About DCBeer
Our Mission
DC Beer is an all-volunteer effort with a mission to promote and grow the DC Metro area’s craft beer culture through its website, podcast, social media accounts, and events.
Our Ethics
We believe everyone should be treated with respect and dignity at all times. We know that this is too often not the case within the craft beer community, so we are firmly committed to helping our community improve and advance toward equality and justice for all. We take accusations of abuse, harassment, misogyny, racism, homophobia, or sexism leveled against members of our community very seriously, and we have a responsibility to address these problems. We all must commit ourselves to long-term solutions.
We’re not professional journalists and we don’t have the resources to investigate and post about every charge, but we do seek to learn what we can about claims and how they are being addressed. When we think an establishment doesn’t share our commitment to equality and justice, we stop promoting them. When we see those in our community address problems seriously and responsibly, we appreciate and support them.
We know there’s more we can do to help address the problems in our community and we want to work with others to help bring about positive change while fulfilling our mission. If you can help us do that, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at editor@dcbeer.com and @dcbeer on social media platforms.
The DCBeer Crew
Richard Fawal
Publisher
Richard Fawal (aka “Papa Beer”) is the founder and CEO of Junto Media LLC, publisher of DCBeer.com since 2019, and executive producer of Beer Me! and the DC Beer Show. In his spare time, he drinks beer and leads a podcasting services company.
Richard and his wife live in suburban Maryland along with her mom, a dog, and a cat, and they have a 20-something in college somewhere far away. His neighborhood drinkeries are 3 Stars, Astro Lab, Chacho, Denizens, Hellbender, and Silver Branch. Say hi when you see him out. He’ll either talk too much or not at all.
Jacob Berg
Editor
Born in DC and raised in New York City, Jake’s beer education began when his dad brought home a 6-pack of Brooklyn Lager in the mid-90s. It was love at first sip, and throughout college he would cheat on Natty Lite and Miller High Life with the occasional Pete’s Wicked, Saranac, and Shipyard. He’s been fortunate enough to live in Maine (Allagash and Shipyard) and Michigan (Bells and Jolly Pumpkin), has visited breweries on four continents, and would love to help you mash in.
A Cicerone.org Certified Beer Server, he lives in Brookland with his wife and two kids.
Michael Stein
Senior Staff Writer
Michael Stein is President of Lost Lagers, Washington, DC’s premier beverage research firm. His historic beers have been served at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Polish Ambassador’s residence.
Senior Staff Writer at DCBeer, his work appears in Washington City Paper, Brewery History Journal, Good Beer Hunting, and CIDERCRAFT Magazine.
Brandy Nicole Holder
Podcaster, Instagrammer, Party Starter
NC born and raised, this southern girl got a late start in the beer world, but with such a bold and intoxicating personality behind the name, booze was destined to be a part of her endeavors. Her industry career began at DC’s first post-prohibition distillery, where she spent six years wearing many hats and doing everything aside from running the still. Throughout the years her photography has been featured in The Washingtonian, City Paper, ADI, and many other sources.
She surrounds herself with the best beer friends, and stands firmly behind the adage that “beer brings people together.” You can find Brandy wearing & selling vintage clothes, scrolling Instagram, refurbishing vintage furniture, drinking at her neighborhood brewery and taking a ridiculous amount of photos. She is the opposite of shy, so if you see her, go up and say hi.
Jordan Harvey
Content Creator and Man-About-Town
As a born and raised Georgian, lover of music, and HBCU advocate, Jordan’s affinity for craft beer kicked off after being exposed to the craft beer scene in Pennsylvania and the legendary beer scene in Europe. Belgians were the gateway into the wide, wide world of craft beer, domestic and abroad. Introducing new people to beer, sharing awesome breweries, and bringing new cultures to the beer community are passions. This is The Way.
He and his wife have been in the Silver Spring, Maryland area visiting breweries and exploring all things beer since 2018 so his neighborhood watering holes are Astro Lab and Quarry House. Say hi if you see him out. He will either talk too much or not at all.
Tom Finley
Visual Developer
A multidisciplinary designer since the late 90s, Tom has had a passion for craft beer for about as long. He’s held roles alternately as designer, developer, and marketer in educational institutions, small agencies, and on corporate in-house teams.
These days Tom’s a husband and busy toddler-dad, blending his love of craft beverages and pixels as a solopreneur, running his microagency, PRÜF Creative.
Editors Emeriti
Andrew Nations
Editor Emeritus
Sometime around my early college years I realized there was more out there than Bud Light. Growing up in Louisiana, I wasn’t exposed to the craft beer scene as early as some but was still familiar with the likes of Abita and nearby Shiner. I credit a good bit of my taste and desire to learn more to my father who once explained to me what craft, then called micro, was all about. After that, I moved to Washington, DC allowing for this lifestyle, disguised as a hobby, to develop further than I ever imagined. Now I am a co-founder of Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport, Louisiana, where I now reside. Zum Wohl!
Favorite beers: Bell’s Two Hearted, Three Floyds Gumball Head, Mad Fox Kolsch, Boulevard Saison Brett
Bill DeBaun
Editor Emeritus
Bill has been writing for DCBeer since 2010. Originally a doe-eyed novice who thought beer came from the natural healing powers of Ents, he slowly grew into an editor role where his love for the Oxford comma made him the staff grammar pedant. He has often said that the beer got him into this scene but the people kept him in it; the community and camaraderie evident at everything from beer tastings and events to just stopping into your local after work is what keeps him coming back week after week to check out draft lists, cover brewery openings, and snark about damn near anything and everything on Twitter (you can find him at @DCBeerBill or email him at bill(at)dcbeer(dot)com).
Favorite Beers/Ciders: District Chophouse Nut Brown Ale, Bell’s Two Hearted, Bluejacket Lost Weekend, Port City Optimal Wit, Union Old Pro Gose and Duckpin Pale Ale, Right Proper Kick.Kick.Snare, Crispin Brownslane. He’s not picky, but no quads, thanks.
Chris Van Orden
Editor Emeritus
While his native North Jersey will always hold a dear place in his heart, Chris gives Philadelphia all the credit for his craft beer conversion. During his six plus years in the City of Brotherly Love, his book-learning was supplemented by extracurricular schooling from the local powerhouses: Victory, Yards, Weyerbacher, Sly Fox, Nodding Head, Dock Street, Monk’s, Jose Pistola’s, SPTR, the list could really go on for quite some time. He made his way to DC in 2008, fell in with a cadre of like-minded enthusiasts, and now makes beer pilgrimages on a regular basis with his loving, indulging wife. Chris has moved on to greener (and beerier) pastures, working for Port City Brewing Company and promoting Virginia’s small businesses, but he still tweets from @csvanorden.
His favorite beers include: Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout, Cantillon Vigneronne, fresh Reissdorf Kolsch, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Saison Dupont, Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel, Troegs Mad Elf, La Chouffe, Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, and Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black.
