I DRINK ON THE JOB - THE BLOG

Posts Tagged ‘Beer Festival’

DCBeerathon – An Epic Beer Crawl Comes to DC

November 15th, 2012 • No Comments

26 Beers..26 FULL-SIZED Beers..26 Beers and 26 Bars..

Beer 1: Guinness Black at James Hobans

Beer 1: Guinness Black at James Hobans

Beer 2: Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout at Science Club

The Crawl Begins..I attended the Inaugural DCBeerathon which was held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, November 10th, 2012. I really had no idea what to expect – first time event in DC, but a record in NYC..we would see.. Let me give you the bottom line: it’s a beer tasting/crawl that takes almost super-human stamina and for some reason, I even believed I could visit all 26 bars and finish all the beers! Note to self: next time, skip the bars with Mega-commercial beers and go home after 14 or so stops – my body/brain was so overwhelmed just past the midway point, that frankly I’m not sure what I said or did!

I started the event a little before 1 pm at James Hobans Irish Pub just off Dupont Circle, and found a group of local beer crawlers who were willing to put up with me for a few stops. Since there were 4 different egistration bars, there was only a small crowd of people waiting to go on the tour – a group of guys wearing Uncle Sam costumes were at the front of the line, but they were really the exception to this event – most people were just regular un-costumed beer lovers, or people looking for a good excuse to try out all of these bars. I didn’t see anyone in running costume..during any point in the event..OK, it’s NOT a running event (at least in DC).

<Note: Rather than list all 26 bars and beers, I’m including the Event Course at the Bottom of this Post – click on the photo and it will be easier to read.>

Beer 3: Leinenkugel Seasonal at Mackey’s

Beer 4: Goose Island Honker’s Ale at Madhatter

Starting from Hoban’s (Beer 1: Guinness Black Lager), we left to go south on Connecticut Ave. and began cruising at a good pace with my fellow imbibers: Max, the Golfing Floridian, his wife Ammi (she wasn’t drinking — only with us for moral support!), Brent the Commercial Real Estate Wheeler Dealer, and a gentleman I’ll just call Mr. Navajo..I found out late in the experience that he was 100% Native American Indian..I may have said something about this, maybe something I shouldn’t have said, but frankly I don’t remember, and he was a fun guy to hang out with! The Floridians were relatively new to DC, so I was sort of the local guide – we had a course map that was frankly very well detailed, and having lived in DC for over 20 years..well, we didn’t get lost..at all..Our basic route was south from Dupont to Science Club, Mackey’s and then north up Connecticut Ave. and all the way up to Adams Morgan (The Reef was our high point..literally, we were on the roof after the walk up 18th St.)and then we hopped on a taxi and decided to go from the south part of 14th St., starting at Stoney’s and move our way north to 14th and U which had multiple stops on the same block..this is also where our cohesiveness as a group began to fade..I guess I wore out my welcome, but who knows!

Here are just the “Lessons I Learned” and Highlights:

Our pace quickened as time went on – At our 2nd stop at Science Club, we sat down, chatted a bit and I learned about my fellow drinkers. The Floridians were just getting into the food scene here in DC and were curious about local customs. I told them about how craft beer was booming in the DC Market and how only just over a year ago our first brewery DC Brau opened up, and how many more had followed afterward. Once we all got to know each other (Wheeler Dealer and I both talked real estate for awhile – I once was a commercial real estate broker in DC in a former life until I Drink on the Job ), we stopped sitting down at each bar – rather, we would walk in, show our badge (which got clicked), get our beer, down it, and move on..efficiency is the game!

Beer 6: Dogfish Head Seasonal at BGR (substitute beer)

Beer 7: Peroni at Cantina at Darlington House

Beers with more flavor became easier to drink as we went along as our taste buds became bored with flat commercial-style beers. So I’ll probably never get Annheuser Busch to sponsor my TasteDC business..oh well, I think it’s better to be honest..American style lagers begin to taste flat and almost like “lite” beer along the way as your palate becomes a bit fatigued. I also noticed that “hoppier beers” like Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA revive your palate and wake up your senses – almost like a cold splash of water in the face. Other beers of note – I had my first 3 Stars Beer – the Pandemic Porter at Stoney’s, very flavorful and not too creamy, more refreshing – DC Brau Public Pale Ale – I had this when playing Bocce at Black Jack (first-time – I beat Mr. Navajo, and he was Pissed!) – the hops really revived me and gave me needed energy!

You Have to Eat Along the Way. I had mixed feelings about eating and drinking beer – this tends to put me right to sleep, so I ate lunch before I left. Still, in the spirit of sharing, everyone bought food and shared like the Sliders that Mr. Navajo provided to us at BGR’s – grease is good, and BTW – their onion rings are HUGE and real vidalia onions..some of the best I’ve ever had! We also all grabbed a big slice of Pizza once we were on 14th & U – that was good and needed sustenance..

PBR (sub for Kona Longboard) at 1905 Roofdeck

After the first few beers, I began drinking a few swigs out of the glass, often leaving half the beer. Hey, it was impossible to stay sober, but why waste yourself with bad/boring beer? I began to notice that beer was tasting like water near the end – which was around 10 pm when everyone split-up – and the final beer I had, a PBR (1905 ran out of Kona..I think?)..couple sips..need I say more?

