Can't Miss Events During DC Beer Week?

A good many of these events require $$ to attend; however, there is a Beer Festival in the so-called Noma area (North of Massachusetts Avenue). If $$ is not an object, there is the Ebbitts Grill BrewHaHa ($50) on August 17th. There is also something going at the soon-to-open Bluejacket. But why let me tell you; here is the DC Beer site:
www.dcbeer.com

 

I'm looking forward to the 7 or so brewery tour I signed up for on 8/11. Starting and stopping at BlueJacket. 7 hours and 7 breweries and a bus to take us around. awesome.

 

Here's a not so brief list of what we're doing at Smoke and Barrel

Monday - Hardywood Park - 5pm

DC Beer weeks kicks off with a bang with a tap takeover from Richmond's Hardywood Park. Founded in 2011 by Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh, the brewery has gained a quick reputation for producing outstanding beers across a wide variety of styles with European, American, and Virginian influences. They brewery is sending at least 8 drafts showcasing their wide range of beer talent.
Highlights for this event include three drafts from their highly sought-after barrel series including:
Bourbon Cru - an Abbey-Quadrupel aged in A. Smith Bowman Barrels
Bourbon DIPA - a Belgian-Style Imperial IPA aged in A. Smith Bowman Barrels
Russian Imperial Stout aged in Maker's Mark Barrels

Full list:
Belgian Singel
Belgian Tripel
Bourbon Cru
Saison Rustica
Bourbon DIPA
Russian Imperial Stout aged in Maker's Mark Barrels
Virginia Blackberry
Hoplar

Tuesday - The Release of Mad Fox/Smoke and Barrel "The Ambassador" Session IPA - 5pm
Smoke & Barrel will release its first official collaboration beer, The Ambassador IPA, a session IPA brewed with Mad Fox Brewing Company. The beer will highlight a Mad Fox tap-takeover at Smoke & Barrel on Tuesday August 13, which will feature 11 other selections from the award-winning brewery, including Mad Fox Batch 100, Oaked Leonidas American strong ale, Dingo IPA, Post Meridian Schwarzbier, and the highly-sought Orange Whip IPA.

Full draft list:
Defender American Pale Ale Cask with Citra in the Cask
The Ambassador IPA
Orange Whip IPA
Dingo IPA
Batch 100
Oaked Leonidas
Praha Pils
Kellerbier Kolsch
English Summer Ale
Defender American Pale Ale
Post Meridian Schwarzbier
Broad St. IPA
St. Swithens ESB

Wednesday - Schlafly Beer and St. Louis Barbecue - 5pm

12 Schlafly drafts and St. Louis barbecue specialties including St. Louis Spare Ribs with Schlafly Barbecue Sauce and Smoked Pork Steaks brined in Schlafly Quad and smoked with Schlafly Barbecue Sauce and Schlafly Kolsch
Drafts Include:
Export IPA
Vienna Lager
Belgian Golden
Quad
Munich
Maibock
Milk Chocolate Stout
Session IPA
Plus a firkin of American IPA
More to come!

Thursday - Only Beer Can Break Your Heart with Allagash and Boulevard - A Tribute to Neil Young and Poutine
24 Boulevard/Allagash drafts including the release of Boulevard Reverb Imperial Pilsner plus Saison-Brett, Rye-on-Rye, Coffee Ale, and out-of-market drafts Zon Witbier, Pale Ale, and Single-Wide IPA.
Allagash drafts will include Bourbon Black, Confluence, Victor, Victoria, Grand Cru, Odyssey, Fluxus 2013, Yakuza, and the brewery-only Golden Brett.
Chef Logan McGear will also be showcasing several poutine recipes including beer pairings. This event was the brainchild of Allagash's Suzy Woods and Boulevard's Matthew Heffernan who share a love of the music of Neil Young and french fries topped with gravy and other assorted toppings.

Full Draft List:

Boulevard Reverb
Boulevard Rye-on-Rye
Boulevard Saison Brett
Boulevard Coffee Ale
Boulevard Zon
Boulevard Pale Ale
Boulevard Single-Wide IPA
Boulevard Double Wide IPA
Boulevard 80 Acre
Boulevard Tank 7
Allagash White
Allagash Black
Allagash Curieux
Allagash Tripel
Allagash Blonde
Allagash Fluxus 2013
Allagash Confluence
Allagash Victor
Allagash Victoria
Allagash Yakuza
Allagash Golden Brett
Allagash Odyssey
Allagash Grand Cru
Allagash Bourbon Black

Friday - The exclusive release of Flying Dog "The Truth" Imperial IPA and Tap Takeover - 5pm
Join us on Friday beginning at 5 pm for the exclusive release of Flying Dog's newest year-round beer, "The Truth" Imperial IPA and what is sure to be one hell of a party. The Truth will be available on draft and cask for the event. Both versions will be tapped promptly at 6pm.
Loaded with Warrior, CTZ, Summit, Citra, and Amarillo Hops, and clocking in at 8.7% and 120 IBUs, this beer is a hop head's dream with big flavors of pine, citrus, and stonefruit.

