Woman-owned brewery inspired by garden botanicals to open in DC

D.C.’s first Black woman-owned brick-and-mortar brewery is opening in Shaw 鈥� and it’s a full-circle moment years in the making.

Eamoni Collier has spent years trying to open a brewery of her own. 91欧美激情 told you about her story in 2023 and afterward, she even signed a lease and poured a lot of heart, soul and money into a space in Northeast D.C., only to see it all fall through. But undeterred, that dream finally becomes real on Friday.

will open its doors on T Street Northwest in Shaw, in a spot right next door to the Howard Theatre and inside the same building where Collier first fell in love with making beer when it was home to Right Proper Brewing.

“It kind of made the experience a little bit more comfortable because I know the ins and outs,” Collier said. “But also a bit surreal because it’s now my space.”

Collier, the founder and co-owner of Urban Garden Brewing, said the brewery is D.C.’s first Black woman-owned brick-and-mortar brewery. In an industry where the stereotypical brewery is a bald, bearded white guy, she鈥檚 none of that.

“I realized that there was a lack in representation, especially not just as Black American, but also like Black women,” she said.

The location carries deep personal meaning. Collier’s grandfather used to perform in the Howard Theatre; she described him as one of the pioneers of go-go music who used to work with Chuck Brown.

Inside the brewery, a dedicated space called the Joe Tate Listening Lounge will honor his legacy, complete with vinyl records and a mural in his honor.

The beers themselves are brewed on site and draw from an unexpected source of inspiration 鈥� botanicals found inside the everyday person’s garden.

“We focused a lot more on like the botanicals versus how hoppy we can make the beer,” she said. 鈥淲e love hops, but we really like to explore different botanicals, flowers, herbs and spices to bring out the essence of the beer.鈥�

After years of contract brewing with other established, local brands, Collier thought a spot along South Dakota Avenue in Northeast would be her own, only to lose it. The financial hit was significant, and Collier said she lost some hope along the way.

“I was really just focusing on the how 鈥� like, I want this, how can we have it?” she said.

Co-owner Malaika Tate-Scott, who also designed the interior of the space, said the setback tested everyone involved.

“The losses are big 鈥� financially, it’s big,” Tate-Scott said. “But there was always this little glimmer.”

The joy inside the brewery was palpable.

鈥淚 smile every time I think about it,鈥� Tate-Scott added. 鈥淭here aren’t many words. It’s a feeling really more than anything of like ‘Wow, look what we’ve done, right? Look what, look who we supported, and how much she’s bloomed.’鈥�

Her husband and co-owner Renaud Scott said he first believed in the concept after tasting Collier’s homebrews in a backyard, including a beer called Lotus Flower Bomb.

“There’s love, there’s joy, there’s history, there’s craft in this,” Scott said.

As a self-described “beer lover,” he’s spread the word about Collier’s brews and the story behind them.

鈥淚 just started bragging about it, just because I loved it, right? Lotus flower bomb, lotus flower bomb, lotus flower bomb, all over with my friends and family, and such,” Scott said.

The grand opening Friday includes a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. You鈥檒l also find a beer garden on the patio, build-your-own bouquets, DJs, tastings from other Black-owned brands and a go-go party with N2L Band&Show. Collier said the full draft lineup of Urban Garden beers and the complete dinner menu will also debut that night.

鈥淲e were raised here in D.C., so it means much more to us,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淣ot only just for the story, the background, the history, the legacy, but also for us as individuals growing up in the city. Seeing us own businesses, seeing us provide services and economical support to the community.鈥�

鈥淭his space for me is really about the gathering of the community,鈥� Collier said.

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