Latest news with #AtlasBrewWorks
Axios
09-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Bridge District debuts in Southeast D.C.
The first phase of the Bridge District — a new mixed-use development in Ward 8 — is now open. Why it matters: The eight-acre Southeast D.C. project includes housing, retail and event spaces, and has been in the works for over 10 years, per a release. State of play: The new neighborhood is near the Anacostia Metro station, just over the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge across from Navy Yard and Nats Park. What's open: An outdoor recreation league and area created with D.C. Fray, featuring cornhole and ping-pong, and the event and gathering space Sandlot Anacostia. What's coming: An Atlas Brew Works outpost serving Andy's Pizza and Mélange, a forthcoming restaurant from Doro Soul Food chef Elias Taddesse. Plus: Pop-up events hosted with WowWheelz, which gets kiddos behind the wheels of mini electric cars, and the mobile golf simulator truck CitySwing, as well as a monthly farmers market, workshops on learning to ride bikes, and food trucks. What we're watching: The timing for phase two construction hasn't been finalized, a representative tells Axios.
Axios
30-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
This D.C.-made IPA is like "micro-dosing alcohol"
Two local dads are trying to shake up the craft beer market with a low-alcohol IPA made here in D.C. Why it matters: Dad Strength Brewing's beers are meant to taste like full-strength IPAs, but they only clock in at a 2.9% ABV — much lower than typical IPAs, which often are in the 6-7% range. This comes as more people are drinking less or more moderately. State of play: Co-founders Ryan Kutscher of D.C. and Craig Carey of Clifton came up with the idea for Dad Strength two years ago when they both realized they couldn't throw 'em back like they used to — especially now that they had to get up and take care of kids. Kutscher puts it simply: "Being old is a b---h." They both love the taste of a craft IPA, so they didn't want to stick to Bud Light or NA beers. And they found that even session IPAs, which are typically under 5% ABV, could bring on a headache in the morning. But they couldn't find any traditional IPAs on the market under the 3% mark, says Kutscher. (Carey, meanwhile, was trying to work around this by mixing his IPAs with non-alcoholic beers.) When they initially set out to make Dad Strength, Kutscher says multiple brewers told them it would be impossible to make a good IPA with such little alcohol. But they ultimately figured it out and partnered with D.C.'s Atlas Brew Works to launch their first product last summer. "It's definitely a lot of deep brewing voodoo," says Kutscher, adding that the process has to do with managing the residual sugars left over from the brewing process. They now sell a West Coast IPA and a juicy IPA in D.C., Maryland's Montgomery County and Virginia. (A hazy IPA is forthcoming, as is the group's first non-IPA brew, says Kutscher.) They've got more flavor than a NA beer, but not as strong or caloric as a traditional IPA, says Kutscher. One can of Dad Strength is typically 94 calories. Mimi's thought bubble: I discovered Dad Strength during one of their tasting events at the Old Town Whole Foods, and I was an immediate fan. I love an IPA, but once I hit 30, I found that I'd have two and wake up the next day feeling like I'd lost my wallet at a Señor Frog's. But sometimes I want a lil more oomph than my regular weeknight NA beer — and this is my new go-to. What they're saying: Drinking Dad Strength is akin to "micro-dosing alcohol," says Kutscher. "We offer an interesting way for people to cut back that isn't cold turkey." The bottom line: And, sure, "dad" might be in the name, but the duo hopes all kinds of sippers partake in their beer.
