Chocolate City has had strong ties to the neighborhood ever since The Pug gave them a foothold in the area. Sakura, meaning cherry blossom in Japanese, hails from the Belgian Abbey Ale family, which the Chocolate City guys describe as “dark, sweet and yeasty,” but distinguishes itself with a delicious cherry finish. With a 6
.2% ABV, a couple of pints of Sakura Washington and you’re going to feel like you ran the Cherry Blossom Ten-Mile backwards. Twice.
Chocolate City has come a long way in just a year. Starting out with what co-founder Jason Irizarry describes as a love of beer and roughly $38 in the bank, Chocolate City will be featured as the sole beer purveyor at this year’s Radio and TV Congressional Correspondent’s dinner in June, hosted by comedian Louis C.K.
Rounding out the quartet of founders are Ben Matz, Don Parker and Brian Flanigan, brewers and businessmen who have an eye on the District’s past as well as its future. If you want a bit of history to help wash down your tasty brew, check out the 1814 ESB–named in honor of the burning of the White House during the War of 1812–a pint crafted in the finest British beer tradition, as opposed to the house-burning one.
If tipping a few back on H Street isn’t enough, go directly to the source. Check out Chocolate City’s growlers, for sale every Saturday from [12:30]-4:00 pm. The brewery is conveniently located a short walk from the Brookland/CUA Metro. For the more athletic imbibers, you can bike right up to the 8th Street NE entrance of Chocolate City along the Metropolitan Trail.
Just remember, transferring the beer to your water bottle is not a legal loophole.
Chocolate City Beer Brewery
2801 8th Street NE
Washington, DC 20017
Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.