Old Dominion Brewhouse

CuriousMonk

Virginia

2.65/5  rDev -24.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$$

Situated right off the DC convention center. I discovered this brewpub when looking for a sports bar that sported big tvs and quality brews. I thought I found my haven at first when I saw that they were serving up craft beer in large tubes (2 people minimum per tube). Had 15+ beers on tap and good ones too such as from Stone. The owners/hosts were quite pushy and rude which was off-putting. The food selections could be better. The wings and burgers aren't that great. I find myself ordering the susage pasta with peppers which is quite good but is more of a dinner meal for me and doesn't mesh well with most beers IMO. The prices are mid to high range. Definitely stop by for a large helping of craft beer with friends if you happen to be in the area. Otherwise, go else where with better service, food, and character.

02-23-2011 22:12:11 | More by CuriousMonk

jfmorey

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Tried this again out of desperation, was nearby and needed to eat and knew that they would at least have some good beer on tap. However, it is a terrible place to try to enjoy it unless you are a sports fan. There is no direction to look in the place without having two or more flat screens in view. It was a rather quiet Friday night, but I can only imagine how noisy it might get.

The printed draft list did not match what was actually available, so I got a Stone IPA before seeing by the tap handles that there was something I would have preferred, the Lagunitas Little Sumpin'. Tried to get the server to give me a non-chilled glass, but she was not listening.

Ordered a grilled tuna sandwich which had more fish on it than many entree portions but it was slightly overcooked. The salad was big but mostly lettuce. Fine for the price.

Such a waste to have good beer in a place that attracts mainly those that want a Bud, which is not surprising since A-B owns a half interest in ODBC.

12-10-2010 22:21:07 | More by jfmorey

slander

New York

3.4/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Dinner done and dealing the pre-SAVOR scene to see, okay, we can go here (you have to actually look at the makeshift map I created yesterday at the place where I should be doing work instead of creating makeshift maps) or here. It's an either or, as both are in a decent proximity to where we be and will end up afterwards, could've gone either way, but I opted for Old Dominion and we set out walking DC again. Turning the corner coming up on it, this smells of sports bar a block away; the nose knows...

Looking at the crappy macro bottle wallpaper trim bordering in the front windows, we nearly bagged it outright, but we're here, so we'll beer, one and out or more, we'll see. Enter through a vestibule lined above with mini Heineken kegs; that must have been a killer night. Yeah!! The bar, strangely sickle shaped sits on the far wall, straight and then curved, laminate topped over Dominion bottle labels all mishmoshed and its base and tracing overhang done in subway tile; seating for about a dozen and a half on backed stools. The barback holds tiered and shelved booze over mirrored panels, hanging glassware, booze machines (Really? A Patron dispenser, really?), beer bongs (Eeeesh!!), yard glasses (I have no response to that), stacked shot glasses (getting too much use to be sure), 5 liter Heineken kegs, bottled Dominion beers, and wines on their sides. Horizontal coolers sit below housing some goods and some bads.

Tile floorings, drop cone martini glass lamps over the bar and cheesy no love drop ceilings with sunken spots throughout otherwise. The walls all plastered with macro neons, trays, posters, banners, cardboard cut outs, framed prints, giant bottle caps, shelved steins, and pieces this and that; except for this kind of cool curved wood tiles with a sunken lighting thing to the rear. Drunken kids group photos up front, from some wild Dos Equis night. Yeah!! A bazillion flatscreens for every game imaginable simultaneously, everywhere and I mean even in the bathroom everywhere. I think the most fucked up thing about this place is the Bell's Banner just off the bar to the rear, 'cause Bell's is way too good for this house. Sectioned seating areas; a pair of raised roundy hightops up front, nearly a dozen and a half tables in a pen just off the bar, about 3 dozen more on the other side of a divider there running to the rear, many of them 2 seaters pushed together in pairs or more, and another dozen+ in the far far room.

