Recently my wife planned a trip up to the DC area for the weekend to shoot some amazing photographs. Really, it was a pretty rad trip (beckwagnonphotography.com check it out then check out her photo blog and come back, I'll wait...okay you back, cool then here we go again).
My wife is amazing, she really is, the reasons are far too numerous for this or any post to contain but here is one epic example. Whenever we travel I start off trying to find places to stop and eat along the way that aren't beer related. She digs it and enjoys it but isn't quite as all consumed as I am. I never want to make her feel like the only reason we travel is so that I can visit beer hot spots, I think that would be a bummer for her. But it always ends up a couple days before she starts to ask where we are going and what the plans are. I always give her a few options and she asks, "Why aren't we going to any breweries?" I justify it, there is usually one or two on the list anyway but at this point she is not about to let me mess it up again, this time my instructions are simple, scope out the breweries I want to go to. I, of course, have already done this, I know every brewery or beer bar within 20 miles of our expected route and within 50 of our final destination, I know what their best brews are and what seasonal beers they are carrying.
Long story short, wait, too late. Anyway our recent DC trip followed the same pattern and I couldn't have been happier. First stop was Bull City Burger and Brewery (http://bullcityburgerandbrewery.com/BCB&B/Home.html) and it was absolutely stellar. The food was actually a big highlight, they go for a big time local push and it pays off. As for the beer, absolutely top notch, absolutely. I had the imperial stout (served in correct glassware) and the doppelbock lager. Both were delicious and right on point, not only what you expect out each style but they also maximize the flavor. The staff is knowledgeable and was easy to talk to even as they got busier with the lunch rush. My better half went for the golden ale and her personal favorite the "Litteln Horny." That brew was part of a three part barley wine beer series they had done and this was the first and smallest of the bunch but it packed just the right amount of flavor and made her happy, which is always the goal anyway.
Dinner plans actually changed when she found a Dogfish head brewpub in Arlington. After braving a little bit of DC traffic we were seated quickly and had just ordered which eagle eyes spotted a mythical creation. The long sought and never found Bitches Brew. This was the brew featured on the (sadly) short lived series Brewmasters on Discovery channel last year featuring Dogfish Head Brewery. Since then we have searched far and wide in our local area and even on a trip to Asheville for a bottle to no avail. She spotted it up on their chalkboard and asked if they still had it, they found us one of the remaining bottles and we shared it over dinner. Food was good, nothing out of this world but it didn't matter that beer was wonderful, it was deep and complex yet smooth. My mouth is watering just thinking about it again.
Day two was a day actually in DC, and it included a lot of walking from the capital down the national mall and then up to Georgetown. Since we were on foot most beer places in DC were a touch out of reach but that proved to be a hidden benefit. We ended up in this little bar called Thunder Burger in Georgetown and it was quite the little find with an excellent tap/bottle list. I have to confess that now a couple of weeks later I can't remember what I had for my first or second round, but I remember that I enjoyed both the food and the beer. Enough so that given the chance to go back that little spot would be a required detour.
Day two ended with somewhat mixed feelings at Capital city brewing. When you google DC breweries it is the first result, yet when I asked around no one mentioned it, why was that, it sort of puzzled me. Then we went there, and it was on par with a Rock Bottom or Gordon Biersch (my bias against them has been mentioned before) but that was just the same. The beer was okay, nothing I even really remember and I only had one. The food was very standard fare, nothing special and nothing I even remember either.
That is it, two days traveling, 3 great beer finds and 1 meh result. Damn I love to travel with this woman.
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