History & Hops: Botanical Edition

On Thursday, August 29, 2024 from 6-8pm, celebrate the unique botanicals in beer and craft cocktails at History & Hops: Botanical Edition. 

Your evening at the historic home of brewmaster Christian Heurich includes a brewery history tour with flora and fauna craftsmanship highlights, an exploration of beverage botany with the U.S. Botanic Garden, and samples from DC’s newest brewery-in-planning, Henceforth, craft cocktail maker BOTL’D, and the museum’s newest historic revival in partnership with Right Proper Brewing Co., Maerzen! 

The usage of hops in beer is a relatively new development - dating back only 1,200 years, whereas beer dates back over 7,000 years. So what came before hops? Flowers, herbs, roots, and gruit mixtures. The Chr. Heurich Brewing Co. (1872 - 1956) experimented with various flavors in their beers depending on the season. Senate Beer uses Fuggle & Cluster hops and Maerzen uses Cluster, Saaz, & Tettnager hops! At one point Heurich even made an apple cider. 

The Botanist Is In! with the United States Botanic Garden | Want to know more about the plants in our boozy beverages? Drop by the U.S. Botanic Garden’s table to talk with Botanist and USBG Executive Director, Dr. Susan Pell, about the fabulous forms and functions of some edible plants you may find in your libations. Bring your questions and curiosity and connect with a USBG plant science professional.

Details: 

• Tickets are $35 and include three tastings, light snacks, and a tour of the museum.
• 21+ event | ID checked at the door

After a 7 year hiatus, the Heurich House Museum brought back fan-favorite series, History & Hops, a regular after-hours event series where guests can tour the Heurich House, hang out with their favorite DC beverage producers, and taste their creations. History & Hops was created over a decade ago to celebrate the second wave of DC craft beer. After the Heurich brewery closed in 1956, there were no production breweries in the District until 2011 when DC Brau opened its doors. DC Brau was featured at the first History & Hops at the museum in 2013. From 2013 - 2017 the museum hosted 45 evenings where dozens of breweries from the region poured the first tastes of their brews before they ever opened their doors for customers.