City State Brewing will open Friday!!

“City State Brewing right off the MBT (north of Rhode Island Ave, south of Dew Drop Inn).” Photo by R Sverd

From City-State Brewing (705 Edgewood Street, NE:

“City-State Brewing Co., DC’s newest brewery and community gathering space, officially opens its taproom to the public Friday, June 4th.

The long-awaited homegrown brewery celebrates the District of Columbia in every way, from the beer, named after defining traits and historic moments like 8 Wards Independent Pale Ale and Lost Laws Pilsner, to the location, accessible by metro and the Metropolitan Branch Trail. The space includes an exhibit wall dedicated to the area’s culture and history, including 45 posters depicting DC neighborhoods by local artist Anthony Dihle.

“City-State is one big, heartfelt toast to DC,” said owner James Warner. “It’s a space that honors and celebrates everything unique about the District.”

The 13,000 square-foot brewery is housed in a former freight rail depot on the border of the Edgewood and Brookland neighborhoods. There is a taproom on site as well as an arts venue that will feature live music and an event space open to community groups. It will be open:

Wednesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m..

The space is designed to encourage gathering and will include:

Arcade games like Killer Queen and The Simpsons

Large assortment of board games

Non-alcoholic drinks made on-site including iced mint tea and oolong teas, club soda — and locally-roasted Swing’s cold brew coffee

Summer garden patio opening in late June

“We’ve designed the space to feel welcoming for everyone,” said Warner. “We want this to be a hub for community groups, families, cyclists, beer lovers, and more.”

In addition to hosting live music and artistic performances, City-State will be open as an affordable wedding venue and event space.

About the Beer

City-State has two connected brewhouses, a 20-barrel system for producing larger runs of flagships, and a 5-barrel system for more experimental beers. Like its hometown, City-State will take some risks, giving space for brewers to experiment with technique, flavor and process. Vincent Falcone, an award-winning industry veteran with 30 years experience, will serve as Head Brewer.

“Vincent is the perfect master craftsman to direct City-State’s versatile and flexible beverage production operations,” said Warner. “His approach to brewing is soulful and scientific. And, as a bonus, he also has extensive experience producing non-alcoholic beverages.”

City-State will open its doors with a range of beers available on tap, including: Equal Marriage dark wheat, Feather Duster hazy ale, 8 Wards Independent Pale Ale, Redbud hibiscus kolsch, and Trainspotter: Green Bullet pub ale. Cans will be available at the brewery starting in late June, and the brewery plans to launch its wholesale distribution to DC, Maryland, and Virginia in June as well.

City-State Opportunity Zone Fund

Part of City-State’s funding stemmed from the brewery’s Opportunity Zone Fund, an unusual method to help finance a small business, said Warner. “But we’ll use the fund in the way it was intended — to create opportunity.”

“We’re opening in a historically diverse neighborhood,” Warner said. “We’re in Edgewood, and I live in Brookland next door. I want to make sure that, as we build our business, we’re also building our community.”