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The redeveloped Uline Arena in NoMa will soon be home to D.C.'s newest brewery.
Red Bear Brewing signed a lease this week for 7K SF in the ground level of the Douglas Development building. The brewery is expected to open in late 2018, Red Bear co-founder Cameron Raspet said.
The brewery will occupy the retail space on the M Street side of the Uline Arena next to the entrance to the REI and La Colombe Coffee. It will feature a 150-to-200-person taproom and about 15 seats in an outdoor patio, Raspet said.
It will be the first location of Red Bear Brewing, founded by Raspet, Simon Bee and Bryan Van Den Oever. Bee, who lives in Maryland, will be the brewmaster while Van Den Oever, a NoMa resident, will manage the staff and Raspet will manage the company's operations.
"We love craft beer, and we wanted to experience something new and provide something to the community," Raspet said.
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The brewers aim to eventually produce 20 types of beer and distribute it locally, but will begin with a smaller selection and will only serve their beer in-house. The beer styles will likely take inspiration from the West Coast, where the co-founders hail from, Raspet said. It will also offer a food menu, possibly provided by outside vendors, Raspet said.
Landing the brewery represents the second big win in as many months for the NoMa neighborhood, which had previously been void of full-service food-and-drink options. In October, Carving Room Kitchen & Bar signed on to occupy 3K SF at Flats 130, one block west of the Uline Arena.
"We want to establish ourselves as a local hangout in the NoMa neighborhood," Raspet said.
Douglas Development's Matthew Jemal said the exposed brick and 16-foot ceilings in the space helped him land Uline Arena's latest tenant.
"It fits in real well with the neighborhood and the building was exactly the character they were looking for," Jemal said.
Northeast D.C. has become one of the local hubs of craft brewing. Located in the quadrant are established production breweries DC Brau, Atlas Brew Works, Hellbender and 3 Stars.
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