Farewell Brickskeller

As we mentioned almost two weeks ago, the last day for the Brickskeller was Saturday, December 18th.

If you’re reading this now, you’ll notice that the 18th was a couple days ago. If you made it in time, I hope you enjoyed it. If not, then you missed out on seeing a D.C. landmark.

The Brickskeller was a pioneer. It’s the beer bar that started it all for the District.

For all of us lucky enough to be here in D.C. now, it’s become a basic assumption that every bar you go to will have at least a few craft beers to choose from. Hell, I was at Arena Stage recently and they had Heavy Seas Loose Cannon. Craft beer has become commonplace around here. And we all should be thanking Dave and Diane Alexander for ushering in this wonderful standard.

When I first moved to D.C., nearly 8 years ago, going to a bar meant that the most exciting beers you’d find were Rolling Rock and Yuengling. Sometimes you’d get lucky and get Sam Adams, but even that was few and far between. At that point in time, the Brickskeller had been open for 46 years.

It was always a beer bar, but Dave and Diane turned it into an institution. Setting a Guinness World Record for most beers is a nice accomplishment, but it was the sense of community that truly made the place. Brewers from across the country and around the world visited the Brickskeller. Famous actors, musicians, politicians, and writers made their way through those doors and perused the never-ending beer list. And although there may have been some complaints about the Brick toward the end, all of those complaining surely had a place in their heart for the old place.

The Brickskeller was like the aging grandfather of the D.C. craft beer family. He was loved by all, and his stories and advice helped all the younger generation grow and thrive.

It’s sad to see him go. He’ll definitely be missed. And he’ll never be forgotten.

-Tonzi

DC Beer has an ongoing post of stories from some of the beer luminaries that visited the Brickskeller. Be sure to check it out.