Parked at the bar and was commenting mockingly to Phil on the beer bong being filled by the bartender; didn't realize it was for the guy sitting next to me and didn't really care when I did. Enjoy your Shocktop, fucker! All 132 ounces of that bad boy, 'cause that's what you want to commit 8 and a quarter pints of your life to. Surely there's something better on than Shocktop, right? Lemme see. 2 towers of 16 each along the bar, but some of them are dupes. Kind of hard to sort out what's what as the tap list doesn't match what's actually on, but best as I can ascertain, there's nearly a dozen Dominion offerings (Dominion Lager, Ale, Light, Millennium, Victory Amber Ale, Aviator Amber Lager, Summer Ale, Pale Ale, Oak Barrel Stout, Baltic Porter Winter Brew, Root Beer), a half dozen or so other micros (Victory Prima Pils, Smutty Old Brown Dog, Stone IPA & Pale Ale, Redhook IPA, Hook & Ladder Backdraft, Abita Purple Haze), and about a dozen macros & blah imports,

I was kind of I don't know whatted to see the Baltic Porter Winter brew on. Yeahed in that I thought it was one of the best beers I'd had at the Yardley Beer Festival a few months back (although not as good as what I was pouring for EB+B, naturally), but no-noed about encountering a Winter beer in late May. Dealt it anyway, it was a tasty beer, had another, this time the Oak Barrel Stout, and no, do not put my beer in a frosted glass like last time now again, or when I forget to tell you while ordering my next beer, or for anyone else ever again ever. Also a pleasant beer, it had some nice frothy vanillaness to it.

Seems most people here are eating wraps and the like, served with these crazy gigantic potato crinkle cut fries; them bitches is like a whole goddamn potato, they is. And they're generally washing their food down with something poured from a giant beer bong. Really, I can't believe how many of them are out and about the room. People, specifically the asshole sitting next to us but not limited to him, are drunk. "See, this is what happens when you feed people beer bongs". Words of wisdom, Phil, words of whisdom!

Liked the 2 beers I had here, would've liked to have tried more of their wares, maybe something in the way of a sampler, but it's just not conducive to this "tiedhouse meets sports bar and gives up its soul" kind of place. Too much beer bong and buckets of bottled macros specials activity, and not enough brewery representing. There. I said it.

07-11-2009 03:57:36 | More by slander

timmay41

Massachusetts

2.48/5  rDev -29.5%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4 | $$

One of the only beer bars during the Frozen Four weekend that wasn't overrun and crazy. I was in DC for the weekend for a conference.

Entered at 6pm on a Saturday night. Well lit, a good sized bar on the left. The vibe was totally strange from the moment we walked in: no music playing, only a few patrons, and the servers all leaning up against the back wall like vultures.

The beer selection was way off--there was one draft list posted on the wall, another placard on the table, and another list on the food menu. Although there was a Bell's banner up on the wall, our server informed us that Bell's was gone because it "didn't sell." Auspicious right there. There was a Laguinitas IPA tap handle, but when we ordered one the server explained it was out, but that they "just kept the tap there anyway." There were a couple Stone offerings--Pale Ale and IPA--and 6 Old Dominion drafts. The server didn't know his beers and was incredibly socially awkward.

The food was totally fine--I had a tasty cheese steak and my friends said their burgers were good. But the weird vibe, lackluster service, and mediocre draft offerings soured me on this place almost immediately after coming through the door. I won't be back on future visits to DC.

04-16-2009 05:07:14 | More by timmay41

clayrock81

Virginia

3.23/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$$

This isn't a bad place to be, especially if you like sports. They have all the sports packages and I was able to watch a hockey game on satelite. However, we came on a day when they were preparing for a booked party and the server pretty much regarded us an afterthought the entire time. I only had the wings for lunch, but I must admite from a guy who's had a lot wings in his lifetime that they were solid. As far as beer goes they have the Old D line and that's about it. A couple Lagunitas or Stone (can't remember), a DFH...and macros. Not a beer bar but worth checking out if you want some Old D brews and just would also want to catch a game not on regular TV.

02-22-2009 13:29:52 | More by clayrock81

soupyman10

District of Columbia

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

Visited on a Wednesday night with a group of friends around 6. Fairly empty, despite a fairly good deal with the Happy Hour ($3.99 for a 20 oz glass). Supposedly 32 taps, although they were out of the one that I would have gone for (the Millenium barley wine) and was fairly underwhelmed with the others (although I am a fan of the stout, which I skipped, cause I've had it a few times). Had the solid Baltic Porter and mediocre Aviator Amber. Waiters were hilarious (we had two) if not particularly knowledgeable - no issues with the service. Sort of a strange place in terms of atmosphere - definitely not really brew-pub-ish, but more of the restaurant feel (makes sense, given the shared space with the Mongolian Barbecue next door). Food was alright and fairly cheap for the Happy Hour deal. Overall, not bad, and I'd probably go back again.

