Along with being the oldest brewpub in Washington, DC, Capitol City Brewing Company can add another title to its long list of accolades: Northern Virginia’s sole winner at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Taking home the silver medal in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category, the brewery’s Amber Waves Ale snagged the second place title, nearly beating out 140 other entries.

Since opening its doors in 1992, Capitol City Brewing has been a mainstay in the district and has since expanded to a second location. Sample their signature beers and traditional bar fare at their original downtown DC location or at their Virginia outpost in Shirlington, where patrons have the option to dine and drink al fresco on the spacious outdoor patio.

With signature and seasonal brews, both locations guarantee at least seven to eight of their beers on tap, year round. Signatures include the award winning Amber Waves Ale (5.6% ABV), Capitol Kolsch — a German-style blonde ale (5.2% ABV), Pale Rider – an American pale ale (5.8% ABV) and the Prohibition Porter – an English-style ale (4.8% ABV). Their robust roundup of current seasonals includes the 1st Gud Weizenbock –similar to a Hefeweizen (6.5% ABV), the SurvivAle Saison—a beer paying tribute to breast cancer research (a portion of proceeds will be donated to the cause, 5.8% ABV), Dr. Punkinstein—their pumpkin porter and the So Over it IPA (5.9% ABV).

Beer enthusiasts interested in furthering their knowledge on suds should look no further than the brewery at Shirlington. It hosts events such as homebrewer get-togethers on the last Tuesday of each month, as well as brewery tours held on the last Saturday of every month. Tours are available in the afternoon, beginning at 1 PM or 3 PM. The $10 fee per person includes the tour and beer tasting as well as a complimentary beer sampler glass.

With the growing pace of breweries sprouting up around the DMV area (e.g. Denizens Brewing Company and Hellbender Brewing Company), check out the city’s oldest brewery that started it all: Capitol City Brewing Company.

Capitol City Brewing Company: 1100 New York Ave. NW; 202-628-2222;
4001 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Va.; 703-578-3888

Photo via Capitol City Brewing