Bluejacket in Navy Yard. Photo by John Fleury.

It is very easy to take the D.C.’s current beer scene for granted. For people who grew up in areas of the country where beer culture has been strong for years, D.C.’s good beer infancy could appear almost cheek-pinchingly quaint. For beer fans newer to the game, the availability of craft in almost any neighborhood in the city is standard, and they have never known the joy of simply finding Tuppers’ or Sierra Nevada on draft among the sea of Bud and Miller. Today, we expect to find one of our favorite local beers alongside national and international offerings. And to me, having moved here in 1999, that is one of the most exciting things about beer in 2013. We’re no longer surprised by the amount of craft in the city. We expect and demand it. And this couldn’t make me happier.

This year, the city got its newest brewery, Atlas Brew Works in Ivy City. Founders Justin Cox and Will Durgin rolled out the first beers in September in bars all over the city and recently did a first run of bottles of their Saison de Fetes, a dry and deliciously earth saison with French Triskel hops. Other beers from Atlas include the Rowdy, a hop-forward rye ale, the District Common, an easy drinking California Common, and the NSFW, a bold imperial black IPA. Atlas, like the other breweries in town, offers tours and growler fills on Saturdays and hopes to get more bottles into the city as soon as possible.

While some were opening their doors for the first time, some of the other breweries in the city were expanding their roster — and even expanding their operations. DC Brau wasted no time in utilizing their space over on Bladensburg Road. Increasing both production and storage space, D.C.’s first brewery in the craft revolution was named one of the fastest growing in the country, and this year’s numbers should certainly be their highest yet. With this growth has come some great additions to their portfolio. In May, Brau partnered with D.C. United to give the city The Tradition, a golden ale that head brewer Jeff Hancock made to create a beer “ that all soccer fans can enjoy”.

3 Stars Brewing in Takoma also recently expanded and plans to use this increased tank space to not only get out more beer to the bars (as they can barely keep up with current demand from all over the city), but to roll out a bottle program for their biggest fans who want to get their hands on exclusive releases. Set to accept members on January 2 at 11 a.m., the Illuminati Reserve Society will have a yearly membership of $100 and will include five limited release beers, numerous discounts, and early invitations to many of their events that sell out. With the price of many rare-bottle conditioned beers and the cost of locating them, this program easily pays for itself for the fans who enjoy the more exotic side of craft beer.

D.C. also got more local brewpubs in 2013. Neighborhood Restaurant Group opened Bluejacket this fall in an impressive Navy Yard building to much fanfare. James Beard Award-nominated beer director Greg Engert recruited Cambridge Brewing Company’s Megan Parisi and Bobby Bump, formerly of Allagash, into a brewery (with adjoining restaurant The Arsenal) that “makes complex beers that are redolent of their inspirations.” With over 20 beers that have a huge range of flavors, this Southeast powerhouse is already having no problem filling the seats well before baseball season is barely a glint on the horizon. Further north in the reinvigorated Shaw, Right Proper has also opened to long lines and constant crowds, enjoying brewer Nathan Zeender’s session-focused beers. The menu features deliciously delicate beers like the Ornette — a wonderful cousin to the saison that is light, refreshing, and doesn’t rely on a lactic presence as many saisons do — and Laird Fauntleroy — a full-bodied dark mild (clocking in at a quaffable 2.9 percent alcohol by volume) that hints at cocoa and toasted bread — that will suit all tastes. This space, located next to Howard Theatre, is just one of the many new restaurants and bars that have come to Shaw over the year.

While many think of D.C. as being one of the up-and-coming best in the U.S. for beer, it hasn’t been lost on the country as a whole. This past March, the craft world focused on our city as the host of the Craft Brewers Conference. As brewers, bar owners, and industry people came for the conference and trade show, bars all over the city hosted events that were both informative and celebratory in nature. Hop Kitchen at Smith Commons, an open education forum on hops with a Q&A from the audience and some great hoppy examples of beer, was a highlight. It was certainly a week that helped solidify This Town as a national destination city for all things beer. While there are many cities that have more bars and more breweries, D.C.’s distribution laws afford us some of the most beers available for purchase of anywhere in the country. This is one of the most important aspects to our growth in such a short amount of time and give us the ability to grow in many ways in the long-term.

The year gave way to number of not only beer-centric bars, but growler fills at breweries, brewpubs and some stores, and even craft beer in Nationals Park. We no longer have to travel to another neighborhood for good beer. Good beer has come to many neighborhoods, and is constantly becoming commonplace in our wants for where we choose to spend our money. H Street NE, the Hill, and Petworth have become bigger players in supporting the city’s love of craft beer. 2013 has also seen a number of beer gardens like Bardo and Dacha, which allow us to drink and be social in more communal, outdoors environments with group seating. Restaurants now understand that good wine with a sub-par beer and cocktail list is no longer permissible because we can simply go elsewhere for good food and good drink.

So what does this mean for 2014?

There will be a simultaneous pull in our market to expand the ingredients and innovation that is in brewing while moving away from big, boozy beers and back into full-flavored but more palatable alcohol levels. So called “session beers” (named after the British idea of being able to have a few rounds in a session and still be able to go back to work and be productive) have been coming about in late 2013, and will make their huge impact next year for any people who enjoy a beer but don’t want to be blitzed after one or two because of a double-digit ABV.

More breweries are also on the way. Hellbender Brewing Company should be commercially producing beers by February 2014. Underground sensation Adroit Theory has already made quite a name for itself in the homebrewing and brewing community, with its beautiful branding and labeling, and is poised to start production early next year to provide something a little different than the average pale ale. But this expansion comes with a caveat. Competition is fierce in this city. We have been blessed with starting much later to the game of brewing only in the sense that we didn’t have those half-assed breweries that rode along coattails through the ’90s making barely drinkable beer. While many have their favorite local breweries and like others less, it is hard to argue the quality of the area’s beer. 3 Stars, DC Brau, Chocolate City, Port City, Capital City, Gordon Biersch, Rock Bottom, District Chophouse, and Lost Rhino have all proved in national arenas that they can compete with the best. While these breweries make very different beers, we should be proud of what they make regardless of our palate preferences.

But these breweries are going to have to keep their brewing chops up as many up-and-comers enter the market, ready to take their own accolades. Even those not yet making beer have to be aware that beer — while it has a small and friendly community — is still a business. Recently, there was trouble in the trenches when Citizens Brewing (now called Denizens Brewing because of the incident) received a cease and desist letter from DC Brau over possible issues concerning their brewery name and DC Brau’s flagship The Citizen. While the majority of people saw this issue very cut and dry in favor of Brau (imagine walking into a bar and asking for “a citizen” and the bartender replying: “Which one?”), it showed that brewing is a business. A small business invests a lot of money in branding and creating a name for itself, and any similarities between other local businesses should be avoided at all costs.

With so much happening within D.C.’s thriving beer culture, it would be easy to take this for granted. I often walk into places and quickly glance through long lists of beer and don’t get excited as I once did a few years ago. And this isn’t a flaw of the establishment. It is a source of pride for me to all who helped make this city to flush with beers made down the street to beers made on the other side of the world in 2013. I welcome how nonchalant we have become at such an amazing city for beer.

I can’t wait for what 2014 has in store for our pint glasses. Cheers.