With construction, both commercial and residential, deemed “essential” by the District government, Other Half continues to make progress in their Ivy City brewery, located in the same building that houses Gravitas, and across the street from New Columbia Distillers. On Friday, April 10, Other Half co-founder Matt Monahan and tasting room manager Anthony Finley went live on Instagram to share some updates.
They hope to open in some capacity this summer, though the on-going requests for people to stay at home from local governments are no doubt complicating the construction and inspection timelines. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, DC governmental agencies like the Department of Regulatory and Consumer Affairs and the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration were not known for their speed in permitting processes.
There will be an indoor taproom with at least two bar areas. One is an old train car bar dedicated to “crispy bois,” which in the late 2010s means lagers. The brewery has built its name on haze and pastry, though, and those will be well-represented in the brewery as well, at a larger inside bar. There will also be an outdoor patio, and as this will be Other Half’s largest facility, food. Not just snacks, but meals. Welcome to the brewpub life.
The size of the brewery also means that we’ll see a smaller brewing system for limited batches of some beers, employing both bottling and canning lines. Speaking of cans, it’s possible that Other Half will release canned beer onsite in Ivy City before the brewery is open to the public. Again, COVID-19 may complicate that.
In the meantime, Other Half continues to send beer to Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown Wine and Beer, and we don’t know if that relationship will continue once the Ivy City location is up and running. Really, there’s a lot we don’t know. We’ve reached out to Other Half on multiple occasions, but haven’t heard back. Their Instagram is the best place to go for updates.
Though no area breweries have taken them up on it–the pivot to package is all consuming at the moment–Other Half has launched All Together, a hazy session IPA they’re inviting others to brew, asking that portion of proceeds go to support hospitality professionals in participating breweries’ communities.
