Photo Credit: Lauren Walens
A new craft beer and wine shop is opening Friday near the Potomac Ave metro to the delight of everyone who has been teased by the sign on the way to the metro for the past several months. The store, Pipetown Traders, will sell local wines, provide an unrivaled beer selection and has multiple taps for growler fills.
The owner, Ashton, is a fourth generation Washingtonian who is dedicated to the history of his city. He got the name Pipetown Traders from the name of the Hill East neighborhood in the 1870s – Pipetown. The floor and bar are made of reclaimed wood from a local house.
Ashton’s original interest for opening Pipetown came from the lack of availability of Virginia wines in the district. From there his interests grew to beer.
“As my wife and I started getting more into beers, we ran into a wall. In D.C., there is more selection at the pub than at the store,” Ashton told me. He wants to offer Washingtonians more variety while providing educational opportunities and quality customer service.
Ashton’s original goal was to stock more beer than wine; however, he has been approached by several wine suppliers since announcing his business. He is proud to carry wine from Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg and Brooklyn Winery (There’s a winery in Brooklyn? Who knew!) among others.
Photo Credit: Lauren Walens
In terms of beer, he already has stock from everywhere from Santorini, Greece to Japan. Ashton also plans to stock D.C. beers, regional beers and eventually interesting Belgian imports like lambic beer. When I was there he already had beer from Three Notch’d Brewing Co. in Charlottesville and a Greek beer called Delphi on the shelves. Ashton hopes to provide new beer and wine selections every month – he is hand picking his selection from a variety of suppliers that are approaching him and getting some help from D.C. beer know-it-alls. And he is especially excited to start providing a wide selection of unique ciders.
Photo Credit: Lauren Walens
When you first walk in there is a large bar with seats and taps. Don’t be fooled – there won’t be a bar here. Rather, Ashton plans to offer special events every month. He’ll start with a November class on ciders from across the world and a December class on champagnes and sparkling wines for your New Year’s Eve plans.
While the website is still in production, you can check out Pipetown Traders Facebook page and Twitter for updates on new beer and wine and upcoming events. Ashton plans to open the doors on Friday, and initially be open Thursday-Saturday 12p.m.-8p.m.
