Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80
It’s awesome seeing the revival of the local DC beer scene. But for today’s question let’s also include one from Alexandria, VA, one from Baltimore, MD and one from Frederick, MD. So what’s your favorite local brewery? What’s your favorite beer from that brewery?
Did I leave anyone out?
3 Stars, Chocolate City, DC Brau, Flying Dog, Heavy Seas and Port City.
Jack Van Paepeghem works at Meridian Pint and is a Certified Cicerone® You can read his previous post about homebrewing here.
In America, Oktoberfest unfortunately resides in the category of celebrations like Saint Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo where history falls to the wayside and the focus of the festivities is getting wasted on indiscriminate beer and booze while mocking traditional garb and customs. Fortunately I’m here to judge the beer found in those ridiculously massive and tacky boot glasses and not the people wielding them. In fact, Oktoberfest was originally dedicated to the celebration of the marriage of Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Bavaria in the year 1810. The celebration included horse races, brass bands, food aplenty, and beer, of course, in the expansive fairgrounds known as “die Wiesn.” The ceremonial tapping of the cask which kicks off the party has even historically determined the political attitudes toward the Mayor of Munich based on his success in letting the beer flow properly to the people. But the beer in the cask has not always been what we know as “Oktoberfest” beer.
You may remember the story of how the German Pilsner came to being by modeling itself after its slightly older Czech brother in the year 1842. Well, the evolution of German Oktoberfest beers begins just one year earlier in Vienna, Austria where brewer Anton Dreher had begun making toasty amber beer by using British-devised pale malting techniques and employing a clean bottom fermenting yeast which leaves some residual caramel sweetness. This was the birth of the style known as “Vienna Lager;” try the Devils Backbone version for a spot on interpretation of the style or Elliot Ness by Great Lakes Brewing Company for a hoppier and higher alcohol version. But here’s where it gets tricky. Dreher was working with Gabriel Sedlymayer of Munich’s Spaten brewery and the two decided to cold condition, or, lager, the beer in caves during summer months which would be ready to drink by late September to October. The beer was referred to as “Märzen” because it was brewed in March and contained a slightly higher alcohol content to preserve it through the summer months.
Continues after the jump. (more…)
It’s officially autumn so it’s time for seasonal beers to switch over. While they’ve been out for a few weeks I was still hanging on to the summer brews. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Dogfish head seasonals and love their Punkin Ale.
Anyone else enjoy the Autumn seasonals? Any other recommendations of what to try?
For those who like Dogfish Head – Logan Circle’s new beer/liquor store Batch 13, 1724 14th St, NW, has a great deal on the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale:
How do I celebrate Douglas Jefferson Day?
Douglas Jefferson day is celebrated on the first Saturday of October every year. According to tradition, there are only three rules one must follow.
Three rules:
1) Douglas Jefferson Day must be celebrated in a Public House of the District of Columbia, in the company of good friends
2) A gift must be given to a friend. One must not have exchanged money for the gift, and it must be “no larger than a baker’s loaf.*”
3) In the spirit of Douglas Jefferson Day, you must buy a drink for a stranger.*According to diary entries from the time, gifts included “a half-used shaker of salt,” “one dead snail,” “a handful of grass clippings,” and “thirteen flivrums.” What a flivrum is and why anyone would need thirteen of them has been lost to time.
Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo
From a press release:
The team behind acclaimed beer destinations such as Birch & Barley, ChurchKey, Rustico and Bluejacket will present Washingtonians with an unprecedented craft beer festival called Snallygaster. Named for the fearsome and mythical dragon-like beast said to terrorize the region at the turn of the century, this celebration of artisanal craft beers, fine food and fun is showcasing no fewer than 100 unique and exquisitely crafted beers all handpicked by famed beer director Greg Engert. Snallygaster is on Saturday, October 13 from 1 to 5PM at Yards Park (located at 3rd and Water St. SE) and is an event to benefit Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food &Agriculture.
Beer enthusiast can expect the absolute best in Oktoberfest style beers at the inaugural Snallygaster, including German style and German-inspired beers, exciting autumn seasonals, plus a bevy of coveted international finds, and unheard of rarities. Highlights include one-off beers brewed specifically for the event, an impressive collection of cask ales, assorted barrel-aged brews, and even a host of Franconian gravity-poured, rubber-clad kegs, hardly ever tasted stateside.
