City-State Brewing Company will open to the public Friday, several months after originally planned, because of pandemic-related delays.
City-State straddles D.C.’s Edgewood and Brookland neighborhoods at 705 Edgewood St. NE, near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station. The 13,000-square-foot brewery and taproom is in a former freight rail depot, and pays lots of homage to the District.
There are 45 posters depicting D.C. neighborhoods by local artist Anthony Dihle, and many beers have D.C.-centric names, such as 8 Wards Independent Pale Ale.
Owner James Warner is a former U.S. Senate staffer and Peace Corps volunteer and spent more than three years planning and fundraising for his new brewery.
“We’re opening in a historically diverse neighborhood. We’re in Edgewood, and I live in Brookland next door,” Warner said. “I want to make sure that, as we build our business, we’re also building our community.”
The brewery is actually two connected brew houses. One is a 20-barrel system for larger batches, and one is a five-barrel brew house for more experimental beers, with a large, on-site taproom.
City-State will also host live music and performances, and can serve as a wedding venue with a catering kitchen. There are also arcade games and a large assortment of board games.
City-State will open a summer garden patio later this month.
In addition to the taproom, cans of City-State beers will be for sale at the brewery later this month, and it expects a wholesale distribution business in D.C., Maryland and Virginia this month as well.
City-State Brewing will be open Wednesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