Japan Times
16-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
'Impossible': U.S. breweries buffeted by Trump tariffs
For U.S. craft brewer Bill Butcher, President Donald Trump's expanding range of tariffs have sparked an unexpected impact — a shortage of bottles to package his beer — while uncertainty looms over his business costs. From Canadian malted barley to aluminum beer cans, Trump's tariffs have hit multiple products that American craft breweries need, buffeting businesses in the world's biggest economy. Turbulence in supplies could ultimately translate to higher beer prices for consumers, brewers warn, even as importers and breweries try to absorb additional costs triggered by the levies and their consequent supply shocks. Similar conditions are playing out in various industries across the country, including construction and appliance production. In Trump's latest salvo, 25% levies on U.S. steel and aluminum imports took effect last week. "As the aluminum tariffs have kicked in, the major beer suppliers in the country are switching a lot of their production back to bottles," said Butcher, founder of Port City Brewing Company in the state of Virginia. As a result, his provider can no longer supply bottles to him after shipments through March. Aluminum levies also raise the cost of producing cans, threatening higher prices down the line. "There's a lot of uncertainty. There's a lot of chaos that's been injected into our supply chain," Butcher said. He typically goes through 90,000 bottles per month or so — forming 70% of his packaged products — and the rest goes into cans. But in the absence of bottle supplies, he expects to use more aluminum cans anyway, or sell more beer in kegs. Atlas Brew Works founder Justin Cox, who packages his beers in aluminum cans, estimates their price form about a third of the total cost for a case of 24 beers. Aluminum tariffs add to packaging costs "in what's already a small-margin product going into the wholesale market," Cox said. "All of this ends up with a higher price of our beer on the shelf," added Cox, who has facilities in Washington and Virginia. "On average, about 10% of every can in the U.S. is Canadian aluminum," said Bart Watson, president of the Brewers Association, a trade group. This piles further cost pressures on American craft brewers, he said. For Butcher, uncertainty also lingers over costs of the Canadian pilsner malt that forms the base of his beers — and the bottle caps he imports from Mexico. While both products were hit by Trump's blanket tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods this month, the president's partial rollback of them within days has allowed him temporary relief. But it remains unclear if duties will return from April 2, when Trump has promised a new wave of "reciprocal tariffs" to tackle trade deemed as unfair. These will be tailored to each country, taking into consideration their tariff levels on U.S. goods and other factors. Watson estimates the United States imported about $230 million of malt last year, much of it ending up with craft brewers. "Most of the barley in the U.S. is contracted for by large brewers or for export to Mexico," he said. Craft brewers therefore end up using malt containing some portion of imports, he added. Tariffs are paid by U.S. importers of foreign goods, and breweries expect duties would filter to them over time. Butcher said it has become "impossible for us to plan out our business, our production, if we don't know what the price of our supplies are going to be." Brendan Chaney, Port City's logistics manager, noted that tariffs can be an economic tool when used in a targeted manner. But he cautioned that blanket levies create an atmosphere of fear "akin to five years ago, when COVID-19 happened" and threw supply chains into disarray. Butcher and Cox warned that smaller businesses like theirs have limited capacity for storage — and less cashflow — making it harder to stockpile inventory to cushion the blow from tariffs. "We can only hold so much in our small space, and a minimum order on aluminum cans is a full truckload," Cox of Atlas Brew Works said. The pricing of cans is also subject to flux, Cox noted. Breweries are billed for the final product after production, which can be weeks after orders are placed. "We're having to just sit and watch, and hope that things get better before it's time for us to order (more)," he said.
Axios
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your D.C. Weekend: St. Patrick's Day celebrations
Get your Irish on this weekend with a charmed lineup of St. Patrick's Day events. Why it matters: You only get one holiday a year to drink green beer. Use it wisely! State of play: You can paddy hard all weekend long, if you want. 😂 Get in some LOLs at a St. Patty's Day-themed comedy show Friday at Atlas Brew Works. The giggling begins at 7:30pm. ($10 at the door) 🛼 Literally roll into the holiday weekend at the Shamrock & Roll roller skating event in Leesburg. The wheels start spinning at 7pm Friday, and it's $3-$5 to rent skates. 🎉 Ring in St. Pat's at the Wharf on Saturday from noon-6pm with live music (including bagpipers), Irish dancing and rugby matches on the outdoor big screen. And yes — there will be Guinness and Jameson. (Free) 🇮🇪 Head to Shipgarten in McLean on Saturday from noon-5pm for a Celtic soiree with live music, corn hole and giant Jenga, a photo booth, and a beer fest featuring sips from more than 40 breweries. (Free) 🍻 Did we mention pub crawls? Because there are a lot of 'em. Friday: Channel your inner leprechaun at a bar crawl across downtown spots like Penn Social and Hill Country. Beer drinking kicks off at 5pm. ($15-$25) Saturday: Hop between more than a dozen Dupont Circle bars starting at 2pm while cheers-ing with discounted drinks and Shamrock Shots (tickets: $25-$30). If you're still standing, there's another crawl ($13-$25) that takes off from Eighteenth Street Lounge at 7:30pm. Not feeling the leprechaun vibes? Here are more fun things to do this weekend: 🏀 Cheer on your fave team as they vie for a spot at the NCAA tournament during the Atlantic 10 men's basketball championship, taking place at Capital One Arena through Sunday. (Ticket prices vary) ✝️ Catch the musical " Sister Act," kicking off at Ford's Theatre on Friday and running through May 17. (Ticket prices vary) 🎨 An exhibit of paintings depicting the god Krishna by the Hindu Pushtimarg community will be on display at the National Museum of Asian Art starting Saturday. You can check it out until Aug. 24. (Free) 👵 Get your "Golden Girl" fix at a show that imagines what all the famed ladies — played by actors in drag — would be up to today. It runs Sunday at Capital One Hall. (Ticket prices vary)
