Ben
How did you first get into craft beer or guiding tours?
It is a great way to continue what I loved about giving museum tours in college, connecting with people and sharing stories that bring a place to life. Craft beer has the same mix of culture, creativity, and community that I’ve always been drawn to. I enjoy creating a laid-back, welcoming experience where everyone feels part of something memorable.
Favorite Beer
I have a deep appreciation for Belgian-style wheat beers for their complex flavors and subtle spiciness. I also enjoy exploring different IPA styles, from bold West Coast IPAs to juicy, hazy New England IPAs. I love beers that stand out and leave an impression, showing what makes each brew unique
Favorite Local Brewery
Aslin Beer Company on 14th Street. I love the spacious outdoor area, great downtown location, and that it’s perfect for meeting up with friends while trying their wide variety of beers.
What do you love most about the DC beer scene?
How creative and vibrant it is. From established breweries to experimental spots, there is always something new to try. The best part is the community. People here are passionate about beer and sharing it, which makes the scene fun, social, and full of energy.
What’s one fun or surprising fact about you?
I lived in the south of France for over three years studying painting and graduated from a French university. It gave me a love for travel, culture, and yes — French beers — that I carry into every tour.
Mike
How did you first get into craft beer or guiding tours?
I got into craft beer while I was in college. As much as I can appreciate the cheap, and sometimes free, beer available in college, there was not much substance to it. The summer between my Junior and Senior year of college and started to go for some of the wild beers out there. I found that most local craft breweries had some amazing selections that I had never even thought of before. It made me really appreciate not only craft beer, but also how that beer is made.
Favorite Beer
I love New England IPAs or anything made by Voodoo Ranger.
Favorite Local Brewery
My favorite local brewery is Red Bear in NoMA. The staff is excellent, the food is amazing, and I have never had a beer that I hadn’t liked there (even the styles I don’t like, I like from Red Bear). Their brewery is a fun and lively atmosphere that makes you want to go up and order another beer.
What do you love most about the DC beer scene?
DC has a wonderful beer scene because most of it is pretty new, the oldest active brewery opened in 2011 and just about every brewery in DC is a nice, local, craft brewery.
What’s one fun or surprising fact about you?
I have an on-screen appearance in the Antietam National Battlefield’s newest orientation movie, I played the surgeon in the field hospital.
Scott
How did you first get into craft beer or guiding tours?
Before there was City Brew Tours in DC, I would rent a small bus with a driver and get over 20 friends together and we’d go visit 3 or 4 local breweries on a Saturday afternoon. We’d have a blast checking out new places and tasting their adventurous beers. So joining on with CBT to become a beer guide was sort of right up my alley and natural for me.
Favorite Beer
My favorite beer is West Coast IPA. I love their bitterness which is offset by their piney hops. I have had the pleasure of visiting the original Lagunitas brewery in Petaluma CA and look forward to someday visiting the Stone brewery in CA as well – they both offer extraordinary West Coast IPAs and are a couple of the original breweries who helped to get them more widely introduced to the U.S. craft beer scene.
Favorite Local Brewery
It’s truly hard for me to pick a favorite local brewery, as all of the DC breweries we visit are so unique and have their own fascinating story to tell. But for me I’d have to give the nod to DC Brau if I was forced to have to choose just one. They have a massive and impressive brewing facility and also some truly amazing beers – their Public Pale Ale and Corruption IPA are both absolutely fabulous!
What do you love most about the DC beer scene?
The thing I love most about the DC beer scene is the wide variety. Every brewery we visit has its own character and is very different from the other breweries, and I always get excited to take a group from one brewery to the next because I know the new spot will impress them with something surprising, in either an aspect of the place itself or with their beer offerings, or oftentimes both. I am always pleased when someone from a tour tells me how much they are enjoying a particular brewery stop, and then an hour later tells me the exact same thing at the next brewery! At the end of a tour, I often ask people which brewery they liked the best, and it’s awesome and not uncommon to get an answer of “All of them”.
What’s one fun or surprising fact about you?
I know two people who were in the movie Caddyshack. They were just extras in the opening scene but it’s still cool that they were in there – one of my favorite movies ever!
Carl
How did you first get into craft beer or guiding tours?
I got into craft beer in the early 90s, when more and different beers started to enter my market. I was amazed by the possibility of what beer could be. Around the same time, I began homebrewing and understanding how the various ingredients contributed to the whole of the finished product. I still equate homebrewing to having a chemistry set for adults.
Favorite Beer
Belgian tripel. I recently bottled one that is probably the most delicious thing I have ever tasted.
Favorite Local Brewery
DC Brau. They have great beer, friendly staff, and Paulette, the taproom manager, is very well versed and can teach us all something about beer.
What do you love most about the DC beer scene?
We have a lot of variety in flavors and a lot of creative brewers. Different places are doing different things and doing them very well. It is exciting to see the category transform through the excellent work and creative spirit in DC.
What’s one fun or surprising fact about you?
I spent some time living in Buddhist monasteries in Thailand, then wrote a book about it.
Jonathan
How did you first get into craft beer or guiding tours?
I traveled all through Europe in my 20s and I loved going on guided tours because they were a great way to see the city and make friends when solo traveling. Here in DC we have such a stunning city that it only made sense to show visitors around some of the most iconic sights and tastiest breweries
Favorite Beer
Leffe or a nice porter.
Favorite Local Brewery
All of them!
What do you love most about the DC beer scene?
Connecting with people & connecting them to each other to create memories in one of the most iconic cities is a dream come true.
What’s one fun or surprising fact about you?
I’m a classically trained tenor.