Last week, 3 Stars Brewing Company‘s Mike McGarvey and Dave Coleman began brewing beer that will soon be in bars and restaurants across the city. Having obtained its final permits earlier this month, 3 Stars is the latest in a wave of sudsy start-ups in the area, and the third production brewery to open inside the District after DC Brau last spring and Chocolate City last summer.
McGarvey and Coleman are planning an August 9 launch with a series of events at craft-beer havens like ChurchKey, Smith Commons, and The Big Hunt, where Coleman worked as beer director for several years. 3 Stars will be available on draft and cask at more 20 bars and restaurants in D.C. to start, as well as at the brewery’s tasting room on Saturdays for growler fills. Within a few months, 750 milliliter bottles will be on shelves in shops like Cairo Wine & Liquor in Dupont Circle and De Vinos in Adams Morgan.
The microbrewery’s first three offerings will be Urban Farmhouse, a citrusy Belgian-style saison with 6.5 percent alcohol content, Southern Belle, a malty 8.7 percent alcohol imperial brown ale, and Pandemic Porter, an American imperial porter brewed with coffee that rings in at 9.6 percent alcohol. Later this year, 3 Stars plans to release a Belgian-style India pale ale and a hoppy white ale brewed with wheat.
“We want to showcase our diversity and show that we are brewing big, bold, full-flavored beers across multiple styles,” says Coleman. “We’re using traditional approaches but pushing limits and making the most forward-thinking beers people are still going to accept.”
When I stopped by the Takoma-based brewery on Friday, a batch of Pandemic Porter was working its way through the 10-barrel brew house, and the home brew store was fully stocked. You can visit the shop to get your own brewing supplies or buy 3 Stars merchandise on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the meantime, here are some pics.
3 Stars Brewing Company, 6400 Chillum Pl. NW.
Photos by Tammy Tuck (Photo of Mike McGarvey courtesy of 3 Stars Brewing Company)