Capitol City Brewing - Shirlington

Standing on the corner of Quincy and 28th at "The Village at Shirlington" in Arlington, Virginia is Capitol City Brewing. Outside, the large gray concrete and green tiled building looks inauspicious enough. Inside, the layout and decor is similar to the other local Capitol City brewpubs. Near the center of the large open room is a U-shaped copper bar that surrounds five JV Northwest copper serving tanks. Four multi-tap towers pour the house draught beers. Red and green booths offer seating among red painted walls that hold framed and mounted four square foot beer logos. Gray carpet covers the dining area while brown concrete surrounds the bar area. A small lounge area features tall tables albeit slow service. A full liquor selection is on hand. TVs without sound, some with closed captioning, keep the sports fans occupied. This mostly male, mostly chain-smoking crowd unfortunately makes it difficult to enjoy the tasty food and beer at the bar, although the bar staff is attentive and friendly.

Happy hour runs from 4 to 7 PM Monday through Thursday and features 2 for 1 appetizers. Not to be missed is the spicy Corn & Crab Chowder, as well as the Crab Dip with French Bread. The open kitchen stands at the far end of the large open room. Above it, the brewhouse lurks hidden from view on the partial second floor. The modern construction makes wheelchair access to most areas extremely easy. Open only since March of '97, all of the beers are clean and flavorful. A large "Brewmaster's Products" wall display shows which beers are available, their brew dates, pour dates, and their taste profiles. As of summer, they are all very similar to those featured at the other Capitol City locations. Pints are a reasonable $3.69 and fancy two liter ceramic swing top growlers are $20 initially and $8 for refills. $15 souvenir T-shirts are available, as are caps and taster set glassware. Although off the beaten Metro path, it's worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood.

Capitol City Brewing Co.
2700 South Quincy St.
Arlington, VA
(703)578-38889

Reviewed by Tom Ciccateri - August, 1997

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