Become a Regular at Denizens Brewing Company in Silver Spring

Peter Zuk

Brewery Name: Denizens Brewing Company
Type of Brewery: Brewpub

Location: Silver Spring, MD

Website: http://www.denizensbrewingco.com/
Facebook: @citizensbrewingco [WHAAAAAA? Yeah, more on that below]
Twitter: @DenizensBrewing
Instagram: @denizensbrewing

Background: What has to be discussed first about this brewery is the name. The name kinda doesn’t make sense. Sounds like a pirate brewery, no? But the logo has red white and blue? Huh, not a big deal, guess they are a little weird, right? Not so fast! Citizens Brewing Company would make a lot more sense given the color scheme. But during the opening of the brewery, DC Brau sent Denizens a cease and desist letter citing conflicts with their beer “The Citizen.” Now, I will not come down on either side of this issue because I can see the potential confusion with the brand while also understanding how someone could see this as an unfair action by an established brewery to influence an upstart company. It all depends. Thankfully this did not stop Denizens from opening their doors and starting to make a name for themselves in the region.

Growlers: Yes (also cans to go).

The Beers: We made sure to try every beer on the menu during our visit. These were a few of our favorites:

• Oud Boy Whiskey Barrel Aged Sour Brown Ale - Really cool take on the belgian style oud bruin. You have to really like tart sour beers, because this is tart beer. If you can handle it, you get a nice sour beer with notes of dark fruit and spice, and if you can’t...well, you won’t like it.
  
  
• Big Red Norm American Red Ale - A really good session beer. It has that balance of biscuity notes coupled with a nice fruitiness that really goes down smooth and makes you want to take another sip.
  
  
• Born Bohemian Czech-style Pilsner - Yes, you should try the pilsner. This one is really well made. Light and crisp with a slight spiciness and a little citrus kick. Great interpretation of the style.
  
  
• Southside Rye IPA - Rye IPAs are always a mystery to me. Sometimes they can be really harsh if there is too much rye and not the right amount of hops. Basically, bitter on bitter. But it can also be the perfect accent to take fruitiness from the hops and amplify it to symphonic heights. This is a great interpretation of the latter. Citrusy and fruity with the rye playing an important second fiddle to amp up the citrus components of the hops.
  
  
• Lowest Lord English-style ESB - This is one of my favorite styles to session (drink a few in a sitting). The ESB is the perfect session for me because it’s light and refreshing with a decent medium malt body and just enough character that it won’t overwhelm your palate. This place really has session beers dialed in.

Vibe: This place is really cool. The brewery has a couple levels. The upstairs is a sleek restaurant bar with a ton of great outdoor seating. I could see this place being an amazing spot to sit and have a few beers in the middle of summer. We chose to go to the downstairs bar, which is right by the tanks and barrels in the brewery. It has a really cool basement feel, and I like it when you can see the brewing equipment. It seems like a place that you could have a nice dinner or just go out for drinks with friends.

Dogs: Not sure, but seems doubtful since they serve food. Probably fine outside, though.

Price ($ to $$$$$): $$$.

Food: The food is an interesting riff on the standard bar fare. They have wings and burgers and pretzels, but the chef clearly has put his own twist on everything. Really crazy sauces and burger toppings are there. And they also have some nice vegetarian options!

Final Thoughts: Overall, a really great, low-key spot in Silver Spring that I would absolutely make my local bar if I lived up there.

-- Pete

---

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Facebook: Together We Drink
Twitter: @TogetherWeDrink
Instagram: @TogetherWeDrink
Untappd:​ Together We Drink