At some point, a certain mental lunacy sets in where you stop really being aware, and go on instincts.
Even good people go looney after 15-20 beers, multiple bars, and 10 hours on your feet. I think it was at Alero on U St. where the volume went way up on the music and Wheeler Dealer starting hitting on a woman, and her girlfriend laid into him – this is why Saturday nights are a really bad time to go drinking in bars – it seems that everyone holds back the whole week to let go..I think this is when the group lost cohesiveness and I said some things I shouldn’t have said ( who me??) and the group split up.

The point of DCBeerathon is to have fun – it’s not a game to win. Considering that I spent over 9 hours walking, talking, drinking, and eating with 4 people I barely knew, it’s amazing that we all got along..and had a pretty good time at it! My conclusion is this is a fun event for people who enjoy beer, a little partying, but also a unique way to see DC our city. Everyone wants to experience a city in their own way, and I would definitely do Beerathons in their other cities which now include Houston, NYC and Savannah, Georgia..maybe this could be done with wine and whiskey too, who knows – Cheers!

Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler

P.S. Almost forgot..I actually completed “getting” 24 beers out of the 26 stops AND I actually stopped at the 25th stop which was JoJo’s, but I never got a beer – the place was so crowded from the band, so I just hung out and sobered up a bit..oh, I missed The Codmother, which would have been 26..

 

Get Thee To a Valentine..

January 31st, 2012 • No Comments

(Note: Updated on February 9th (Thursday) 2012 – will be updated as events unfold or get Sold Out..)

I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, but like Halloween, it’s a celebration/festivity that has taken on a life of it’s own. And 2012 is no exception, there are just a plethora of Valentine’s tastings for both the chocolate and non-chocolate lover – I’m not even sure if the latter exists! Some quick thoughts on Valentine’s and tastings: if you’re a restaurant or event provider who wishes to really draw people in this time of year, any theme with chocolate, sparkling wine (especially Champagne) or some over-the-top rich dish like braised meats seems to bring people in in droves – oh, and also any food/concept connected with Amore, for example oysters and fondue (both chocolate and cheese work). It’s also OK to add terms like “seduction”, “decadent”, “aphrodisiac” and even “libido” to your menu descriptions which breaks away from the everyday norm of exclusion of these concepts – Valentine’s gives you as the marketer the right to explore the racier side of life..and people will accept and forgive you for about a week! Of course, certain cultures are also associated with lasciviousness so French and Italian restaurants and themes have a distinct advantage. If you have a strong combination of all of these themes and concepts, you can also expect a marriage proposal or two to occur – and hopefully, not with your staff!

Oh, and to make all this information just a touch more confusing..Valentine’s Day is officially Tuesday, February 14th, but many events list their date on Saturday or Sunday as “official” Valentine’s Day events – it’s a celebration of love and romance, does it really matter what the official date is? I think not..

I will list the major tastings by date (Note: if you’re just looking for a listing of restaurants that have multi-course dinners especially for Valentine’s, here’s a pretty good list by Washingtonian):

Thursday, February 9th,

Sommelier Showdown (as part of the DC International Food and Wine Festival), 7:00pm-9:00pm
Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20004

Tickets are $150/per person and can be Purchased Online

See top DC Sommeliers flex their knowledge at the Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival’s inaugural Sommelier Showdown. Our experts will engage in a friendly tête-à-tête and compete in a race of the taste, using deductive tasting to identify wines with hidden labels.

To complement the wines presented, the Showdown will feature five of DCs most noted chefs who will be tasked with bringing food and wine together, including Chefs Todd Gray (Equinox), Xavier Deshayes (Ronald Reagan Building), and Jaime Montes de Oca (Zentan).

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SOLD OUT-Savory Syrah – A Global Tour
7 pm
Chain Bridge Cellars, 1351 Chain Bridge Rd. McLean, VA 22101

Wine experts all agree that Syrah is one of the “noble” varietals, capable of making some of the most complex, layered and age-worthy wines in the world. But the kinship between a $10 Aussie Shiraz and a $70 Hermitage is pretty hard to fathom! So take a worldwide tour of everything Syrah/Shiraz can be and see if you can find some common themes. We’ll taste bargains from Australia and the South of France;  classic American, South African and Rhone wines; and a couple of “big guns” from the Barosa and Cote Rotie.

This class includes seven wines, Syrah-friendly snacks, and take-home descriptions of each wine and region covered.

To reserve a space, email [email protected] or call 703.356.6500

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TasteDC Chocolate Making 101 at Wanders Chocolaterie

How to Blind Taste Wine
February 9th (Thursday) Session 1: 6 – 7:30 pm; and Session 2: 8 – 9:30 pm
Adour in The St. Regis, 923 16th and K Streets, N.W., Washington, DC 20006

Wine Director Brent Kroll will conduct a sensory analysis on how to quantify wine flavors and origin.

Tickets are $60/per person.
Call (202) 509-8000 to Make Reservations

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