Dog-Friendly Brewery in Shirlington VA
We’d had the Shirlington dog-friendly brewery New District Brewing Co. on our list for a little while and finally checked it out. It’s awesome! They do things slightly different from other breweries, and we’ve received a lot of questions about it. So ground rules first.
Dog Club
They require your dog to be a member of their Dog Club in order to visit the taproom. The one-time fee of $15 includes a $5 contribution to the Shirlington Dog Park (which we think is very cool) and a welcome beer! You sign up on an iPad when you arrive, which took two to three minutes to complete. Once you finish, you receive the dog club tag. Super easy. The $15 fee is added to your tab and next time you visit with your pup, you’re ready to go. And according to their website, membership will get you discounts at nearby businesses soon!
nearby businesses soon!
Dogs are allowed on Wednesdays and now Sundays as well! When they started their Dog Club Pilot they only allowed pups on Wednesdays. We hope that by capturing the number of dogs that want to visit, they’ll keep adding more dog-friendly days…
Location, Location, Location- Right by Shirlington Dog Park!
The brewery is located at the entrance of the Shirlington Dog Park. Right at the gate. Parking can be tricky on weekends as this is one of the best off-leash dog parks in Northern Virginia. We drove one lap around the block and were able to find a spot on Four Mile Run Drive.
One of things we look for on weekends with Rummy is a place for her to play before we “play”. We love visiting wineries and breweries and she is very laid back when we do. But we know that she wants to run and play before we ask her to mind her manners inside with us. When we can find a park near a business we want to visit, it’s a no brainer. Let your pup explore this incredible park, burn off some energy, then relax inside with you at New District!
Once Inside
We visited on an unseasonably warm February afternoon. So it was such a treat to walk up and see their garage-style door rolled up so that the entire storefront was open to the fresh, cool breeze. There were probably a dozen dogs already there. Clearly everyone was excited to have this weather on one of the dog-friendly days at the brewery.
Dog Club Rules are clearly posted above the door and while there was a dog or two at each table, there was minimal barking and no fights. They have several large water bowls at the door. We brought one to our table and a staff member immediately brought a pitcher to fill it.
They offer cheese plates from Cheesetique and you’re also welcome to bring food or have it delivered. We LOVE this option. We walked Rummy through the Village at Shirlington and picked up lunch to bring over. So easy and really awesome to be able to choose what we want to eat and enjoy it inside with our dog.
5 Pups
We give New District Brewing Co. 5 Pups for allowing dogs inside, location next to Shirlington Dog Park, giving back to the dog park and having several water bowls available for tables. There was no outdoor seating (but it may be that it’s just not set up in winter) and we wish dogs are allowed on more days. But they go above and beyond in other ways so we believe they earned 5 Pups.
You can find more dog-friendly breweries on our Breweries page. Be sure to check out other categories like Wineries, Parks and more. If your business allows dogs and you’d like to be included, let us know!