(Washington, DC) – DC Brau Brewing released a statement on Friday regarding the company’s trademark dispute with Citizens Brewing. More below…

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DC Brau is proud to be a part of the ever-growing DC/MD/VA beer community, and is excited to continually see others realize their dream of opening breweries/brewpubs in this market. Our beer community is made stronger with new ideas and styles that introduce more and more people to good, local beer. We welcome this growth.

That said, we have worked very hard over the past three years to build DC Brau in the Mid-Atlantic region, with a significant investment in developing and marketing our flagship brews, including The Citizen for which we hold a trademark on the name when used in relation to beer.

When we heard about the Citizens Brewing Co. opening, we approached them about our concern about potential brand confusion within the market. We had hoped to address the situation without having to resort to any kind of legal action, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. We appreciate that they have decided to change their moniker, and wish them every success as they continue to work toward opening their brewery in 2014.