The Brew Daddies

Richard teams up with DC Beer contributors Jacob Berg and Michael Stein to look back at the 2019 DC-area craft brewing scene and to speculate what’s to come in 2020. They say goodbye to a few cherished DC beer establishments, while also sharing optimistic outlooks for the continued growth of craft brewing in the region. Casualties and Opportunities of the Changing DC Beer Market2019 witnessed the closing of Meridian Pint and Mad Fox. These two brewpubs, which relied heavily upon “beer events” to generate revenue, struggled to compete against the influx of local craft breweries.At the same time, there were a number of craft brewery openings in DC including Red Bear, Astro Lab, Valor, Silver Branch, Sapwood, which are already producing high-quality brews. Established breweries like District ChopHouse, Churchkey, The Sovereign, and DC Brau continue to make great beers. The DC Beer team has also noticed that several breweries are beginning to produce more low-ABV/low-calorie beers (and even some Hard Seltzers) in