Tim Carman of the Washington City Paper’s Young and Hungry, published this article, which cites two sources who say that the Brickskeller Inn and Saloon are close to being sold. Dave and Diane Alexander, longtime owners of the bar, refused to comment on his article, which says that, “According to one source, a small, possibly boutique hotel group will soon take over the property, perhaps by the end of October, and modernize the Brickskeller Inn while leaving the two-level bar virtually untouched. It would remain a beer emporium.” DCist offers its take on the situation here. Regardless of your opinion about the Brickskeller, there is little doubt that it is a DC institution and a pioneer of the craft beer bar in this city. We’ll try and get to the bottom of this story ourselves and let you know about any further developments that we hear about.
UPDATE: Note that in Tim Carman’s article it says that what is now the Brickskeller Saloon would remain a beer emporium after the presumptive sale. It does not, however, note whether the Brickskeller Saloon would re-open somewhere else in the city. The Alexanders also run the successful RFD in Chinatown. Is there a possibility that the Brickskeller would be reborn in a new location somewhere else in DC? Of course the possibility always exists, but a source tells us that after the sale Dave and Diane Alexander will retire and take the Brickskeller name with them into retirement. We’re still following this story closely and will continue to update you as new developments trickle in.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts about the potential sale of the Brickskeller? Would you want it to be preserved the way it is? Updated and modernized? What do you want to see changed, what do you think needs to stay the same? Let us know in the comments!
