Roundtable Discussion: Favorite Brewery
There are over 1500 breweries in the United States alone. Some of them people love and others unfortunately not so much. What qualities are needed to make someone pick their favorite with so many options available? Is it purely based on flavors? Is it due to experiences had while enjoying the beer? Is it from knowing and befriending employees of the brewery? Not surprisingly this varies from person to person as we see here at J Street Beer. One choice was absolutely shocking…wait no Shintern did indeed pick Shiner.
The DMV Brewers BBQ
In case you haven’t heard Smith Commons is hosting an amazing BBQ this Sunday, July 3rd. What more American way is there to spend Indepence Day then with awesome people, food, and of course lots of beer. This event will pair 
some great food with beers from 8, count them 8, local breweries.
First take a look at the food menu from Tonzi’s post. I’m not going to name names but one employee of an attending brewery mentioned that the short rib was some of the best he has ever had, so I trust the food will be excellent.
Onto the beer. The 8 breweries that will be attending are 3 Stars, DC Brau, Port City, Baying Hound, Flying Dog, Heavy Seas, Lost Rhino, and Stillwater. Representatives from each brewery will be on hand and on the 2nd floor at about 7 they will be introduced and speak a bit about their beers and I’m sure share lots of entertaining stories.
On Draft:
The Syndicate Saison-3 Stars (6.8% ABV)
The Public APA-Dc Brau (6% ABV)
The Corruption IPA-DC Brau (6.5% ABV)
The Citizen BPA-DC Brau (7% ABV)
Backyard Ale Smoked Amber -Flying Dog (7.5% ABV)
Table For Two Belgian Style Table Beer-Flying Dog (5% ABV)
Raging Bitch Belgian IPA-Flying Dog (8.3% ABV)
Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale-Heavy Seas (9% ABV)
Loose Cannon IPA-Heavy Seas (7.25% ABV)
Plank I Old Style English Ale-Heavy Seas (8% ABV)
Rhino Chasers Pilsner-Lost Rhino (5.6% ABV)
Face Plant IPA-Lost Rhino (6.2% ABV)
Optimal Wit Belgian Wit-Port City (5% ABV)
Porter-Port City (7.5% ABV)
Existent Ale American Farmhouse Ale-Stillwater (7.4% ABV)
Stateside Saison American Farmhouse Ale-Stillwater (7.4% ABV)
Bottle and Cans:
Taj Mahound IBA-Baying Hound (7% ABV)
Lord Wimsey Mild Pale Ale-Baying Hound (6% ABV)
Dubbel Cannon Belgian IPA-Heavy Seas (7.25% ABV)
The Public APA-Dc Brau (6% ABV)
Cellar Door American Farmhouse Ale (750 ml)-Stillwater (6.6% ABV)
Optimal Wit Belgian Wit-Port City (5% ABV)
All pints are only $5 so if you are in town this weekend, there is no other place to be.
-JBass
In DC for the 4th? Get to Smith Commons!
Click to Enlarge
Have you ever asked yourself, “why isn’t there be a place that I could go and try beers from breweries in the DC Metro area, and enjoy an incredible barbecue at the same time?”
I have great news! Smith Commons is throwing a bash this Fourth of July Weekend that should not be missed!
This event is going to be incredible!
They’ll be offering up delicious foods and (most importantly) local brews.
Read on for more details!
SAVOR Beer Week Event Preview: Flying Dog Backyard Symposium
X and I are headed up to Flying Dog brewery tomorrow morning for a “Backyard Symposium” FD is hosting for SAVOR. Flying Dog Brewmaster Matt Brophy will be leading two panel discussions. The first, on East Coast Hop Cultivation, will include representatives from several east coast farms. The second panel will be about one of X’s favorite styles: Belgian-Inspired American Beers. Panelists will include brewers from The Brewer’s Art, Ommegang, and Devil’s Backbone among others.
Cooking with beer, as evidenced by 1 2 3, is one of my own personal interests, and the afternoon is set to wrap up with lunch (food!) and a “cooking with beer” demonstration by Chef Bryan Voltaggio. Hopefully I’ll learn a few more things to try back at home.
