Photo by Samer Farha

The plan to revive the old Arlington brewery and restaurant Bardo has cleared a major regulatory hurdle with the approval of its request for a D.C. liquor license. Bill Stewart, who operated the original Bardo and its successor Dr. Dremo’s, writes in an email that his application sailed through the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration’s review without any protests.

With that part achieved, Stewart and his brother, Andrew, are now focusing on raising the capital to rebuild their brewpub on a large vacant lot at 1200 Bladensburg Road NE. On an Indiegogo fundraising page, the Stewarts say they have $300,000 in cash and another $300,000 worth of brewing equipment, but are looking to raise another $150,000 to build self-serve taps.

Bill Stewart opened the first Bardo Rodeo in 1992 in an old car dealership in Arlington; Andrew Stewart joined the business a few years later. At 22,000 square feet, Bardo was reputedly the largest brewpub in the United States. It also managed to win a few awards for its original brews at the Great American Beer Festival.

Part of the building was condemned in the early 2000s, though. About that time, Bill Stewart decamped to Australia and later Tibet, while Andrew Stewart and other members of their family converted Bardo into Dr. Dremo’s. At its peak, Dremo’s brought some colorful, off-the-wall, beer-laden nightlife to staid, buttoned-down Arlington. It closed in January 2008.

With liquor license in hand, the new Bardo—once it is actually built out—is free to make its beer. But the Stewarts are also hoping to change D.C.’s liquor laws to allow them not just to make ales and lagers on the premises, but to distill hard liquor, too.