From a group that firmly believes beer and food are the happiest of pairs, comes a menu of fantasticfestival fare to tempt and delight the palates of Snallygaster attendees. Red Apron Butchery is offering their classic handmade hot dogs, a German-inspired bacon bratwurst, and their new Pork-strami sandwichwith bacon kraut and fontina cheese wiz. The team at Rustico is serving up a Heavenly Meatball Hero with red sauce, while Chef Kyle Bailey and his team at ChurchKey and Birch & Barley are shelling out sud-friendly snacks like Disco Fries, Tater Tots and Fried Piggy Tails. Arcadia will be offering a seasonal treat with a Fall Harvest Wrap, highlighting the bounty of fall produce sprouting up at the farm. Of course in the spirit of Oktoberfest, guests can also expect some classics like spit-roasted turkey legs & Tiffany MacIsaac’s pretzels. Buzz Bakery is providing sweets and pint-size offerings for the kids, while Dolcezza serves up scoops of their amazing artisanal gelato.
Live music, a mix of DJ’s, and recreational activities are providing the day’s entertainment. Special features include musical acts presented by One Love Massive such as Nappy Riddem and DJ John Jazz and recreational lawn games like corn hole and bocce from the DC Bocce League. A kid-friendly zone near Yards Park’s fountain will include face painting, bubble machines, entertainers, plus educational and farm & kid-friendly activities with Arcadia Farm & their Mobile Market.
Snallygaster is being held at The Yards Park (located at 3rd and Water St. SE) on October 13, 2012 from 1 PM to 5 PM. Guests will be asked to pay a $5 donation at the door to benefit Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture. Children under 21 that are accompanied by a parent will be admitted at no cost. Food and beverage tickets ($1 for 1 ticket) will be sold separately with items costing on average between 4 and 9 tickets. Advance ticket packages include the “Rodan Pass” including admission, entry through will-call, 25 food + drink tickets, and a customized mug, priced at $25 and the “Gargantuan Pass” offering 1 hour of VIP early access to the event at 12PM, 25 food + drink tickets, and a specialty Snallygaster t-shirt, priced at $50. To purchase tickets, see the full beer list or get ongoing updates about the event visit here.
From a press release:
On September 22, All Points West (APW), DC’s unconventional classical chamber collective, will present a new take on Oktoberfest by performing a wide range of German music spanning the classical and popular genres at the Heurich House Museum, Washington’s 19th century “Brewmaster’s Castle.” The event will take place at the Heurich House Museum (1307 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036, near Dupont Metro Station) September 22 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Throughout the afternoon APW will perform a variety of German music in the castle garden, featuring Beethoven’s “Septet in Eb Major”, Hindemith’s “Kleine Kammermusik” for woodwind quintet, and Paul Schoenfield’s “Cafe Music”. Smaller musical morsels will be served as well, ranging from the baroque to German pop, and even a polka or two. There will also be German beer on tap throughout the afternoon sponsored by the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT), with food provided by Occasions Catering. Tickets are available through Eventbrite at: brewmastersbiergarten.eventbrite.com.
Christian Heurich, DC’s most successful brewer, was a German immigrant who built his ornate home in Dupont from 1892-1894. This home has been preserved as the Heurich House Museum, one of the country’s most intact and technologically advanced Victorian mansions. It is an ornate edifice, a monument to a bygone era of flourishes, gilding, and craftsmanship, which APW will transform through the power of music. Learn more about the museum at www.heurichhouse.org.
From the White House blog:
As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there’s no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. (Although we do know there was some drinking during prohibition…)
Since our first batch of White House Honey Brown Ale, we’ve added the Honey Porter and have gone even further to add a Honey Blonde this past summer. Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn’t sweeten it.
White House Honey Porter
Ingredients
2 (3.3 lb) cans light unhopped malt extract
3/4 lb Munich Malt (cracked)
1 lb crystal 20 malt (cracked)
6 oz black malt (cracked)
3 oz chocolate malt (cracked)
1 lb White House Honey
10 HBUs bittering hops
1/2 oz Hallertaur Aroma hops
1 pkg Nottingham dry yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar for bottling
Directions
In a 6 qt pot, add grains to 2.25 qts of 168˚ water. Mix well to bring temp down to 155˚. Steep on stovetop at 155˚ for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 gallons of water to 165˚ in a 12 qt pot. Place strainer over, then pour and spoon all the grains and liquid in. Rinse with 2 gallons of 165˚ water. Let liquid drain through. Discard the grains and bring the liquid to a boil. Set aside.
