Shaw gets Urban Garden Brewhouse, DC’s only Black woman brewery

Urban Garden Brewhouse, DC’s only Black woman-owned brewery, opens in Shaw on Juneteenth at 624 T Street NW with a two-day launch lineup.

Founder Eamoni Collier, a D.C. native, is bringing the project to a space she knows intimately: she spent eight years working at Right Proper Brewing in the same location she now leads.

The opening lands as both a neighborhood addition for Shaw and a marker for the District’s craft beer industry, where ownership diversity has lagged even as the scene has grown.

A founder’s return to a familiar address

Collier began Urban Garden Brewing after years in the beer business, describing a persistent gap in representation she saw while learning and working in the industry.

“Black breweries make up 2% of the entire nation,” Collier said in an interview with Axios, framing her decision to build a business that would broaden who is visible behind the bar and in the brewhouse.

When she started home brewing, Collier said there was no Black-owned brewery in Washington, and none owned by a Black woman. She said those realities pushed her to enter the market and “represent.”

The move is also a full-circle moment. Collier’s eight-year stint at Right Proper Brewing unfolded in the same four walls that now carry the Urban Garden name, tying her opening day to years of on-the-ground experience.

Ancient inspirations, District tastes

Urban Garden’s approach to beer leans on historical references and botanical flavors, with Collier drawing inspiration from ancient Egyptian recipes and building beers around herbs, spices, and other botanicals.

Among the early releases are a toasted coriander–orange peel wheat beer and a lemongrass pilsner. The flavor choices place the brewery in conversation with a craft market that often rewards experimentation, while signaling a distinct house style.

Food, meanwhile, stays rooted in Washington staples. The menu calls out whole wings—served with mumbo sauce—and a ribeye steak n’ cheese, staples familiar across neighborhoods and carryout counters citywide.

In Shaw, the details matter: a brewery’s identity is as much about what’s poured as what’s served alongside it, especially in a corridor where residents, visitors, and longtime locals share the same weekend foot traffic.

How to visit and what happens next

Urban Garden Brewhouse is located at 624 T Street NW. The grand opening party is set for Juneteenth, followed by a brunch bash the next day.

For the District, the opening adds a new destination to the craft beer map and raises the visibility of who gets to own and shape that scene. For Collier, it begins a new chapter in a place where she has already spent years learning the day-to-day rhythms of brewing work.

What to watch after the opening is whether Urban Garden’s botanical-forward beers and DC-specific menu staples can build steady neighborhood loyalty beyond the launch events. The brewery’s presence also puts renewed attention on the industry’s ownership pipeline in the city—who gets access, who gets investment, and who gets to stay.