We saw a few cool new beer joints open or reopen this year like Churchkey and Pizzeria Paradiso. Some places that were supposed to open and didn't, but that just means we get to look forward to them next year. Here are some places still in the works:
Meridian Pint - Columbia Heights
Moving into the same neighborhood as Red Rocks and Room 11 this new place will have a "focus on showcasing a wide variety of American Craft Beer" according to their barely launched website. The bar is the work of Asylum co-owner John Andrade who wants to pack the place with 20 exclusive draft beers. The joint will join the ranks of Churchkey with a nice long bar coming in at 30-35 feet long. It seems like the place has been long in planning, but with all cool bars trying to open in DC, it has take longer to open than planned. It was supposed to be opened in '09, so maybe we will see it in 2010? Check 3400 11th Street, NW and see how they are doing.
Read some other details over at Prince of Pentworth in an article from 2008...
Website
Biergarten Haus - H Street
Joining the beer hot-spot that houses Dr. Granville Moore's, The Pug and The Red and The Black, a strangely out of place facade is emerging. The Biergarten Haus is doing its best to add a little piece of Germany to the H Street corridor. According to it's website, they plan to open Spring 2010. Blogs around the web have reported things like: beers will come in sizes like Normal, Large and Manly. The place is set to feature German beer and German food as well as a 2,000 (or is that 5,000?) square-foot backyard Beer Garden to deliver on the promise of its name. Like traditional beer gardens, it will hopefully sport long communal tables, Oom-pah bands and puddles of beer. Look for the big white German building at 1355 H Street, NE.
Read more from this past Lagerheads article...
And this more recent Frozen Tropics post...
Website
Rustico 2 - Ballston
First they gave us Rustico, a beer wonderland with amazing food and exclusive beers. Then they gave us Birch and Barley + Churchkey, a place that needs no explanation on this website. Now they want to open second Rustico in a metro accessible area just outside the city. I really should be sending the Neighborhood Restaurant Group a Christmas card. If you've never been to Rustico's original location in Alexandria, your probably owe it to yourself to go. They've got a ton of great and exclusive taps, which will hopefully mean this second location will have a similar offering. Next summer look for Rustico 2 to open in Ballston. Hopefully the Arlington Restaurant Gods will be kind and let them open on time, unlike some of their previous projects.
Jack Rose - Adams Morgan
From the people who brought us the long bottle list at Bourbon and the pool hall turned good tap list Breadsoda comes a bar devoted to Whiskey. Why should you care? Well these guys tend to offer great beer selections when they open up a new place. This space is basically next door to DeVinos and diagonal across the street from Cafe L'Enfant which means you don't have to walk all the way up to Adams Morgan main street and you can avoid the crowds of non-believers. It's a pretty large 2 story building that used to house the Next Power Boxing gym. They also plan to have 150 seats on some sort of outdoor patio! Look for this place in Spring 2010.
The Black Squirrel Underground - Adams Morgan
Sure, that might not be what they are calling it, but that's what I am gonna call it. The Black Squirrel recently opened their upstairs lounge area with a few more taps and Monday night movies, but you haven't seen nothing yet. The bar also owns the basement space below the building and has plans to put a huge bar with something like 30 taps of American microbrews. The spot will also have a small stage for bands to play, and already sports some cool graffiti on the wall from one of the Squirrel's regulars. Once they get those taps in, The Black Squirrel will have one of the largest supplies of quality draft beer in town. Can't wait! You can go bug them about when they are gonna open it at 2427 18th Street.
Bonus! Mad Fox Brewing
Ok, ok here is a 6th place that will be opening in 2010! I am sorry I left it off and due to popular demand I have added it. Honestly it slipped my mind, no offense intended... Hopefully Mad Fox Brewery, the brainchild of Vintage 50 brewer Bill Madden, will be openning by Spring 2010. He just bought his 15 barrel brewery system on Dec 11th so things are going along as planned. If all goes well Northern Virginia will add another brewpub to it roster.
P.S. We could also put a hopeful Dr. Dremo's plug here as well...?