250 Years of Beers

WHEN 

2026 America 250

WHERE

Dacha Shaw and Navy Yard

ABOUT

Before there was a country, there was beer. From colonial taverns to modern taprooms, America’s story has always been poured by the pint. 

To commemorate the 250th year of the United States, we're taking a tour of beer through the 50 states. Each month we'll feature a beer from 3-5 states in chronological order of when they entered the union. We'll feature craft breweries from across the country as well as some America's most American beer makers. From revolution to refreshment, learn a little bit about our history with us, and take a journey across time and states.

MARCH

13. Rhode Island (1790) | Featured Beer : Narragansett Lager (5%) | Providence, RI

 Beer Facts: The brewery was founded in 1890, was once the largest brewery in New England, and was made internationally famous for its appearance in the movie Jaws. 

Tasting Notes: Narragansett is a light American lager; specifically, it can be described as an adjunct lager. In addition to barley used in the mash bill, they also use corn. Most light lagers use either corn or rice in the mash because it contributes alcohol but not additional unfermentable sugars, which results in higher alcohol content without making the beer heavy or calorically dense. For reference, Miller and Coors also use corn, while Budweiser uses rice. The differences between the two are almost negligible and produce the same results. 

State Facts: Rhode Island was one of only two states that refused to ratify the 18th Amendment (Prohibition) due to the state’s storied history of rum running and all sorts of smuggling since before the revolution.

14. Vermont (1791) | Featured Beer : Zero Gravity Conehead Haze IPA (6.3%) | Burlington, VT 

Beer Facts: Vermont was one of the pioneering states in the creation of Hazy/New England Style IPAs. As a refresher, the major difference between East and West Coast iPAs is the level of bitterness. Classic, West Coast IPAs have distinct bitterness, usually balanced by a more full malt body. In contrast, East Coast IPAs have almost no bitterness, but lots of hop flavor and aroma. Put simply, this difference is due to the timing of adding the hops during the brewing process. Hops added earlier = bitterness. Hops added later = flavor/aroma

Tasting Notes: Conehead is a hazy IPA brewed with flaked oats. Oats in an IPA help retain the haziness and provide a soft, velvety mouthfeel. Historically, oats were mostly used in brewing stouts and porters, but with the advent of Hazy IPAs, they’re seen more and more in lighter, hoppy beers. The hops in this beer are Motueka (New Zealand tropical), Simcoe (PNW pine), and El Dorado (PNW tropical/stone fruit). 

State Facts: Vermont passed its own prohibition laws in 1853, which lasted until 1903. Then, after national prohibition was repealed, they have grown their craft beer industry to one of the most influential in the country. Quite a turnaround!

15 Kentucky (1792) | Featured Beer : Lexington Brewing Vanilla Cream Ale (5.5% ABV) | Lexington, KY

Beer Facts: Cream Ale is an American style of beer that is often misunderstood. Despite the name, there are no dairy products in this style of beer. It’s essentially an ale version of a light lager, and is usually brewed with corn. Some brewers make their cream ales similar to Kolsches, in which they use ale yeast but cold ferment and/or condition them, which lends crispness to the beer’s finish.

Tasting Notes: This beer is brewed with corn and bourbon vanilla beans, then cold conditioned and aged in bourbon barrels. Bourbon naturally has flavors of vanilla, because of the process with which bourbon barrels are treated, so the addition of vanilla beans here complements and amplifies these harmonious flavors.

State Facts: This beer is based on the most famous beer style to come out of Kentucky, called a Kentucky Common Ale. This style was a light bodied, dry, highly carbonated dark cream ale. It was very popular before prohibition, and then was commonly brewed in Canada during Prohibition. Today, the style is making a comeback in the region.

16. Tennessee  

Couldn't find anything from the 16th state!

17. Washington, DC (1802) | Featured Beer : DC Brau Declaration Helles Lager | Washington, DC

Beer Facts: This is a brand-new beer from DC Brau celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Fun fact: Before Weihenstaphener started brewing Dachnik for Dacha, it was brewed by DC Brau! 

Tasting Notes: Declaration is a Helles lager, similar to a Dachnik. Helles, which means “light” or “bright” is the lightest style of lager from Germany. Less hoppy than a pilsner, they’re brewed to be maximally refreshing, crisp, and effervescent. 

State Facts: The most notable brewery in DC’s history was the Christian Heurich brewery, which operated from 1872-1956, and was once the largest non-government employer in the District. Its original brewery was located in the present-day location of the Kennedy Center. Today, Right Proper brews Heurich’s signature Senate Lager, which they resurrected in 2013. 

Also, there was a brewery named Washington Brewery that sat directly East of Dacha Navy Yard’s present location from 1796-1811, between the DC Water building and Nats Park.

All visiting beers available at Dacha Shaw throughout February, while supplies last!