Myself and 3 other beer lovers are heading to DC July 3-5 from Toronto and are looking for something to do on the 4th... any ideas, suggestions, invitations? hahaha.
Meridian Point is good, but Churchkey is one of the best in the Mid Atlantic by far. Great food also. Hit up Monk's Cafe in Philly on your way down. Great for the Belgian lovers
Washington DC on the 4th of July is like being in Times Square in NYC on New Year's Eve. It's a maddening clusterf- of people, traffic, heat, humidity, bugs, police, and also fireworks. Everyone should do it once, to get the experience, and then never again.
So many good bars in this area. If you guys are staying in VA I'd recommended World of Beer at some point. I helped them kick a keg of Boulevard's Saison-Brett the other day. Man that stuff is good on tap! They update their online tap list daily so be sure to check it out. But for the 4th - def Churchkey. They had Bruery's Filmishmish on tap when I was there, which was a nice surprise.
It all depends on how you do it. I've gone several times on the mall, packed a picnic with friends etc... walked to Metro Centre no problem. It was also better in the pre=911 days without all the crazy security, but it's gotten better on that front. Other times I've been in friends downtown offices and watched them from the windows or rooftops. Other times I was living in NOVA and cycled to Langley park by the airport and watched them from the other side of the river... it kicks ass. blaah blaah blah Churchkey.. etc... One of the best beer bars on the East coast. THere are lots of fantastic places to go to eat and get good beer in DC, but since most first time visitors arrive Churchkey is a kneejerk response and a must first stop if you are new to the area. It's pretty much the equivilanet of first time visitors who come to DC. THere are so many things to see and do, but what's the first thing everyone does? they head to the mall and see the monuments... So Churchkey/Birch Barley is the DC beer equivalent of the Lincoln Memorial. Enjoy. One quick note, they are really bad about updating their online beer menu, it's often out of date.
The Rustico restaurants in Arlington and Alexandria are owned by the same group that runs ChurchKey. Both have excellent beer lists (tap and bottle), better food and better vibe. Also all three of the Pizza Paradisio's have excellent beer lists (Alexandria, Georgetown and Dupont Circle). None of these places are an easy walk from the Mall and the monuments. Metro will get you a little closer. ChurchKey is about 14+ blocks from the Washington Monument. There are a number of lesser establishments closer to the Mall that you can search for on BA (Pi Pizza for example). I think it will depend on your choice of transportation and willingness to deal with the traffic hassles that will be downtown DC on July 4.
It's my bday that day , so I'm thinking of putting together a little happy hour of sorts that weekend. Will keep you posted if it's lookin like a good time! Ps. If anyone's around - let me know!
So it seems WoB's "upcoming" taps mentions Bruery Bois. Might be worth seeking out when you are in this area. If it's available in this area I'm sure Rustico and ChurchKey will have it too.
A word of advise on your way down, I'm assuming you're driving, stop off at State Line Liquors. Its literally 2 minutes off the interstate.
Just a heads up: Churchkey will be closed on the 4th. You might want to call other places before taking the metro ride/walk out on the 4th to confirm they are open.
If you decide to hit a Nats game (which I suggest doing) on the 3rd you can stop by Justins Cafe on the way in and grab "The Bull" as well as some nice suds. Small selection but generally delicious. I was told the Red Porch has some nice offerings in the stadium but I am with my son when I go so "daddy's medicine" is off limits....
Smoke and Barrel will be open on the 4th and yours truly will be bartending downstairs if anyone wants to do a small impromptu bottle share. Not expecting it to be too busy.
