7 Locks Brewing — Restaurant in North Bethesda

Not even a year old yet, 7 Locks has quickly become on of my favorite places to stop in and grab a beer. Their beer, prices, events, hospitality... all great. The brewery has a very open floor plan with lots of tables and even some lawn games set up like cornhole and over-sized Jenga. There's always a food truck outside (from what I've seen anyway), and you can bring your own food their as well. The brewing equipment is very visible to the seating area and you walk by and check it all out if you'd like. The brewery has a very open, industrial feel to it, but it's also cool to see the bones of a place and what goes on "behind the scenes". On top of that, the owners and employees are always really friendly and helpful.

One of my favorite things about 7 Locks is how dog-friendly the place is. Every Sunday, the brewery is open to dogs of all sizes, so you don't have to leave your 4-legged family member behind. Once in a while, they have events to raise money for animal rescue foundations, such as Pet Connection, where a large portion of the proceeds go to the charity. Some of the dogs up for adoption were actually there last time and got adopted!

Other events include frequent live concerts (usually local bands). Once a month, there's a group that meets at 7 Locks, goes for a short run in the area, then finishes at the brewery and has some discounted beers while talking running. That's always a great time too. (For what it's worth, it's run through Kimbia-Physio and is on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7pm, but I don't assume that'll always be accurate - check their events on facebook before going to make sure it's still on).

They have a full gamut of beer types and flavors. I have found that their beer isn't too sweet, which has turned me off from a DC brewery or two. It's not too hoppy either. They have more of a middle-of-the-line mellow taste across their board. You can do flights, pints, or growlers, all well-priced. They also have a few Nitro brews - and not just with the really dark beers. There's also usually a barrel aged beer of some sort too, so like I said, full gamut. Even if you don't like everything, they're likely to have something that's up your alley.

Things to note: Currently there is a fairly small parking lot and you're usually restricted to street parking. This just comes with the particular area, but maybe things will change in the future. Also, sometimes it can be a bit hard to hear during events or when there's a ton of people, so if that's an issue for you, check their event calendar before going.

If you live in the area, like beer, and haven't been here yet, you're doing yourself a disservice - Go check it out! I know I'll...

I've visited this place a couple of times. The atmosphere is up to par with Home Depot and Costco, but Costco is probably cleaner. It's a fairly large space, with a typical warehouse roof and cinder block walls. The staff I've seen consists of 2-3 people. The bar staff are young guys without much personality. Despite the fact that the serving area appears to be on the order of 1000-2000 square feet, it gets pretty loud in there if there are 10 people or more talking, especially if several of them have had a few. On one occasion, it smelled like one of the staff was probably in the back smoking a cigarette, which is illegal in Montgomery County.

The first time I visited, I tried a flight of beers. Their website is not up to date on what's on tap. They didn't have the Snakeden Saison, which others have praised, although their web page says it's currently on tap. I took some notes on my selection sheet. Here were my first impressions:

Heads & Hearts Syrah Saison--light and fruity, maybe a good summer brew. Nut Brown Ale--smooth, toasty flavor, not unpleasant. Surrender Dorothy RyePA--hoppy and spicy, good balance of hops and malt, my favorite so far. This is the only one of the five I tried that I'd probably ask for again in a pint or growler. Farmhouse Strong Ale--stronger flavor, also good hops/malt balance, but didn't appeal to me. Blockhouse Point Stout--thin for a stout, had an aftertaste I didn't like.

All in all, the beers I've tried so far don't compare in quality to Flying Dog, Dogfish Head, or Gordon Biersch. Since they don't serve food, except for the Friday food truck, there's not much reason for me to go back except for the fact that they're less than 20 minutes drive from my house.

There's a 50-cent surcharge on credit card payments under $10. If you want to run a tab, they collect your credit card and keep it until you settle up.

A flight is $8. Pints are $6 regular price. Growler refills are $9/32 oz or $14/64 oz, I think. There are a couple of special strong brews which are served in goblets and are...

Came over on a Saturday night around 8. Live band, food truck and the place was banging. Right at the front entrance is a small room with large windows that let you see from the rest of the place that has some table games and a large Jinga that seemed popular.

They have a small parking lot right in front of their place and from there you park on the street which is metered or you can take your chance with the business lots around the area.

The seating inside is long tables, so if you go with a small party, you might share a table. The bathrooms are mixed sexes so that could be good or bad. That seems to keep the lines down and moving.

As for my time there; the place seemed really popular with the locals, almost too popular. The place was bursting, it was too crowded. All the tables were full when I walked in just trying to walk to the bar to start ordering. Got lucky and there was a table at the entrance to the place, which was like a garage door.  People continued to flow in and it was standing room only. As another reviewer stated the band was so loud that it was incredibly difficult to hold a conversation.

I only tried one beer, I was not particularly fond of it. I won't judge them all one the one. I'll just leave it to that. It was similar to a hazy but the aftertaste was more like unrefined alcohol than the biters of a hazy. And getting the the last of the drink there was sediment in the drink.

The place is setup well but it’s it not setup for the over crowding it seems to get. The live bands is a great gig but over powering, and it’s not just...