| 3 Stars Brewing Company 6400 Chillum Pl. NW | Washington, DC 20011 (202) 670-0333 3starsbrewing.com |
3 Stars Brewing Company is located in Washington, DC and first opened its doors in 2012. Focused on locally hand crafted artisanal ales, the brewery was founded by longtime friends and homebrewers Dave Coleman and Mike McGarvey.
The duo has released over 40 different distinctive beers and have made a name for themselves when it comes to unique and creative brews. 3 Stars Brewing Company was named DC’s Best Local Brewery for two years by Washington City Paper and named Rising Stars in 2014 by Star Chefs Magazine.
Not only is there a brewery and tasting room at 3 Stars, but there is also a homebrew shop on premise. The DC Homebrew Shop is DC’s only homebrew shop, carrying a large selection of grain, malt extract, hops, and yeast in addition to various adjuncts, spices, and additives. Homebrewers can purchase multiple equipment kits and recipe kits, as well as a variety of brewing, fermentation, bottling, and kegging items.
The beers on tap during our visit included…
- Peppercorn Saison – 6.5% ABV Farmhouse Ale
- Southern Belle – 8.7% ABV Imperial Brown Ale with Toasted Pecans
- Madness – 12.4% ABV Old Stock Ale
- Two To The Dome – 8.0% ABV Double IPA
- Ghost – 5.9% ABV White IPA
- Citra Lemon Saison – 5.0% ABV Farmhouse Ale with Fresh Lemon Peel
- Nectar of the Bogs – 5.0% ABV Cranberry Saison
- Above the Clouds – 6.3% ABV Farmhouse Pale Ale
Other beers by 3 Stars include Pandemic, an imperial porter; The Phoenix, a rye saison; Zombie Date Night, an imperial porter on raspberries; Ebony & Ivory, an imperial brown ale with cocoa and vanilla beans; Desolation, a rye whiskey aged coffee aged porter; and Harvester of Sorrow, a Cabernet aged saison.
Lucky locals can join the Illuminati Reserve Society. The Illuminati Release #1 for 2015 is a huge 12.4% ABV treat. They aged 2014 Madness in Green Hat Ginavit barrels. The beer boasts robust notes of dark fruit with a perfect counterbalance of piney brightness from the juniper.
The innovative and creative beers on tap at 3 Stars were exciting and delicious. I enjoyed sampling brews while chatting with a few locals at a picnic table by the brewing equipment. I was excited to take home a few bottles from 3 Stars and share them with my fellow Beer Busters.
Four-ounce sample pours are $1.50, full pours are $5, and a sample flight of 4 four-ounce pours is $6. A 32-ounce empty growler is $3, while a 64-ounce empty growler is $5. Peppercorn Saison, Southern Belle and Pandemic were available in bottles to go.
If you plan to visit (and you definitely should), the tasting room is open Thursday to Friday 4 to 8 PM and Saturday to Sunday 1 to 5 PM. Free public tours take place on Saturday at 2 and 3 PM. The homebrew shop is open Thursday 4 to 8 PM, Friday 3 to 8 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday noon to 4 PM.
3 Stars Brewing Company is definitely on my list of go-to breweries each time I visit Washington, DC. I can’t wait to see what unique concoctions they brew up next!
