Really Local. Really Craft. Really Good Ale.

Get ready to raise your glass - and your vote - at the DC Brewers’ Guild’s second annual Real-ly Local Ale Invitational, where bragging rights are on tap. On Saturday, October 25th from 1–5pm, the Guild is throwing down at the brand-new Bridge District across from the new Atlas Brew Works on Howard Rd SE for a no-holds-barred showdown.

The Challenge: Over a dozen of your favorite local breweries go head-to-head, each pouring a limited-edition Real Ale brewed just for this event.

The Judges: You. Taste unlimited local ales and cast your vote for the brew that earns the crown.

The Prize: Bragging rights (until next year ;))

Sip your way through unlimited Real Ale pours, then fuel up with a giant pretzel or bites from the Big Cheese food truck. Test your brew IQ with beer trivia, get the inside scoop on how your favorite beers are made, and chat with the pros behind the product. Take a break with free coaster crafting, games, and live music from Wicked Game Band!

Real Ale is brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container, such as a cask, from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.

The Real-ly Local Ale Festival features Real Ales brewed exclusively by local breweries in the DMV. The DC Brewers’ Guild supports small-scale manufacturers on the individual and collective level: they provide members the tools and structure for both individual growth and positive systemic change.

Tickets

Early Bird: $35 (August 12th - September 15th)
Unlimited: $40 (September 16th - October 25th, at-the-door)

Featured Breweries

Featured Food Truck

Scenes from 2024

Rules

Must be 21+ for entrance, small supervised children allowed
No pets, registered service animals allowed
No entrance after 4pm, last call at 4:45pm
No outside alcoholic beverages
Only small bags or clear bags allowed
We reserve the right to remove people that are too intoxicated
We reserve the right to remove people that are causing unsafe conditions

Thank You to Our Sponsors

The Real-ly LocAle Invitational is presented with support from Redbrick LMD, the developers behind the Bridge District, a dynamic eight-acre, mixed-use development featuring residential living, retail, public parkland, and community recreation space.The DC Brewers’ Guild is grateful for the support of partners like Redbrick LMD who believe in investing in our local DC community.

All sales are final. All proceeds from the festival will go to supporting the DC Brewers’ Guild.

Craft Beverage Producers are good for our city and are essential to our local identity. Their taprooms and restaurants serve as “third places” – neighborhood amenities or gathering places and anchors, each with its own unique individual character that centers and supports other communities. According to the Brewers Association’s 2024 economic impact survey, the DC Craft Breweries contributed $194M to the local economy and created 1,401 jobs; having a local craft beer industry provides another avenue of trade labor in our city. The owners of these manufacturing businesses sit on Main Streets boards and the boards of other local non-profits.

Contact the host of DC Brewers' Guild Real-ly LocAle Invitational