Add the 2 cans of malt extract and honey into the pot. Stir well.
Boil for an hour. Add half of the bittering hops at the 15 minute mark, the other half at 30 minute mark, then the aroma hops at the 60 minute mark.
Set aside and let stand for 15 minutes.
Place 2 gallons of chilled water into the primary fermenter and add the hot wort into it. Top with more water to total 5 gallons if necessary. Place into an ice bath to cool down to 70-80˚.
Activate dry yeast in 1 cup of sterilized water at 75-90˚ for fifteen minutes. Pitch yeast into the fermenter. Fill airlock halfway with water. Ferment at room temp (64-68˚) for 3-4 days.
Siphon over to a secondary glass fermenter for another 4-7 days.
To bottle, make a priming syrup on the stove with 1 cup sterile water and 3/4 cup priming sugar, bring to a boil for five minutes. Pour the mixture into an empty bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter over it. Distribute priming sugar evenly. Siphon into bottles and cap. Let sit for 1-2 weeks at 75˚.
White House Honey Ale
Ingredients
2 (3.3 lb) cans light malt extract
1 lb light dried malt extract
12 oz crushed amber crystal malt
8 oz Biscuit Malt
1 lb White House Honey
1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings Hop Pellets
1 1/2 oz Fuggles Hop pellets
2 tsp gypsum
1 pkg Windsor dry ale yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar for priming
Directions
In an 12 qt pot, steep the grains in a hop bag in 1 1/2 gallons of sterile water at 155 degrees for half an hour. Remove the grains.
Add the 2 cans of the malt extract and the dried extract and bring to a boil.
For the first flavoring, add the 1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings and 2 tsp of gypsum. Boil for 45 minutes.
For the second flavoring, add the 1/2 oz Fuggles hop pellets at the last minute of the boil.
Add the honey and boil for 5 more minutes.
Add 2 gallons chilled sterile water into the primary fermenter and add the hot wort into it. Top with more water to total 5 gallons. There is no need to strain.
Pitch yeast when wort temperature is between 70-80˚. Fill airlock halfway with water.
Ferment at 68-72˚ for about seven days.
Rack to a secondary fermenter after five days and ferment for 14 more days.
To bottle, dissolve the corn sugar into 2 pints of boiling water for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into an empty bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter over it. Distribute priming sugar evenly. Siphon into bottles and cap. Let sit for 2 to 3 weeks at 75˚.
14th and Irving St, NW
Lou’s City Bar adds table taps in Columbia Heights. They have also launched a new menu – check it out below:
The folks from Lou’s add:
“The menu was put together by Adam Sobel, Columbia Heights resident (Kenyon Square Condominiums). Over a two month period, Adam spent considerable time at Lou’s, created the new menu and spec’d the ingredients. He is a multiple award winning chef and currently runs Bourbon Steak in Georgetown. One of his understudies, Michael Sanfilipo, has agreed to come on board to run the kitchen full time.”
They will have two tables with “table taps”:
300 Tingey Street, SE
The much anticipated Bluejacket brew pub has applied for a liquor license in Navy Yard:
“This is a new restaurant serving American style cuisine with a Brew Pub. Serving beer that is brewed on site. Total Occupancy Load is 199, with 150 seats. Summer Garden with 80 seats.”
Capitol Riverfront says:
“Bluejacket will be a brewery and restaurant and the latest creation from Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Churchkey, Birch & Barley, Rustico, Evening Star Cafe, etc.). NRG’s beer director Greg Engert and head brewer Megan Parisi will oversee the beer program and production.”
They anticipate opening in 2013. Looking forward to seeing the inside take shape:
The renovation of the Boilermaker Shops is stunning. You can see what it looked like Oct. 2011 here and in April 2011 here.
And today:
1654 Columbia Rd, NW
At the end of July we learned that Doner Bistro would be moving into the former Shawarma King space on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan. Folks who were familiar with their Leesburg location were pretty psyched. In addition to their tasty looking menu come more good news – Bier Mug Club:
