DC vacation

I would prioritize in this order:

Bars: Churchkey, Rustico, Smoke and Barrel, Pizza Paradiso, RFD, Big Hunt, Meridian Pint

Breweries: Bluejacket, Right Proper, 3 Stars, DC Brau

Beer Stores: Connecticut Ave. Wine and Liquor, any of the VA Total Wines, Arrowine, Norm's, any of the DC Whole Foods.

 

Also, be sure to check the hours of the breweries, most DC breweries are only open on Saturdays.

 

I will, as has been noted above by russwbeck, recommend Rustico (I've only been to the Alexandria location) and would also suggest Brassiere Beck if you like Belgian food and beers. BB is a bit pricey but I didn't feel cheated when I was there but, full disclosure, it's been a couple years since I've been there so you may want to check out more recent reviews (always a good policy anyway).

 

Just brewery, though some of the local bars may have it on tap.

 

Don't ever, ever, ever go to Regional Food and Drink. That place is a nightmare. I implore my fellow BAs to please stop knee-jerk putting it in lists of DC bars to check out. It is to be avoided at all costs.

I'll second Brasserie Beck. If you want to eat and drink at the same time and aren't in the mood for pizza, go there.

 

I'm curious why you'd rank Bluejacket over Right Proper. In my experience, Right Proper destroys Bluejacket by just about any way you can measure a brewery.

 

I would put Bluejacket on my avoid list. Mediocre beer. They've brewed what like 50 beers by now and the only beer that's rated above a 4 on BA is a Kolsh. You'd be better off hitting up Gordon Biersch or District Chop House in Chinatown over Bluejacket.

I'd also put Meridian Pint next to Churchkey.

 

I third Brasserie Beck. It's one of my favorite places in DC and having lived in Belgium for three years, it reminds me a lot of my European "home"! Excellent food, great beer, heavy on the Belgians, and a great time!

 

Yeah, this list is kind of weird. Meridian Pint for me, is just behind Churchkey. RFD is the last place on that list by a mile. I'd even consider smaller bars like Black Squirrel and Iron Horse before I consider RFD.

On breweries, Right Proper and DC Brau are the top. 3 Stars is good. Bluejacket may be the new hotness, but their beer is 4th place.

Beer store wise, if you are in the city only, then Whole Foods P and Connecticut Ave are your best choices.

 

I agree with you, but maybe food, service, ambiance, clientele?

And I took RFD off my list a while ago.

 

I will give Bluejacket the edge on food, but in terms of quality of food for the price, I think Right Proper wins. I had great service both places, and I actually preferred Right Proper's ambiance. Clientele was basically identical.

 

Right Proper clientele was what I would imagine if Tired Hands and Galaxy Hut had an out of wedlock baby and it came out with black rim glasses, flannel, corduroy, Vans, and a Daft Punk helmet on. It's hipster paradise times a billion. Bluejacket is much different. Not better, just different.

*insert personal rankings of bars/breweries/bottle shops here*

 

What Chris means by "hipsters" is "average 25 year olds that I don't understand." If I ever had any uncertainty about whether you were old, this post certainly cleared that up. Next thing you know you'll be telling those kids to get off your lawn.

 

I was in both Right Proper and Bluejacket last weekend. The clientele in both places looked similar to me, just normal looking people...

 

I saw 3 unicycles parked out front. Right Proper looked like a Portlandia episode.

 

I'd slip City Tap House in there somewhere ahead of RFD.

 

Then I will tell the truth.

Meridian Pint's average customer is grad student and lawyer girls who snagged a GS-15/K street associate attorney as a long term boyfriend/husband, and their parents helped pay for the trendy 3.5k per month apartment, and the men talk at tiresome length about the difference between Arrogant Bastard and Oaked Arrogant Bastard in between sports talk, while the women do 50 cycles of "OMG! Did you hear what the **** in my office did!" in shrill voices.

RFD gets crowded about 6pm, and loud, and it is hard to get served when the kitchen gets slammed, and the customers are middle and upper middle class all across the spectrum who like the variety of beers they have and talk about things beside beer. That being said, sometimes the service is slow, and it is LOUD. Crowded because it is in the middle of a crowded office area getting more crowded. My wife hates it. I like it.

Churchkey is good selection, with a customer base half hipster and half beer lover. It gets very Very crowded about 8ish.

Right Proper is hipster as hell. It is a satire of being hipster, it is so hipster.

Bluejacket is normal DC customer base, folks in the area for events, folks who work in the ever multiplying offices, folks who feel lucky to have grabbed a new apartment in the city in an area that is only 10% ghetto for only $2,200. The food is good, the beer isn't. I have no idea how they are jacking up the beer. I want to love it, but they won't do anything right. I homebrew, and my beer comes out much better. Not joking, they need to fire the brewstaff and hire the assistants from 3-Stars or Rhino or Port City, pay them double, just do something.

I like the selection and love the pizzas at Pizza Paradiso. Dupont Circle at 8pm is where sorority girls and frat boys go when they turn 26 but still want to pretend to be in college, by 11 it is over half upper middle class gay. There is a lot of money in double income, no kids, and they show it in between shots.

I like Bier Baron, it is dim and low ceiling and good selection and polite staff. I may be the only one here, though, so YMMV. It reminds me of my favorite times in beer cellars in Germany. If sometimes it is slow service, heck, Germany.

 

While I disagree with some of your assertions, that was a quality rant!