5/23/15 11:30 a.m.
Brewing history expert Garrett Peck will take us back in time to discover D.C.'s rich history in beer. Author of "Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C.," Peck will lead us to several local brewing history sites to tell stories that predate Prohibition-Era speakeasys. Our tour will finish at Right Proper Brewery, where participants will get a special treat to "rehydrate" properly!
Please join the waitlist and we'll make every effort to accommodate you.
From a previous brewery tour: Garrett Peck at the Temperance Fountain in Penn Quarter
Parking lots H and I by Nationals Stadium used to be waterfront property. At the foot of the canal stood Washington’s first brewery, aptly named the Washington Brewery. The first wave of brewers were of English and Irish descent and thus produced ales, Peck explains. This Brewery stood from 1805 to 1836 and was one of the first industrial sites in D.C. The surrounding Navy Yard provided many happy customers for the brewers.
At one point, breweries were the second largest employer in the city behind the federal government. In recent years, craft brewing has seen a renaissance, and there are now more breweries in the city than at any point since Prohibition. One such brewery is Shaw’s own Right Proper Brewing Company.
Many founding fathers of the D.C. beer industry are buried at Congressional Cemetery, including the prolific brewers from the Beckert family.