Brewery Tours & Beer Tastings in the Capital Region

Whether you like it hoppy, malty, foamy, creamy, light or dark, more than 200 breweries across the Capital Region offer a variety of tasty draughts for your enjoyment. 

Washington, DC

Craft beers are loved all across the US, and Washington, DC leads the charge with creative concepts and innovative brewers. Enjoy small-batch beers from 3 Stars Brewing Company, Atlas Brew Works, Bluejacket, Right Proper Brewing Company, DC Brau and Hellbender Brewing Company. At District Chophouse & Brewery, the forties are still fabulous and you can pair their beers — brewed on site — with steaks, chops and seafood.

Sample it all while someone else does the driving by spending the day with DC Brew Tours, the only beer tour company in the Capital Region offering daily, all-inclusive excursions to Washington, DC’s best breweries, pubs and bars. Tours include a tasting of 12–18 different local draughts, a beer-centric meal or food pairing, VIP access into multiple breweries and round-trip transportation from DC's city centre. 

Maryland

The waterfront city of Baltimore is home to several breweries and locally crafted pints: The Brewer’s Art, Leinenkugel's Leinie Lodge & Beer Garden, Heavy Seas Beer and Union Craft Brewing to name a handful. Be sure to check out Pratt Street Ale House, a full-service restaurant that's home to Oliver Brewing Co., Baltimore’s oldest craft brewery. Guinness Open Gate Brewery opened in 2018, and is the first Guinness presence on US soil since 1954. In addition to a taproom, restaurant and retail store, the operation is crafting small-batch delights you can’t find anywhere else. 

Enjoy the house draughts as well as excellent culinary creations at Brewer's Alley, the first brew pub in Frederick County, Maryland. Frederick is also home to Flying Dog Brewery, one of the fastest-growing regional craft beer makers in the mid-Atlantic area of the country. Take the two-hour tour, which includes five tastings and a commemorative glass. Monocacy Brewing Company produces and packages their beers in the old Ebert’s Ice Cream plant located in the historic city centre of Frederick.

Explore more Maryland breweries.

Virginia

Virginia offers true local flavour at more than 200 craft breweries, restaurants and bars and has been named one of the "Top 7 Beer Destinations" by the Travel Channel. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia, visit Devils Backbone Brewing Company, an award-winning establishment with an on-site restaurant and plenty of outdoor space to take in the scenic mountain views. Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton is Virginia’s first countryside brewery, hop farm and tasting room and also features a farm-to-table restaurant. Three Notch'd Craft Kitchen & Brewery offers more than 40 taps including ciders and house-made sodas, as well as beer-friendly dishes from their on-site kitchen.

Virginia’s capital city of Richmond is home to more than 30 breweries with several more slated to open. Enjoy delicious draughts along with views overlooking the James River and the city skyline from the patio of Virginia's oldest operating microbrewery, Legend Brewing Company. Stop by the sustainably operated Hardywood Park Craft Brewery for a Gingerbread Stout, which scored a perfect 100 on beeradvocate.com. Make some local friends while hanging out in the beer garden at Ardent Craft Ales, located in the city's popular Scott's Addition neighbourhood. Get wild with one of Strangeway Brewing Company’s unique concoctions and discover why Stone Brewing has placed first on BeerAdvocate magazine's list of "All-Time Top Breweries on Planet Earth."

Learn more about Virginia’s craft breweries.

Guided Brewery Tours

Drink responsibly by hiring a transportation company to take you on a guided tour of the region's breweries. Here is a sampling of the many options you have to choose from:

• Reston Limousine (DC, Maryland and Virginia) 
• Beer Bros. (Northern Virginia)
• Cville Hop On Tours (Charlottesville and Central Virginia)
• Richmond Brewery Tours (Richmond, Virginia)
• Taste Virginia (Virginia Beach and Tidewater Region)
• City Brew Tours (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Frederick Brew Bus (Frederick, Maryland)
• Maryland Brewery Tours

Still thirsty? Savour American flavours at wineries, distilleries and cideries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Or, sip your way through the Capital Region's wine trails for a full-bodied retreat.