This piece was written by Daniel Kolender
… And night games.
Aslin Beer Company, purveyors of perhaps the most widely known hazy IPAs in the DMV area, have announced their Aslin Beer Garden in Navy Yard this summer. Located at a formerly empty lot at 1st and N Streets SE, the beer garden reportedly will be open for every Nationals home game beginning on the opener Thursday, April 5th. Later, Aslin hopes to open even on non-game days to host musical acts and other events.
While primarily known for their numerous hazy JOOCE IPAs and vanilla-infused milkshakes, look out for their well-balanced fruited berliners and goses at the beer garden. Probably the more responsible choice for parking lot drinking during DC’s July than a 9% hop-bomb, Aslin’s sours also have the benefit of being deliciously refreshing. Not into sours? They've got a solid pilsner now, too. The beer garden will be cans only, with Aslin selections rotating throughout summer. Word on the street, however, is that Aslin will be also be featuring offerings from their friends in industry; only time will tell who these friends are and how often they appear.
This beer garden represents a big jump in accessibility for DC beer nerds to get their Aslin fixes. Until last winter, essentially the only way to get Aslin was to buy cans from their brick and mortar store in Herndon, Virginia. More recently they have been sending kegs to some of DC’s premier beer bars including Churchkey and Meridian/Brookland Pint, as well as opening a pop-up in Brookland for a weekend. Aslin co-founder Andrew Kelley says that, as their Herndon location does not have a tasting room, they found it pertinent to work with groups like NRG and the Pints to allow fans to have their beers on tap in a communal place other than their own homes.
Kelley says that while the beer garden will definitely affect the case counts in Herndon and the kegs they send out, the size of the effect is still unknown and will depend on demand in Navy Yard. They are also planning on ramping up production in general to keep supplying their brewery to-go offerings, kegs sent to accounts across the DMV, and a new tasting room they are hoping to open up.
Find the latest by checking out their new instagram handle, @aslinbeergarden.
Update, 4/6/18: Aslin told The Post’s Fritz Hahn that they’re planning to have five beers at Thursday’s game: Anthemic (pilsner), Power Move (IPA), Sorbet (fruited sour IPA), Awkwardly Sweet (fruited sour IPA) and Double Orange Starfish (double IPA). Beers will cost $8-$11 per 16-ounce can, and there will be a food truck on site.
