“Save our suds: A local brewery on the brink”

“Dear PoPville,

I’m hoping you can spread the word about the plight of Hellbender Brewing Co., a nearly decade old NE DC institution that’s trying to party its way out of a bad situation. With a little help from its friends, Hellbender is planning an event on Saturday to raise the funds it needs to buy a new boiler and get back to brewing.

As a longtime resident of the area, I don’t want to see Hellbender go the way of 3 Stars, a great neighborhood taphouse that went under just shy of its 10th birthday. Please help save our suds!”

Their GoFundMe says:

“Despite regular preventative maintenance since it was purchased new in 2014, our steam boiler has needed several repairs over the years. The most recent repair was late in April. However, after a week of work, the boiler repair company was unable to safely get our boiler running, and we have now been forced to purchase and install a new boiler unit. We need our boiler to heat water, make wort, and boil the wort that later becomes beer. Without a boiler, we can’t make beer. We were able to survive through the pandemic, but a new boiler is a very expensive purchase that we cannot currently afford on our own. In addition to having our local Councilmember and Parks Main Street helping us look for grant funding, we are asking that you consider making a donation to help us get to our goal so that we can continue to provide the neighborhood with a great gathering space for events, and continue to provide this city with great beer. Thank you.


Ben Evans

CEO, Founder & Head Brewer”