Thursday 19th of June 2014 10:19:46 PM

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Another reviewer already wrote what I was thinking when I entered the place - this is an Applebees with a brewery setup.

It's conveniently located close to Reagan National Airport, so it gave me a place to go when I had a couple hours to kill before catching a flight. It was early afternoon and the place was fairly empty. I sat at the bar, and it took 10 or so minutes for a bartender to come by. In the meantime, a couple of waitresses noticed me sitting at the bar and didn't bother to do anything about it even when I tried in vain to catch their attention.

When the bartender came over, I ordered a burger (which was decent, as expected), and a flight. There were 5 beers in the flight, of which 2 came out immediately, and 2 needed keg changes. The fifth was apparently out altogether, so the bartender generously mixed a half sample of 2 of the beers I had already been given to create a 5th option. The concoction wasn't good, but neither were the other beers. Eventually, they found some of what was actually supposed to be beer #5 and I got to sample it. It was better than the 50/50 mixture I got previously, so that was nice.

The saving grace was that the bartender gave me the flight for free due to all the beer availability confusion. Yay for that.

Wednesday 5th of September 2012 07:22:55 PM

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Jets from Reagan Airport steadily cruise by, and the Washington monument peeks above the northern horizon. Hops Grill & Brewer is a stand alone building near Potomac Yards Mall. There is plenty of shopping and a movie theater, and ample parking for visitors. Enter and the bar area is on the right and kitchen on the left. The decor includes wood trim with off-white walls and black ceilings. The island bar is wooden and inlaid with brewing ingredients. Past the bar, glass walls enclose the small brewhouse which contains two copper tuns and four stainless steel fermenters. Past the brewhouse is a room with plenty of dining tables. The menu is American cuisine, entrees and sandwiches. I found their beers rather unimpressive - Clearwater Light, Hang Ten Honey Wheat Ale, Lightning Bold Gold Ale, Thoroughbred Red Ale, and Alligator Ale Porter (the best of the lot). The service was somewhat inattentive.

Hops Restaurant Breweries used to be prevalent throughout the U.S. (74 locations!), but nearly all locations have closed over the past few years (only 4 remain open!). Ownership of the company changed hands a couple times, and I think the brewpubs' offering has not kept up with the pace of the craft brewing industry. The core menu is still a selection of 4-5 tame average beers, and only 1 or 2 seasonals are typically offered. The beers are lackluster and the offering noticeably misses something powerful like a nice IPA. If this were a startup company, I might say it has potential. But this chain of brewpubs had its moment in the spotlight, and subsequently faded away. This brewery is a relic, for what worked 10 years is now sub par.

Sunday 3rd of May 2009 06:23:28 PM

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Franchised restaurant with full menu. In shopping mall, but building is free-standing. Exterior is not much different than Applebee's. Interior is unremarkable, although brew kettles sit behind glass in middle of restaurant.

Beer was, generally, a disappointment. Tried their sampler and really did not care for any of their regulars. The pilsner, however, was quite good -- hard to reconcile it against others, but as the seasonal it was the stand-out. The onion rings were passable, which they promote heavily. The Jamaican steak was done nicely, but hardly worth a return visit.

The service was very good and -- if you have no other options -- you can at least be happy with the attentiveness at Hops.

Wednesday 27th of August 2008 10:13:13 AM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

Hops is a disappointing, strip mall version of the brew pub/grill. It's essentially a beer house for the Applebee's crowd.

Don't bother contending with its smoky din and crowds to sample its limited beer selection- there's nothing there for the likes of us. Its offerings tend to the lighter side, and lack body and finish (ironic, considering the name)

This chain has locations in CT, NC, VA, and CO. Let's hope it doesn't take too prominent a place.