Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler beer thread

I'm in the D.C. area this week (Bethesda / Chevy Chase, to be exact) visiting my company's HQ and was wondering if anyone knows of some good brews to be had or brewpubs to be visited in the area.

???

I really only know about downtown DC area. But if you can get into the District, there are several very good ones.

Brickskeller
1523 22nd St., NW
Washington, Washington DC
Phone: (202) 293-1885

Has a unparalleled selection of bottled beers - some really obscure stuff. Strong English beers from various vintages. On Embassy row, a bit of a walk from the Metro, but not bad. A mecca. Food was only so-so for me. Funky little brick basement kind of ambiance.

Capitol City Brewing Co.
1100 New York Ave., NW
Washington, Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 628-2222
There is another location on Mass Ave - I like this one much better. It is in the same building as the Smithsonian Postal Museum in the old Post Office next to Union Station. (This is not the Old Post Office Pavilion, which is a spectacular place in another part of town, but I digress). Modern, medium scale brewpub. Credible beers. Big menu. Cool place. Easy to get to. No reason not to go.

District Chophouse & Brewery/ Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc.
509 7th Street NW
Washington, Washington DC
I see that this place has been purchased by Rock Bottom. Pity. When I was there a couple years ago, it was still independent. Spectacular meats - Ruth's Chris quality (and pricing). And some of the most memorable beers I've ever had, including an imperial stout aged in oak that absolutely reeked of vanilla. Sublime. I'd call first. Near the basketball arena.

John Harvard's Brew House
1299 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, Washington DC 20004
Phone: (202) 783-2739
In the basement of the Warner Theatre. REALLY good place. Good food. Outrageously good beer, including something on cask usually. Very highly recommended. Easy walk from the Metro (sorry, can't remember the line/stop) and from the Mall.

While it's not a brewery, you can get incredible food and a fine selection of wonderful beers at the Old Ebbitt Grill, a DC institution with great art, dark wood, and a private club feel. Busy, but worth it. Not far from the White House.

Enjoy yourself. Let us know how you make out.

Yea, I miss some things about California, least of all the smog, but I did try a new one the other day, it was a berry and wheat flavored beer. A little strong but pretty tasty, I wouldn't drink it everyday, but it was a nice change of pace beer. I wanted to get more Sierra Nevada, but my g/f wanted to try this instead.

Bump! Long live the beer thread.

I'm judging homebrew at the Western Washington Fair later this month. It's my only "professional" beer judging gig. Should be fun, as always. Sometimes, you get really memorable beers at these competitions. Like the year I was judging the Fruit/Herb category and had the, um, honor of evaluating what I can only assess as the definitive Beet Beer. Incredible color, and it really expressed the ingredients. But I really don't care for beets much...

I've got a few quarts of 5 year-old Scottish Ale/syrupy shiite left. I'm sure you would find it memorable. I remember what it tastes like, that's why I use it to marinate wood chips for my BBQ.
Everytime I crack one open, though, I give it another try - just in case it smoothed out. Nope, same old shiite every time.

It might make a good beer can chicken (a.k.a. "violated" chicken).
Highly recommended method of cooking chicken. If you haven't tried it, you're in for a treat.

try substituting sweet vermouth for the beer, a delightful twist.

What do you do...marinade the chicken in beer? Boneless skinless?

Cut the top off a can of beer. Stick can of beer in a whole chicken's port hole. Grill until cooked.
more detail

no, no. take a can of beer, and completely open the top. drink 1/2 of the contents. after cleaning a chicken and removing the neck etc, stuff the can up it's butt. (that's why it's also called Beer Butt Chicken). remove the warming rack (s) from your grill. place the chicken upright on a cooking grid. turn grill on on the opposite side of the grill the chicken is on. you are using indirect heat. close the lid, temp about 350 degrees. cook about 20 min per pound. for the last 5 minutes, turn on low heat under chicken. be sure to watch the bird so it doesn't get toasted. then enjoy.
ps. maybe not allowed here, but we also sell gas grill parts.
pss. cleaning tip: to clean your grill, take a piece of tin foil. place it shiny side down on the cooking grids, and light grill on high. close lid, and wait. when you feel the fire dept is about to pull up, it's done. brush off residue.
dan