12-05-2008 01:47:43 | More by soupyman10

HamFon

Florida

2.95/5  rDev -16.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited 9 August 2008 (Saturday) at 4PM. Connected to a Mongolian barbecue for food. Neither the waiter nor the bartender spoke English well, and neither knew anything about the beer or food that they were serving. 32 taps. Food was pretty decent (although the Mongolian barbecue was ordered rather than assembled by the customer as other Mongolian barbecue restaurants usually do), but having the servers ignorant about the beer was definitely disappointing. The beers were all above average, with both of the ambers as well as the barleywine standing out as very good. It was necessary to buy two samplers and a pint to sample all of their beer.
BEERS (sampler of 4-6 oz beers for $7.95) - check out www.BuildABeer.org for detailed beer ratings.

08-18-2008 05:02:49 | More by HamFon

jushoppy2beer

Tennessee

3.45/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

This is a nice spot if you're interested in a sports bar sort of environment. It's a bit loud from boisterous groups of drinking buddies and the sounds that go with cheering for the athletes on the pub's many television screens. The environment is lively and friendly -- great if you're in a party mood but not so great if you want to have an intimate conversation with your dining partner. The selection of beers is quite good, and the brews crafted here are exceptional, diverse, and of high quality. I came for the Dominion microbrewed selections, and chose the pale ale, the Oak Barrel Stout, and the Millennium. All excellent. Some of the younger set (i.e., college age and 20 somethings) were big on drinking cheaper beer in higher volumes from the 130-oz beer towers. Looked fun, but not my favorite mode of enjoying brew. Decent service, though a bit slow. Good basic food, nicely prepared and served. Overall it was a very worthwhile experience. I'm sure I'll visit again on a future trip to DC.

08-11-2008 21:44:38 | More by jushoppy2beer

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

Small sports bar type next to the convention center. A bit of a dark feel in here, with lots of tvs. Decent selection, most of the Dominion brews, but also a few guest taps, and macros. Service was good.

Food was decent, not great. I had a tuna sandwich, and my brother had a burger. Prices were reasonable.

Something about this place just didn't feel right. Maybe it was because it had more than Dominion beers. All the beers we had were served in pilsner glasses, including Oak Barrel Stout. Not sure if it was worth stopping at or not.

07-18-2008 00:35:13 | More by Bierguy5

macpapi

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited most recently on June 28.

Old Dominion Brewhouse is a great beer bar/sports bar combo. Although this joining of two different elements may turn off some BA's I think they pull it off quite nicely. First off, if you don't mind being inundated with a host of large screen, plasma, HD tv's broadcasting whatever games are being played (and I do mean every game as they have the baseball package and were able to deliver the Red Sox-Astros game on NESN for us) this is your place. There is a decent-sized bar area at the front left and the rest of the medium sized restaurant is made up of tables for dining/drinking/viewing. Decor is largely made up of sports paraphanalia. It has a pretty good and friendly vibe and seems like a laid-back place to watch a game with a good brew.

Oh yes, the beer. The Dominion Brewhouse hosts a plethora of fine craft offerings in addition to the seemingly obligitory macro crap that sports bars must have, I guess. Fitting its name, they had about 10 Old Dominion beers on draft. About as many as the Dominion Brewpub in Ashburn. Among those beers were the Milenium and Oak Barrel Stout. Most of the offerings were served in a 20 oz. pour for $6. Good price for D.C. Other guest taps included Stone I.P.A. (of which we had a few), Bells Oberon and Porter, Smuttynose Brown, and Widmer's Hefeweizen. There were also the usual Euro macro types, with Spatan Maibock thrown in. The latter was a nice surprise and not readily available anywhere else. All of these beers seemed to come in 20 oz. glasses as well and were reasonably priced. Additional points for pouring them in proper glasses (maibock in maibock glass, i.p.a. in imperial pint glass, barleywine in thinner flute type glass, etc..) In all there were 20-25 taps. Bottles were also available.

Food was bar food, but good. Service was also excellent, at least for us. Our server was very friendly and knew a bit about the beers, or at least was very helpful in explaining differences and price points for each.

In all the Dominion Brewhouse is a fine experience for its beer selection alone. Throw in the great sports atmosphere, and I can think of few better places to enjoy a good game on a Saturday afternoon or evening no matter the season.

Edit 4/14/2010: I've visited Old Dominion recently, and although I'm still pretty impressed with their selection, have decided to change the score due to the relatively high percentage of macro products and run of the mill craft items. There are still a good 10 or so quality offerings out of their 20ish drafts, though.

07-03-2008 01:41:20 | More by macpapi