John Harvard’s Brew House Has Dropped Out
It looks like the District can’t even keep sub-par brewpubs. Already a eighth-year senior, John Harvard’s Brew House on Pennsylvania and 13th Streets NW has closed its doors. With the phone dead and its banishment from the mothersite, it looks like the Ad Board has asked it to take a loooooong leave of absence.

DCist had mixed feelings about the place. I’d return for bit of post-college nostalgia, but the place never kept up with its flagship big-brother in Harvard Square. With beer ranging from Budweiser clones to approximations of Murphy’s Stout, as well as from honey to pumpkin to blueberry, the idea of the D.C. Johnny Harvard’s was nice, but it couldn’t carry out its promises. Service was habitually poor, the food was too greasy, and the design was completely incongruous with the restaurant’s vibe.

Where does that leave us? Are there any really good brewpubs left in D.C.? Capitol City Brewing Company brews its own, but, candidly, we don’t find it all that special. District Chophouse occasionally has some pretty good beer (like its Bourbon Stout), but it’s a chain owned by Rock Bottom, Inc. And don’t even get us started on Gordon Biersch. We see an opening here, entrepreneurial D.C.; don’t make us drive to the suburbs! We can’t stumble home from there.