Photo by Thomas Hawk.

Beers from Colorado brewer New Belgium have achieved some level of cult status. Part of the reason for this is that despite being the third-largest craft brewer in America, the brewery did not distribute east of the Mississippi until 2009. However, that is all about to change as we find out from DC Beer that New Belgium is seeking to expand their distribution to D.C., Maryland and Virginia some time this fall. The timeline will reportedly depend on the distributors in the localities, but demand may be high enough to force the distributors to respond quickly.

Most New Belgium fans are probably the most familiar with their brew, Fat Tire; the amber ale has a wonderful malty, biscuity flavor. If you’re not a fan of Fat Tire, DCist beer writer John Fleury recommends the Lips of Faith series. With the entrance of another Colorado brewer, Breckenridge, into the local market two weeks ago, we hope that Odell will get its act together to distribute to D.C. as well.