. At the time of this writing, the numbers were 1, 24 and 121. And look out for another Pint to come to Brookland in a few years.

3400 11th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20010

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Red Derby

Don't expect beers to come out of anything but a can here. The menu is updated all the time. And by menu, we mean the bar's huge chalk board. This place is cash-only and not pretentious at all. Let your hair down when throwing back can after can after can. And save the "consultant talk" for someplace else.

3718 14th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20010

Visit Website

Also featured in:

R.F.D. Washington

The sister bar to DC's bar of legend Brickseller, RFD in Chinatown has a huge list of beers by the draft and a small book of beers by the bottle. The range of beers is far and wide. And even the URL for this place shows patrons how much these guys love beer.

810 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Sauf Haus

The newest kid on the block, Sauf Haus is all about beer and pretzels. (Which is a pretty amazing combo.) All 16 drafts from Dupont Circle's beer garden are German beer. These guys would give Dacha a run for their money if they weren't separated by more than a dozen blocks.

1216 18th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Smoke & Barrel

A change of pace for those doing the usual 18th Street bar crawl in Adams Morgan, Smoke & Barrel gives patrons glasses of quality beer. There are 24 beers on tap, more than a dozen bottled and another dozen in cans. Plus, paired with some BBQ, there's no need to go anywhere else to continue the neighborhood's bar crawl.

2471 18th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Daikaya

Looking for a Japanese beer? Find such offerings as Echigo, Hitachino Nest and Ryujin Oze no Yukidoke at this izakaya.

705 6th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Hill Country Barbecue Market

Hill Country takes its Texas roots seriously, so find just about every variety of Shiner that there is at this barbecue joint.

410 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20004

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Russia House Restaurant & Lounge

Looking for beers from Russia, Ukraine or even Lithuania? Vodka may be the emphasis here, but you can find such beers at Russia House as well.

Open in Google Maps

1800 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

The Queen Vic

Fans of British and Indian beers, from Crabbies to Kingfisher, can turn to this true English pub.

1206 H St NE, Washington DC, D.C. 20002

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Pizzeria Paradiso

Pizzeria Paradiso was one of the city's pioneering beer bars, and their list is epic, ranging from Belgian varieties to domestic craft beer standouts.

Open in Google Maps

2003 P St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Visit Website

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Bayou Bakery

1515 N Courthouse Rd, Arlington, VA 22201

Bayou Bakery brings Louisiana to Northern Virginia, and that includes its beers. Chef David Guas has locked it down with Louisiana's Abita Brewery so expect the whole lineup, including the brewery's famous Purple Haze.

1515 N Courthouse Rd, Arlington, VA 22201

Visit Website

Belga Cafe

514 8th St SE, Washington DC, D.C. 20003

Bart Vandaele is a Belgian through and through, and his restaurant was one of the first to celebrate the cuisine here. Belga's Belgian beer list is so extensive that when diners want to order, they are handed a book. But for those who are overwhelmed looking through a tome for the perfect pint, just ask one of the knowledgeable bartenders.

514 8th St SE, Washington DC, D.C. 20003

Visit Website

Bier Baron Tavern

1523 22nd St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20037

The West End beer haven has pretty much everything for everyone. With 600 beers in its lineup and a tap list that's always changing, drinkers can get local brews and lots of not-so-local beers as well. Because change ups are always happening, it's like every visit is the first time.

1523 22nd St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20037

Visit Website

Biergarten Haus

1355 H St NE, Washington DC, D.C. 20003

It's pretty well-established that Germans know beer. So when a German beer hall comes to the neighborhood, German beer will be flowing. H Street's Biergarten Haus has plenty of beers (or biers) available, and not one of them is from anywhere nearby.

1355 H St NE, Washington DC, D.C. 20003

Visit Website

Burger Tap & Shake (BTS)

2200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20052

The second word in the restaurant's name is "tap". So BTS better deliver. And it does with more than a dozen ales and half a dozen lagers from across the U.S. Plus, with happy hour drafts running at $5 and $6 or $7 after happy hour is over, it's also a solid deal for the neighborhood.

