The Brewer's Archipelago and Distillery Islands
[The interactive map is not currently available. It was hosted on an older mapping service, which has now been sunset, but I hope to bring it back.]
Update, August 2015: See also a newer version of these maps.
Work in progress: a map of DC’s distilleries and breweries. At least nine new distillers and brewers have opened shop in the District within the last few years. The brewpubs can operate in commercial districts, but the larger-scale producers have fewer options.
Even microbreweries and craft distilleries need open, industrial spaces. More onerously, zoning regulations restrict them to sites that are designated for manufacturing. DC has little industrial land, and the remaining areas are increasingly lost to redevelopment. It’s almost as if these companies could only operate on tiny, shrinking islands.
Draft map of DC's alcohol producers, showing only areas designated for industrial uses under the 2006 Comprehensive Plan. Data from DC GIS/self. (larger)
A more conventional representation. Draft map, showing breweries and distilleries against a background of the whole city. Data from DC GIS/self. (larger)