| Hellbender Brewing Company 5788 2nd Street, NE | Washington, D.C. 20011 (202) 827-8768 www.hellbenderbeer.com |
“Born of love. Perfected by science.” Hellbender Brewing Company was founded by Washington, DC residents Ben Evans and Patrick Mullane. The duo homebrewed for almost a decade before going pro.
President and Head Brewer Ben Evans is a former microbiologist and neuroscientist. He oversees brewing operations, recipe development, and quality control.
Patrick Mullane worked as a congressional aide on Capitol Hill for 12 years and worked as a server and cook on the side. He oversees the business side of the brewery including sales and marketing.
Hellbender’s logo is the endangered Eastern Hellbender, the largest salamander in North America and the third largest in the world. They can reach up to 2.5 feet in length and weigh up to three pounds. You can see an Eastern Hellbender at the Smithsonian National Zoo in D.C.
The tasting room at Hellbender features a long wooden bar in the back and plenty of large biergarten-style tables for patrons to socialize and enjoy brews.
The beers on tap during our visit included…
- Bare Bones Kölsh – 5% ABV Kölsch
- Red Line Ale – 6% ABV Red Ale
- North x Northeast Coffee Stout – 5.1% ABV Coffee Stout
- Groundskeeper Islay – 8.8% ABV Wee Heavy
- Scorched Black IPA – 7.5% ABV Black IPA
- Hell’s Horn Imperial IPL – 8.2% ABV India Pale Lager
The tasting room at Hellbender is open Thursday and Friday 5 to 8 PM and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 8 PM. Flights of 4 samples for $6 and pints for $5 can be enjoyed in house, and both 32- and 64-ounce growlers can be filled to go for $8 and $13. Tours are available on Saturday at 2, 3, 4, and 5 PM.
The brewery is located 5 blocks from the Fort Totten Metro stop, which serves the Red, Yellow, and Green lines.
