In the past decade, D.C. has experienced phenomenal growth, and no neighborhood better exemplifies the transition from uninhabited void to cultural player like Penn Quarter. Once an area to drive through on your way from K Street to the Capital, it’s now one D.C.’s most popular ‘hoods.

Drinking options abound in the ten-block area, from crowding into a bustling chain to vying for impossible to score seats at exclusive lounges. Occupying a happy medium between these extremes is one of the better spots in the city for a post-work beverage, Iron Horse Taproom, situated on Seventh Street between E and F. 

Open for just under three years, the space might seem a bit familiar to first-time visitors: the pub is owned by the same folks as down-the-block Rocket Bar. But where Rocket Bar is small and dusky, Iron Horse is the opposite. Huge bay windows allow light in and make for great people-watching on the busy street outside. The interior is massive, with a ground-floor bar and spacious basement. Metal piping and weathered wood mingle with vintage motorcycles and as design elements throughout. From the bike paraphanalia above the stairs to the well-lit below-ground space teeming with brand new parlor games, the whole bar has a lively feel.

Iron Horse has one of the most underrated happy hours in the Washington area. An impressive list of rotating list of craft drafts populate the 20 taps, as well as half-a-dozen additional specialty pours, and during happy hour, every single one of them is $2 off. That means from 4–8 PM Monday–Friday and 5–8 PM on the weekends, beer lovers can sip a glass of Flying Dog's Double Dog Nitro – an American-style IPA that clocks in at 11.5% ABV – for just $4. The same goes for the 7% ABV Atlas by DC Brau, a German-style fest beer, and a similar lager, Czechvar, shipped in from Prague. $5 rail drinks round out the happy hour dealage.

Since Iron Horse doesn’t serve food, after-office crowds are thinner than the rest of the area. Not only is there no need to fight jostling elbows for a spot at the bar, but you are welcome to bring your own grub to accompany your drink. The location, just around the corner from the Verizon Center, makes for an ideal pre-Caps stop (but know that word has gotten out to the fans, who fill the space with red jerseys before every home game).

Happy hour isn’t the only time this bar is a winner; because of the modest craft brew pricing, it’s a beer-lover’s dream anytime. Changing daily deals include options like $5 Makers Mark drinks (every Tuesday) or $5 house wines (Wednesdays) – these specials run all evening long. And because of its relatively new status, weekends are not unpleasantly jam-packed. Games in the basement are almost always open, with skeeball the primary draw. So the next time you make your way to Penn Quarter for an afternoon chug, skip the well-known scene and hit Iron Horse Taproom.