We hope to get a recap and maybe some photos up by Friday afternoon.
-Pyzocha
SAVOR Beer Week Event Review: Kickoff at Policy
Crabs and craft beer is a brilliant idea and a great way to start SAVOR week. Unfortunately Policy did not quite deliver on this promise.
I planned on getting to Policy around 2:30 with a few friends, but my plans changed when I saw a tweet just before 2 saying that there were no more crabs available. With this information now in my head I decided to grab a light bite on the way and head over a bit later alone.
Once I arrived a few minutes after 4 I had mixed feelings. Even though the food and beer reps were gone, I was happy with the beer options. On tap I saw Port City’s Optimal Wit and Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA as well as beers from DC Brau and Heavy Seas. I opted for Flying Dog’s Cask of Single Hop Simcoe, which I ended up getting the last half glass of.
This was certainly not as amazing or thought out as I had hoped the opening event for this crazy week would be. I believe the majority of upcoming events will run much smoother than this did.
-JBass
Beer Madness! 46 (2)Dale’s Pale Ale v. (7)Raging Bitch
(2) Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
v.
(7) Flying Dog Raging Bitch
Both beers faced pretty weak early round opponents, so we haven’t gotten a chance to see if they are really interested in this tournament. As the most recognized canned beer left in the tournament, Dale’s is playing for a lot of pride, but is still going to fall to the Raging Bitch. I mean, c’mon, it’s RAGING!
Beer Madness! 30 (7)Raging Bitch v. (10)Guinness
(7) Flying Dog Raging Bitch
v.
(10) Guinness Stout
After surviving St. Paddy’s Day and my horrible decision to drink Guinness, I can tell you that Guinness is terrible. My headache agrees with my previous statement. I can also tell you that Raging Bitch is a great beer. If you vote for Guinness, I hate you. That is all.
Beer Madness! 21 (5)Hopslam v. (12)Gonzo
(5) Bell’s Hopslam
v.
(12) Flying Dog Gonzo Porter
Hopslam a 5 seed?!? Who seeded these beers? Oh yeah, we did. Everyone knows about the mystique of the Hopslam and if you’ve been lucky enough to experience it in person you’ll know why it is so popular. The Gonzo is a solid tribute to Hunter S. Thompson – a fine alcoholic, but then Holpslam goes ahead and matches up better in alcohol content (10% v. 7.8%). My stance when tributing an alcoholic with an alcoholic beverage: go big or go home. In this matchup I believe
Hopslam dominates and the Gonzo goes back home to Maryland.
Beer Madness! (An ode to ale, college basketball, and day drinking)
You are probably an American or living in America. (If you are not, please click this link.) Since you are an American or have had America thrust upon you, then I am sure you are aware of the big month-long amateur sporting contest that begins this week. This contest is a great opportunity to gamble and to slack off at work while doing research* for your impending gambling binge. The great thing about this implicit endorsement of wagering on the physical performance of 19-year-old boys, is that everyone can participate and anyone can win.
Your college is not represented? Fill out your bracket predicting the 1st round demise of your hated rival. You don’t know the difference between a box-in-one and a box of shit? Fill out your bracket based on which mascot would win in a fight. You know more about college basketball than Dick Vitale and Bill Raftery? I guarantee your bracket will not win. Karen from accounting is going to win because she likes Kansas State’s purple uniforms.
In honor of this great gambling orgy, J Street Beer is doing you a favor. We have combined your two favorite things into one great thing. Alcohol and gambling. Together at last! That’s correct, we are hosting our inaugural J Street Beer Madness Super-Brew Tournament For The Ages (JSBMSBTFTA, for short). Over the next few weeks we will whittle our 64 brews down to one supreme beer champion. View the bracket below and then vote on the individual match-ups. The voting will be for a complete 24 hour period and each match-up will coincidentally be voted on during the same day as the corresponding match-up in that other tournament that everybody in your office will predict better than you. When we get to the excellent eight final beers, J Street Beer will have head-to-head taste tests to determine the winner.
On to the match ups…
Brew Review-Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter
I’ve had the Flying Dog Gonzo many times, and I’m actually kinda surprised I haven’t mentioned it on this blog before.
