The Snallygaster festival is 13 years old. For American craft brewing that’s a decent age. Not every beerfest gets to be typical modern bar/bat mitzvah age.
There are a few breweries who are over a decade in business in our DC metro area. Consider DC Brau and Port City, both in the class of 2011. These breweries celebrate their quinciñera in 2026. Both will have beers available at the festival, with DC Brau bringing Alternate Gourd, a Pumpkin Spice Ale, and On the Wings of Armageddon Imperial IPA. Port City will be pouring Schwarzbier, a black lager, and Coffee Porter which uses the G Street Blend from Swing’s Coffee.
But outside of the local olds, there is a class of breweries who are not 15 but average closer to 150 years old. A smaller group is older still, centuries old. Here are the nine oldest breweries pouring Saturday. A note on historical accuracy: some of these breweries claim a 14th or 15th century founding. To that we say: well maybe! Naturally, no kettle that’s currently boiling these beers was in use in the 1400s.
Augustiner-Bräu retains the title of “oldest brewery at the festival.” The brewery, in Munich, Germany, was established in 1328. Though it’s possible an 1817 start time is more accurate. Regardless, in 1817, lager didn’t yet exist in DC. DC as the seat of the federal government was still a teenager! Augustiner is a beloved brand and many brewers swoon over their Edelstoff Export Lager, which is on offer at the festival. Their Maximator Dopplebock is an excellent representation of the strong dark lager style.
Andechs scores the second-oldest spot with a claim of 1455, though 1803 might be more accurate. According to the brewery, “roots of the Andechs brewing tradition extend back to serving the pilgrims that have been coming to the Holy Mountain since 1128. The Benedictines have been serving pilgrims in Andechs since 1455, receiving them with hospitality. The monastery brewery is committed to sustainable growth and maintaining the monastic identity to this day.” In 1871 they converted to steam power. Around 1920, their beer barrels began to be transported by rail. In 2025, they are pouring not one but two weißbier, the dark Weissbier Dunkel, Dunkelweizen, and Weissbier Hell, the pale Hefeweizen. If you find a higher quality traditional wheat beer at the festival please let us know!
Just a century later with an 1536 founding is Spezial, the beloved Franconian lager producer. Brauerei Spezial was founded in 1536 by Lindhard Grosskopf, the name Spezial appears in the mid-1600s. The Spezial Keller, cellar, still exists, dug into a hill overlooking the city of Bamberg, but in the early 1960s lager caves were decommissioned when the brewery installed a contemporary refrigeration system. Spezial Lager and Spezial Marzen will delight festival attendees.
Fourth, though first in my heart is Schönramer, with a 1780 founding. There is too much to be said about Schönramer so I will keep it brief: if you’ve not had their lager, you’re missing out. Schönram Gold is an excellent representation of style. And Schönram Pils is the beer that launched 1,000 pilsners. Often imitated, though in my humble opinion, never quite replicated.
Fifth is Mönchsambacher, founded in 1808. Mönchsambacher comes from Upper Franconia and their lagers are wonderful examples of why the region is so well regarded for lager production. Simply named Mönchsambacher Export and Mönchsambacher Lager, these beers are so much more than their names.
Our sixth elder is a markedly different producer. In 1821 Rodenbach was founded by the four Rodenbach brothers–Pedro, Alexander, Ferdinand, and Constantijn–who invested in a small brewery in Roeselare, in the West Flanders province of Belgium. They are bringing their Classic and Grand Cru, two different iterations of Flemish Red Ale. There is a reason this style is so highly esteemed by so many brewers. If you love sour, tart, and funky beers, these are for you.
Number seven is Knoblach, with a founding date of 1880 in Schammelsdorf, Franconia. Knoblach is bringing Hell, a pale lager, and Knoblach Rauschla, also a pale lager but with a wonderfully restrained smokey aroma and flavor. Knoblach Hell is a tremendous lager, but of course for the DC Beer family, smoked beer is the name of the game. If you are a true smoked-beer lover their Rauschla is a wonderfully restrained example. If you’ve never had a smoked beer, it’s a great place to start!
3 Fonteinen (1882) is brewery eight and wow are they bringing some complex and esoteric beers. According to the brewery, “[T]he foundation goes back to at least 1882, when Jacobus Vanderlinden and his wife Joanna Brillens opened an inn in Beersel (at the location of today’s Hoogstraat 13).” 3 Fonteinen spoils us with an embarrassment of riches bringing nine wonderfully complex beers: Cuvée Armand & Gaston 2017/2018: Blend No. 77 Gueuze Lambic, Druif/Kriek Dornfelder 2020/2021: Blend No. 26 Fruit Lambic w/ Sour Cherries & Wine Grapes, Framboos Oogst 2017: Blend No. 16 Fruit Lambic w/ Raspberries, Golden Doesjel Magnum 2019/2020: Blend No. 40 Gueuze Lambic, Hommage Bio Frambozen 2018/2019: Blend No. 110 Fruit Lambic w/ Raspberries & Sour Cherries, Nocturne 2021/2022: Blend No. 47 Flanders Oud Bruin, Oude Geuze 2016/2017: Blend No. 24 Gueuze Lambic, Oude Kriek 2021/2022: Blend No. 118 Fruit Lambic w/ Sour Cherries, Pruim Mirabelle 2021/2022: Blend No. 21, Fruit Lambic w/ Mirabelle Plums, and Zenne y Frontera 2020/2021: Blend No. 53, Sherry Barrel-Aged Lambic.
Number nine is from 1900, the highly regarded Cantillon. Fun fact, our editor thinks there are better lambic brewers but insists Cantillon is so hypey they get more attention than other great lambic producers. People who know more than him disagree! Happy 125th to Cantillon! They are serving us four different beers: Grenache Blanc 2024, Gueuze 2024, Magic Lambic 2025, and Sang Bleu 2025. These will no doubt go quick.
What old, new, or somewhere in between beers are you most jazzed about at Snallygaster? Come see us at the DC Beer stage and let us know which you found most excitable!