2200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20052

Visit Website

ChurchKey

1337 14th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20005

The mecca for beer lovers for sure. The bar above Birch & Barley has such an extensive bottle list that it runs for more than 30 pages. Fortunately it's draft list isn't a novella, but there are still more than 50 beers to choose from. East Coast, West Coast and international beers are all represented.

Open in Google Maps

1337 14th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20005

Visit Website

City Tap House

901 I St. NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20536

City Tap House emphasizes craft brewed beers. And it's no joke when checking out its beer menu. There's everything from the popular Allagash White to Michigan's Founder's Porter to Anchor IPA out of California. From coast to coast, there is a beer right for everyone.

Open in Google Maps

901 I St. NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20536

Visit Website

Dacha Beer Garden

1600 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

This Shaw beer garden is often packed with happy imbibers hoisting heavy boots of beer. What kind of beer? German beer. Unfortunately, the boots are so popular they have been hoisted out of the beer garden. But that noise has got to stop.

1600 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Galaxy Hut

2711 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

Arlingtonians need to drink, too. Fortunuately Galaxy Hut has them covered with 28 beers on tap with an emphasis on craft and small-batch brews. Galaxy does some beer that's local and other that's far away. All they care about is if it's good.

2711 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201

Visit Website

Meridian Pint

3400 11th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20010

Meridian Pint on Columbia Heights's 11th Street is a watering hole staple. Its website is updated constantly to give revelers a pretty-much real time look at the number of casks, taps and bottles. At the time of this writing, the numbers were 1, 24 and 121. And look out for another Pint to come to Brookland in a few years.

3400 11th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20010

Visit Website

Red Derby

3718 14th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20010

Don't expect beers to come out of anything but a can here. The menu is updated all the time. And by menu, we mean the bar's huge chalk board. This place is cash-only and not pretentious at all. Let your hair down when throwing back can after can after can. And save the "consultant talk" for someplace else.

3718 14th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20010

Visit Website

R.F.D. Washington

810 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

The sister bar to DC's bar of legend Brickseller, RFD in Chinatown has a huge list of beers by the draft and a small book of beers by the bottle. The range of beers is far and wide. And even the URL for this place shows patrons how much these guys love beer.

810 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Sauf Haus

1216 18th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

The newest kid on the block, Sauf Haus is all about beer and pretzels. (Which is a pretty amazing combo.) All 16 drafts from Dupont Circle's beer garden are German beer. These guys would give Dacha a run for their money if they weren't separated by more than a dozen blocks.

1216 18th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Visit Website

Smoke & Barrel

2471 18th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20009

A change of pace for those doing the usual 18th Street bar crawl in Adams Morgan, Smoke & Barrel gives patrons glasses of quality beer. There are 24 beers on tap, more than a dozen bottled and another dozen in cans. Plus, paired with some BBQ, there's no need to go anywhere else to continue the neighborhood's bar crawl.

2471 18th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

Daikaya

705 6th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Looking for a Japanese beer? Find such offerings as Echigo, Hitachino Nest and Ryujin Oze no Yukidoke at this izakaya.

705 6th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20001

Visit Website

Related Maps

Hill Country Barbecue Market

410 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20004

Hill Country takes its Texas roots seriously, so find just about every variety of Shiner that there is at this barbecue joint.

410 7th St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20004

Visit Website

Russia House Restaurant & Lounge

1800 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20009

Looking for beers from Russia, Ukraine or even Lithuania? Vodka may be the emphasis here, but you can find such beers at Russia House as well.

Open in Google Maps

1800 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20009

Visit Website

The Queen Vic

1206 H St NE, Washington DC, D.C. 20002

Fans of British and Indian beers, from Crabbies to Kingfisher, can turn to this true English pub.

1206 H St NE, Washington DC, D.C. 20002

Visit Website

Pizzeria Paradiso

2003 P St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Pizzeria Paradiso was one of the city's pioneering beer bars, and their list is epic, ranging from Belgian varieties to domestic craft beer standouts.

Open in Google Maps

2003 P St NW, Washington DC, D.C. 20036

Visit Website

Related Maps