The Gonzo remains one of my go-to beers when I’m in the mood for something rich and boozy.
This description is becoming a bit of a cliché with me, but this beer pours like old motor oil. It’s thick and black. It has a deep brown head that never seems to go away. The aroma you get is all malt with a mild coffee bitterness.
The flavor is exactly what you would expect after looking at this beer. It’s thick and creamy, strong syrupy malts, coffee and some bitter chocolate. It has a mild floral hoppiness toward the end the wraps up the whole experience.
Overall, this thing’s delicious. Definitely a sipper. Enjoy!
-Tonzi
Rating:
Brew Review-Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale
I am a big Flying Dog fan. I’ve rarely been disappointed by their beers, and considering how widely available they are it’s nice to have that kind of consistent option for what I think are genuinely interesting beers. So when I opened the fridge to find that my roommate left for Christmas without a few of his Doggie Style Classic Pale Ales, I got pretty excited.
Pouring it, I was excited by the rich color and fairly strong smell of hops. The first sip betrayed my initial impressions a little bit, coming across fairly plain. There was just enough bitterness to keep it enjoyable, but there was not the same depth to the flavor that I have come to appreciate from Flying Dog. My roommate (not the one I stole it from) said he tasted citrus, though that wasn’t anything that stuck out to me. As I kept drinking the flavor became a bit stronger, though the finish lacked anything to make me keep coming back for more.
Overall, this certainly is not a bad beer. It is probably very accurately named as just a “Classic Pale Ale,” but I had gone in expecting more. I wouldn’t hesitate to drink it again, but hopefully my roommate will buy something a little more exciting for our fridge the next time he decides to leave town.
-samdinning
Rating:
Ode to the Shower Beer
I’m 30 years old. I’m married. I have a steady job. I’m mature (or at least I’m supposed to be). There is one thing that I really enjoy doing, that brings me back to my college days, and that’s the good ol’ shower beer.
What makes you feel more like a college kid than drinking a beer in the shower (well, besides lecture halls, frat parties, co-eds, and college sports… whatever)? It’s like having a miniature party in your bathroom. I like to blare music in the other room, leave the bathroom door open, crack open a beer and jump in the shower singing along to my favorite songs.
You know how in the movies and TV shows, you’ll occasionally see a woman sitting in a bubble bath with scented candles around her, sipping on a glass of champagne? Well, this is the male version of that. It’s just not as sexy.
It’s relaxing for me. Enjoying an ice cold beer in a hot shower. It’s like kicking back in a hot tub, without having to pay for the hot tub and not having to worry about what’s floating around in there.
So, for those of you out there who haven’t tried it, please allow me to provide a little guidance.
- If you’re going to drink a shower beer, I recommend a bottle for 2 major reasons:
- It has a small opening, not letting in much water and soap. A can tends to collect any stray water on the top and eventually pour it into your beer. A Grolsch-style flip top would be ideal, but not every beer comes in a flip top.
- The glass tends to insulate the beer a little better than the aluminum can. Keeping your beer cool is an important component.
- Put your beer in a place that’s not likely to get direct spray. I would recommend a shower caddy, or a small bin to put your beer in. Others would recommend placing your beer just outside the shower curtain, I’m just against allowing any cold air into my shower. The next step would be installing a basket that would fit at least two beers, and a bottle opener (my wife will kill me if I even bring that up).
- Go with something light. Remember, you’re in a shower. Sipping your way through a 750 of an imperial stout may not be the best decision.
So, next time you have an easy morning (or afternoon), grab yourself a cold beer for your shower. You’ll thank me.
Brew Review-Flying Dog Dogtoberfest
It’s officially September. Which means it’s time for Oktoberfest beers! (yes, I know most of them were out in August, but now that it’s September I can acknowledge their existence)
Beer Decision: July 15 – Aftermath
As of 5:30pm on Thursday, July 15th, the Pales had won. By a narrow 1 vote margin.
So, true to my word, Thursday night was Pale Night.
Here’s how it went:
drboozenstein
jtonzi
Jesse
X
pyzocha
samdinning
shintern1909
The J Street Beer Review 