Other drafts for the evening include:
Brewhouse Rarities: Pineapple Saison
Brewhouse Rarities: Belgian Devil
Brewhouse Rarities: Easy IPA
In-Heat Wheat
Doggiestyle Pale Ale
Underdog Atlantic Lager
Raging Bitch
Snake Dog IPA
Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout
Double Dog
Gonzo Imperial Porter
Woody Creek White
The Return of Sour Saturday plus Meet and Greet with New Belgium's Eric Salazar
A huge hit last year, Sour Saturday will return to Smoke and Barrel for another day of Tums-inducing fun. Starting at 11 am, the event will cover the spectrum of sour, tart, and funky from Berliner Weiss to Flanders Red to Gose to Gueuze.

Eric Salazar, New Belgium's Wood Cellarmeister and brewer since 1995, will be in the building to chat with fans about his sour creations. He is the creative and slightly diabolical mind behind some of New Belgium’s favorites including Eric’s Ale and Clutch Ale. For this event he's bringing a very special keg along: one of the last known kegs of Eric's Ale (named after Eric himself!), a blended peach sour that was released in 2010.
Full draft list:
New Belgium Eric's Ale 2010 - One of the last kegs in existence
Evil Twin Justin Blabaer - A newly-released Berliner Weiss loaded with Blueberries
Allagash FV 13 - The brewery's first foudre-aged Wild Ale
Goose Island Sofie Paradisi - Wild Ale brewed with Grapefruit and aged in Wine Barrels
Tilquin Gueuze
BFM Square Root of 225 Sour Historical Saison
Lost Rhino The Birth of Ace - 100% Brettanomyces-Fermented IPA
Boulevard Saison Brett
New Belgium La Folie 2013
Union Old Pro Gose
Franklin's Ludicrous
Franklin's Puragtoire
Bahnhoff Berliner with Oats
Bahnhoff Berliner with Potatoes
St. Louis Gueuze
Rodenbach Grand Cru
The Bruery Hottenroth
The Bruery Sour in the Rye
New Belgium Yuzu Imperial Berliner Weiss
Dogfish Head Festina Peche
3 Stars BW Rye #4
Silly Sour
Allagash Confluence
Timmerman's Lambicus
Evil Twin Femme Fatale Brett

 

The Ambassador IPA wil also be available at Mad Fox - unless their website is a liar.

 

Yes. That is correct.

 

Having one now, not too bad of a session IPA.

 

I'm planning on going to the Bell's Tap Takeover at Churchkey. good lineup.

anyone with insight as to what I can expect prices to be like?

 

The only ticketed event for me is the Ebbitt Grill Brew HaHa. All you can drink and eat from 8pm-11pm. Mad Fox will bring their Orange Whip IPA and the Czech Pils - Czech it out.

 

CK right now is standing room only...

 

I drank cask at Meridian and Kangaroo Boxing yesterday. I way over did it. The awful all day hangover. The Dragon's Milk cask was darn good, though.

 

I tried getting this off the menu at CK once. I asked for the new holland cask. Once I tasted it I knew something was off, the menu was old, it was their poet.

 

Anyone have any idea where the beer list for the Blind and Bitter event at Scion and Crios is? I'm curious which one won (name and #) and just which beers were which.

 

evo won. that's all i remember reading

 

http://www.dcbeer.com/news/revealing-beers-scions-blind-and-bitter-hop-face

Still doesn't say which exact # won but Evo won overall. #10 (Lot 6) and #12 (Sculpin) were out when I tasted so that's a bummer I didn't get to pit two of my favorites in the blind taste off. The one that really surprises me is Corruption as #9. That thing was super dank for the taste off... which it NEVER tastes like out of the cans I've bought. Seems like I need to buy some fresher stuff from the brewery from now on.

 

The votes were actually combined from both beers from each brewery for a total score that determined the winner. I didn't see the numbers at Crios but Lot 6 won quite handily at Scion.

 

That doesn't surprise me. Such a great beer and super underrated. I'm curious how OTWOA would have fared next to it. Maybe another time or an experiment for me. Speaking of which, any idea when the next batch if Lot 6 will be around? Haven't seen it in quite a while.

 

The NoMa beer fest on Saturday was a disaster run by a bunch of clowns. How does a beer fest scheduled from 2 to 8 run out of beer at 4:30?

 

Any other highlights or major mistakes of note? I hit the Meridian Cider event on Monday. It was good, but some of those locally made ciders were a little pricey ($10 for 12oz). I am by no way accusing Meridian of price gouging, just a little tough to swallow.

Bells event on Thursday went fairly smooth, I thought. Me and a buddy got there early and got two seats at the bar. Got pours of everything we wanted and more. I know some entitled d-bags got there at 6:45, stood behind us for 15min and complained about the poor service (the crowd was packed 4 deep). I didn't have a problem, they are always good to me.

After the Bells event we went and checked out the "Starr Hill Tap Takeover" at Irish Times since I live near there. I guess Northern Lights, The Love and the Pils constitute a "tap takeover". Needless to say, I won't be fooled by that next year.

 

The sour event on Saturday morning at Smoke and Barrel was great. Wasn't too crowded, NB Erics Ale was amazing, as was Justin Blaeber and Tilquin Gueuze (as always). And my bartender was amazing ;-)