More good news for local beer fans: it looks as though Lost Rhino will be the next DMV brewery to release their products to the DC metro market.
After spending the last several months concentrating on their brew, Matt Hagerman and Favio Garcia are slated to have their Rhino Chaser Pilsner, New River Pale Ale or Face Plant IPA at your local as early as late this week (depends where your local is). It could of course take longer, according to their distributor, Hop and Wine, a launch date has yet to be set. Anybody who knows anything about the inaugural run of products hitting the market knows it is often a case of hurry up and wait (how ready was DC before The Public made it’s appearance in cans and kegs across the city?).
The upcoming schedule for the Lost Rhino Brewing Company is an ambitious one. With three recipes dialed in, the next two months will see a strict schedule of brewing for their pilsner, pale ale and IPA beers. When I spoke to Garcia he had mentioned that they hope to have an Oktoberfest AND Harvest Ale by September.
Of course the Harvest ale will depend greatly on what is actually harvested. Hagerman and Garcia have set their hopes high to bring the fantasy of a beer with Virginia malt and hops to life. In order to make this dream a reality, Lost Rhino is working in collaboration with Sage Hill Farms and Lost Corner Brewing Company.
As ubiquitous as pale ale has become I’m positive that any product hailing from Hagerman and Garcia’s brewhouse is going to be a very satisfying beverage. Anyone who had the chance to sample their lager at the NoVA Brewfest knows how well balanced this beer is. Beyond their pale and IPA I am incredibly excited for their pilsner, as is a common complaint around the DC Beer Office (read ChurchKey/Big Hunt/Meridian Pint) there just aren’t enough craft brewers lagering today.
Also in the works for the brewery is a canning line that they hope to have up and running by the end of the year. Soon enough you will be able to tour the brewery (perhaps as early as this weekend), as tasting room construction is almost complete. We look forward to the first official release of Lost Rhino Brewing Company in the DC market and welcome another heavy-hitter to the lineup of exciting new breweries in the DMV.