DC/MD/NoVA Beer Updates (2017)

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/aslin-beer-co-releases
I'd also check them out on FB. They put all their release info there.

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/aslin-beer-co-releases.427963/

 

Thanks! Looks like they have quite the following for such a small place

 

Keep in mind that thread has been around for 1.5yrs. While they have a lot of happy customers (myself included for a while), quite a bit of the comments are the opposite of positive.

Have fun checking them out, but if you have time, I'd read through that thread. There's a couple recurring themes/issues and caveat emptor does come to mind.

 

Thanks for the tip. Two left.

Also picked up a Space Reaper single (rather than gamble on a sixer) and the new Kriek from Logsdon $21+).

 

Any LIC Higher Burnin' left in town? any good?

 

Ahh, this is great stuff. Thanks very much.

 

I picked up a couple of cans last night at Harry's Reserve over by the Nats Stadium while I was waiting out the rain delay. I'd never been in there before and they had a really nice beer selection! The beer was pretty good, but I wouldn't say it was amazing and it wasn't cheap ($7.99/can), so I'll leave it up to you to decide whether that's worth your time and money.

 

Interesting. Much of the criticism I'm seeing seems to be stemming from their high allotments and lack of space and supply to meet demand. I don't see any complaints about quality, that seems to be the most intriguing thing I've noticed. Their beer itself seems to be held in extremely high regard. I guess the question is: does the quality of the product deserve the time and effort to attain it?

 

If you've never had it before, I'd say this is a great weekend to go to Aslin. Two of their very best beers. Downside is, you may want to be there by 10am or earlier. Could be a real scene on Saturday.

Regarding their quality. They went through some growing pains this spring when they bought new equipment to brew on a larger scale. They were very hit or miss for several weeks. But I'd say they have been very solid the last 6 weeks or more. People who were passing on them recently because of those issues in the spring, seem to be coming back now.

 

There have definitely been many legitimate complaints about quality and consistency of their beers, but it seems like they've been able to silence the bulk of those complaints over the last few months. They make good beer, if you go this weekend you'll probably be happy with what you get.

 

Any word on Diamondback's can release thing tomorrow? They got a facebook post saying doors open at noon. When does lineshare happen? Can we lineup beforehand?

 

It took Aslin a second to scale up, but it seems they've made it and then some. Had a couple sips off of draft yesterday and they were stellar. Double Orange Starfish, Mind the Hop, and Orange Starfish were all outstanding.

 

Agreed, I had a bad beer and then a bad release experience there when they first scaled up and took a break from Aslin for a little while, but the stuff I've had from them lately has been on point, and the last release I went to was well-organized and efficient.

 

This is still available at Harry's, at least as of early this afternoon. Personally, I'm glad I only got one. Smells way better than it tastes.

 

Speaking of LIC, they are having a 'tap takeover' event tonight at Boundary Stone with 4-5 of their beers.

 

True, most of the people annoyed are those who can't get their hands on it. I've been with them since a few months after they opened. They've definitely hit growing problems and have definitely resolved most of them. Quality-wise, while their beer is quite good, there have been some really BAD instances of quality in their cans. For example one of their releases had the yeast continuing to ferment in the cans, leading to overcarbonation and cans exploding - luckly I didn't grab any cans from that release, but that's quite concerning. I have, however experienced hop sludge in the DDH Neutrino (for which I received a full reimbursement), and another time where there was a piece of plastic (about a dime in size) in Master of Oranges. I believe there have been other releases with the hop sludge and sedimentation issue. All of that being said, I grabbed some DDH Neutrino cans in their recent release and it was top notch.

I was there this past weekend and the line almost wrapped entirely around the building (maybe 300?) and almost everyone got what they were in line for. Doesn't seem to matter what issues they have, beer enthusiasts are still flocking to Aslin. I just hope they announce their new location soon so I can actually go there and drink beer instead of waiting in line and buying take-out.

Cheers

 

Anyone know why RFD closed? Seems like it was pretty abrupt, and the employee's weren't told ahead of time. Seems very odd to me.

 

http://dcist.com/2017/07/beer_tears_rfd_closes_after_15_year.php

 

RFD, like the Brickskeller before it, stood out early in the DC beer scene when there simply weren't many (any?) other craft beer bars around. However, I thought it really lagged behind the rest of the scene in recent years and the food and service were always sub-par. These guys were pioneers of the local scene and it's sad to see them go, but I personally won't really miss them.