Within the past 30 years, local craft breweries have been on a steady increase in the D.C. metropolitan area. With no decline in popularity in sight, expansion in every aspect of the business will be a looming reality sooner rather than later.

Craft breweries have become so numerous and popular that Virginia’s official government website has created an interactive map showing locations of breweries near you. Gone are the days of scouring the landscape in search of good local beer.

Local breweries such as Port City, D.C. Brau and Mad Fox have made waves in the industry finding their way into local taps across the region. Some breweries such as Mad Fox and Rock Bottom built restaurants around their breweries and add on to their franchises while others stick with a tap room atmosphere.

Now let’s set on eyes on one particular brewery, D.C. Brau. Founded in 2009 by D.C. residents Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock, the brewery has grown exponentially in the past five years. Appalled by the fact that no brewery had been opened in the district for 60 years, the pair began building the foundation for a brewery.

Dancing through a limbo of zoning laws, health regulations and outdated D.C. regulations, the brewery was finally conceived. Branding its distribution as a canning-only brewery for cost efficiency and longevity, D.C. Brau has set itself apart from its competitors.

Currently prepping for a five year anniversary, D.C. Brau’s head honchos were unavailable for an interview. With a little digging and taproom banter, luck brought a very knowledgeable source with ties to the brewery.

An official source who asked to remain anonymous, shed some light into the future expansion of the brewery and its inner workings. Boasting almost 50 current employees to date, the brewery is expanding and gaining ground in distribution. With its beers reaching as far as New Jersey, the brewery is aiming to expand distribution past the turnpike.

With no slow in demand for its beers, the brewery’s current canning line is right for an expansion. In the coming year, the brewery looks to purchase local property and convert the facility into brand new canning line.