Image courtesy of dcJohn

Written by DCist contributor Matt Billings

D.C. is a city that caters to those who appreciate great beer. Excellent brews may be found at beer-focused bars boasting gigantic selections (the Brickskeller, R.F.D., etc.) and restaurants that offer hard-to-find ales from various regions in Belgium (Belga Café, Brasserie Beck, Dr. Granville Moore’s, and so on). Nowadays, the District even has a Gastropub (Commonwealth) and a Birreria (attached to Pizzeria Paradiso).

Distinctive beer is also now taking up shelf space at some of the area’s top wine shops (Chevy Chase Wine and Spirits, The Wine Specialist, Schneider’s, and the relatively new D’Vines in Columbia Heights). This year, the Washington Nationals even added several microbrews to their tap roster.

Despite all of these options, I often find myself asking store clerks for beer that I had on vacation, one I sampled while home for the holidays, or something I’ve recently seen reviewed or included on a top ten list. All too often, I discover that the beer is unavailable locally.

So what’s a beer lover to do when even D.C.’s great selection fails to measure up? I’ve personally ordered hard to find brews to be shipped to me from most of the web sites listed below the jump with great results, and truly enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I’m drinking something geographically special. And don’t let some of the antiquated web sites scare you off – the beer available from these web sites is fresh and they’re able to ship to your home or office.