I stopped here after landing at National at 5 PM and not wanting to brave rush hour traffic. This is a generic place in a generic stripmall in a generic part of no man’s land near Crystal City. The beer was pretty bland. The food wasn’t too bad, although the "Texas toast" that came with my dish was just a slice of white bread. There did seem to be a number of regulars, and they got good service; my server was pretty indifferent. I think with so many new breweries and brewpubs in DC and Virginia, there is no reason for a beer lover to come here.

Had a little time to kill so I stopped by here. The good news is the beer is cheap. That is excellent news because generally, it sucks. Of the six beers I tried 3.0 was my highest score and that was a good bit higher than any of the others. That’s a shame because the Hops I used to frequent (Richmond) actually made good beer. It’s a typical chain restaurant vibe with a large wooden rectangular bar. Service was average. Plenty of parking. The food looked fairly pedestrian and poorly presented. And the food isn’t so cheap, either. I did not partake. Come here for ticks only. Do not expect anything quality.

I had never been to this place before, with my only knowledge of the place from stories of my friends and the low rating it got on here. My experience actually was not that bad. We got seated after a short, but fast moving reservation list. Was not expecting the honey butter croissants, a little sweet for a starter, but were tasty. Waiter was attentive, food was prepared correctly. Food was pretty much the same as I’d expect from the typical "American" restaurant, so while it is not a foodie’s dream, it was adequate and exactly what I expected. Beer, while not great, was reasonably priced.

slow service. the 1 beer I had was sub par. the burger was average. onion rings soggy. best part was the honey butter croissants. that would be the only reason to go back.

I echo the sentiments of all other raters and do not suggest this place. The beer is awful, I’ve brewed better extract beers than any I tasted here. I did like the look of the pub though. Nice decoration and I liked the glass around the kitchen. Didn’t eat any food, but the bar staff seemed nice

Uh ... sure they brew their own beer, but that isn’t worth it, even for a guy who loves to pile up the ratings. The only good thing, I would say is that the wall decor was nice, a sort of french prints with beer themed. The beer was bland at best, the food not much better, the service was worse. Just say no!

What about the hops? Good question, and I have the answer. You’ll find them in beers at other local brewpubs, but you won’t find them at Hops. Hops offers a Light beer, a Gold, a Red, and their most flavorful beer called Alligator Ale. There really isn’t much difference between any of their beers except maybe color. These beer are well made, they are all malt, and inoffensive. But one word can describe all four of their offerings; BLAND. If you’re going to call yourself HOPS and your whole angle in the restaurant market is that you brew beer, one would think it would be able to taste some hops in the beer you brew. These beers have little if any character, and for such bland and boring beer, its very overpriced. Of course, you can get their seasonals now, but who is going to bother going for one flavorful brew? The food and atmosphere at Hops is actually very nice, but again, why bother? I know when I travel, I like to check out local places, who wants to go to a generic chain brewing generic tasting beer?

Stopped by with Pailhead 12/2005. Smallish interior, oval bar with stools and booths. The tables were interesting, showing various malts and hops in holes in the wood, covered by glass. Staff was friendly and quick to serve. Ok I just mentioned some good things that don’t have to do with beer, figured out the math yet? The beer selection is unexciting at best. While I was there the waiter brought over the "special seasonal" which was an amber ale!!! Yay! To be fair, I have not tried some of the higher rated beers and will make an effort to catch them when they’re on tap. My buffalo chicken strips had so much grease that I couldn’t finish them. This one is definitely not worth going out of your way to visit.