About a month after moving to DC, I found work with 3 Stars Brewing. Located in the northern part of the city and less than 10 minutes from the Maryland border, 3 Stars services the entire DMV area with top notch beers. I was hired to help out with events because the summer is prime beer-fest season. However, only a week or so after I was hired, a position opened up on the canning line. Eager for hours inside the actual brewery, I jumped at the opportunity and now work 3-4 shifts a week filling cans and kegs on the line.
Since 2012, 3 Stars has been making super-drinkable and excitingly unique brews. Unfortunately, the brewery is still relatively small and distribution limited, with only DC, Virginia and Maryland receiving regular shipments. Boston and Delaware also receive monthly shipments, while Florida and New York see a few offerings as well.
I really love how 3 Stars likes to push the envelope and come up with as many new and strange styles as they can think of. We are constantly coming out with new sour beers made with odd ingredient combinations (the first that comes to mind is a blackberry-sage sour called Sage Against the Machine). We also have a 2-barrel tank used for test batches, and anyone in the brewery can submit ideas. The owners have graciously accepted my proposal for a Paloma-style sour, which will have grapefruit juice and lime zest. I worked with one of the brewers to model it after another one of their beers, and will serve this beer at a party Misha and I are hosting in November.
We recently bought out a huge space connected to our current brewery, so when all of the renovations are said and done we’ll have two to three times as much space. This includes a huge event space, an enlarged “Funkerdome” for sours, triple the size for cold storage, and room for more brewing tanks. Unfortunately, I will be gone by the time it’s all done, but I’m excited to see where the company goes!
If you see any 3 Stars beers on the shelves near you, be sure to give them a try!
Beer and Diplomacy 