Walk into one of the DMV’s local breweries on the right night and you might find a scene you weren’t expecting: a table full of dads, beers nearby, mannequin heads in front of them and everyone concentrating on getting a braid just right.
That’s Brews & Braids, a series of hands-on workshops where dads and other caregivers can learn the basics of hair care and styling in a setting that feels a lot more like a night out than a traditional class.
Despite the name, having a beer is completely optional. The real focus is giving parents and caregivers a relaxed place to learn something they may never have been taught, while getting some actual practice before trying it at home.
The concept is simple, but it has struck a chord. What began as a single workshop in North Bethesda in June has grown into a series of events at breweries and other venues around Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. One recent Alexandria workshop sold out within 24 hours of being featured by a local publication, with more than 15 additional people joining a waitlist.
During the roughly 90-minute workshops, attendees practice on mannequin heads while learning basic hair care, ponytails, braiding and other skills from a local hair professional. It gives someone who may have never braided hair before a chance to learn without having to experiment for the first time on a child who needs to get ready for school.
A Skill Plenty of Dads Were Never Taught
For many parents, doing a child’s hair is simply part of the morning routine. But if you grew up with short hair, or in a household where someone else always handled it, there is a decent chance nobody ever taught you what to do.
Brews & Braids is intended to make that learning curve a little less intimidating.
Participants aren’t expected to know anything when they arrive. The workshops start with the basics and give everyone a chance to practice, make mistakes, ask questions and try again.
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The setting is deliberately casual. Instead of a salon or classroom, the events have popped up at places including Owen’s Tavern in North Bethesda and breweries around the region. Participants can order a drink, talk with other parents and work through the same learning process together.
That social part has become almost as important as the actual braiding.
The dads who attend are stepping into something they might not be particularly comfortable doing, but they’re doing it alongside a room full of other people in exactly the same situation.
The Best Results Come After Everyone Goes Home
The finished mannequin heads make for good photos, but organizer Emily Strupp says some of her favorite pictures arrive later.
Parents have begun sending her photos of the hairstyles they tried on their own children after attending a workshop.
For Strupp, that’s when the concept really works. Someone leaves knowing enough to go home, keep practicing and eventually make doing their daughter’s hair another normal part of being a parent.
There is a personal reason that resonates with her too.
Strupp is a Montgomery County mom of two boys, but she grew up as one of two girls. Her father died from pancreatic cancer while she was in college, and she remembers him as an especially involved dad.
Seeing fathers show up excited to learn another way to take care of their daughters has made her think about him.
She says that if something like Brews & Braids had existed when she was growing up in the 1990s, her dad would have loved it.
How Brews & Braids Started
Strupp created Brews & Braids through Social Noodle, the Montgomery County-based social media and event planning business she launched in early 2026.
Social Noodle’s focus is largely on local businesses and finding ways to connect them with people in the community. Sometimes that means promoting an existing event. Other times, as with Brews & Braids, it means creating the event itself and finding local businesses that can be part of it.
Strupp developed the first workshop with a friend and fellow small business owner who works as a hairstylist and has a particular interest in braiding and hair and scalp health.
They held the first Brews & Braids at Owen’s Tavern in North Bethesda with 17 attendees.
It was successful enough that rather than treating it as a one-time event, they began looking for more places to hold it.
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Since then, Brews & Braids has moved around the region, partnering with different breweries, taverns and local businesses. That pop-up model has become part of the appeal: instead of asking everyone to travel to one permanent location, the workshop can continue showing up in different communities.
It’s Not Actually Just for Dads
The name Brews & Braids was built around dads, particularly dads of daughters, but Strupp doesn’t want the concept to exclude anyone who wants to learn.
The workshops are open to caregivers beyond fathers, and Social Noodle has already experimented with other versions of the idea.
One event, called Prosecco & Ponytails, was created specifically for moms and followed a similar hands-on format.
Strupp would like to do more variations in the future, and Social Noodle has also begun offering private workshops for groups that want the experience brought to them.
That means the idea doesn’t necessarily have to stay confined to public brewery events. Private parties, parent groups and other gatherings can host their own version as well.
A Different Kind of Local Business Collaboration
Brews & Braids also fits into a broader trend of local businesses using events to give people a reason to walk through the door beyond simply buying a product.
Every workshop involves several pieces: Social Noodle organizes it, a hair professional provides the instruction, and a local brewery, restaurant or other venue provides the space.
For the host business, it brings in a group of people who may not have otherwise visited. For attendees, it turns learning a practical parenting skill into an evening or weekend outing.
And for the other dads sitting around the table trying to figure out where the third strand of a braid is supposed to go, there is probably some comfort in realizing they aren’t the only ones who never learned.
How to Find an Upcoming Brews & Braids Workshop
Because Brews & Braids operates as a traveling series rather than from one permanent location, dates and venues continue to change as new workshops are added around the DMV.
Upcoming public events, ticket information and new locations are announced through Social Noodle at @social.nooodle on Instagram.
Social Noodle also accepts inquiries about private Brews & Braids workshops and other versions of the hair workshop concept.
For dads who have spent years handing hair duty off to someone else, the barrier to entry is pretty low: show up, grab a mannequin head and start practicing.
