Snowmageddon can't stop ChurchKey

Snowmageddon, Snowtorious B.I.G., SnowFuckYourself, Snowpocalypse – call it what you like – D.C. had one hell of a snowstorm this past weekend.

What do you do when record amounts of snow fall on a city that is ill-prepared for any type of winter storm (probably only 3 plow trucks total in the District)? Drink craft beer, bar hop, and get into a snowball fight with 3,000 Washingtonians of course.

Thursday night, before a single snowflake had even touched the ground, D.C.’s inhabitants were acting as if the Apocalypse was upon us. Lines in Whole Foods and Harris Teeter grocery stores were reportedly three hours long. People were buying enough food, water, and alcohol to last a nuclear disaster. It’s only snow people – let’s not overreact.

As the snow began to fall Friday, word of a massive organized snowball fight began to spread on Twitter and Facebook. Loving any chance to throw snowballs at complete strangers, I immediately accepted this invitation!

Saturday morning, we (myself and thousands of other DC residents) trekked down snow-filled streets towards Dupont Circle, the site of the snowball fight. En route, there were cars completely buried in snow, street lamps knocked over, and cars crushed by massive fallen trees. Not to mention plenty of tumbling pedestrians along the way.

Arriving at Dupont was an awakening; a crazed but fun-loving battle field. For the most part, people were not taking the snowball fight too seriously, although there was the occasional ice chunk being thrown here and there. At one point, a group of people stormed the center of Dupont with an American flag as if they were storming the shores or Normandy or raising the flag at Iwo Jima. The whole experience brought back fond memories of Spain’s La Tomatina (largest tomato fight in the world) from a few summers ago.

No snowy day in D.C. is complete without beer, so I decided to head to Pizza Paradiso, ChurchKey, and Bourbon for some craft beer goodness. First stop – Pizza Paradiso in Dupont Circle. This spot has a diversified offering of craft beers with 16 draft beer selections, 80 bottled beers and one casked ale. I sipped on Troegs Mad Elf and then tried some hot mulled wine; a specialty only offered in D.C. during wintery-weather.  The sweet aroma of wood fired pizza made the experience seem almost like a  ski lodge in the District.

Later, we made the snowy hike to ChurchKey on 14th street. ChurchKey, one of my new local favorites, has a collection of 555 different beers which cover the full spectrum of styles, regions and flavor possibilities. After a Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron and an Italian Saison by Piccolo Birrificio, I headed back to Adams Morgan to meet some friends at Bourbon for a couple of Stone IPAs.

The snow brings out the kid in everyone. Never before have I seen people snow shoeing up New Hampshire Avenue. People hugging, laughing, and frolicking through the streets of AdMo. Sledders using anything from trash bags to sheets of linoleum to slide down snow covered-steps. Trudging through the snow covered city and drinking craft beers made for one enjoyable and snowy weekend. Although, it looks as if Mother Nature and Jack Frost aren’t finished unleashing their hell upon the Nation’s capital – the snow is still falling and the wind is really howling!

The Big Hunt

Last week, I attended a tweet-up session hosted by the Flying Dog Brewery. Flying Dog Brewery is Maryland’s largest brewery and the reigning Great American Beer Festival mid-sized Brewery of the Year.

The event was the official DC release of Flying Dog’s very limited Biere De Garde, appropriately named the Garde Dog. They were also serving the Raging Bitch, a Belgian-style IPA brewed to commemorate their 20th Anniversary.

Both beers were very enjoyable, but if I had to choose a favorite, I would have to go with the Raging Bitch. The name alone gives it an edge.

The Garde Dog is Flying Dog’s take on the classic French Biere de Garde style. This style of ale is traditionally brewed in the winter and spring to avoid problems with yeast that can sometimes occur in the warm summer months.

The Garde Dog is a beautiful golden color and pours with a shallow white head. It has a sweet and toasted aroma with hints of caramel and citrus fruits.

There is a nice overall balance to the flavorings of this beer. The citrus fruit flavors are complimented with caramel and a spicy malt sweetness.

Garde Dog’s light mouthfeel and average alcohol content (5.5%) make it a very drinkable beer that would be perfect on a warm summer day.

The following video is of Matt Brophy, Flying Dog’s Executive Brewer, describing the Garde Dog.

The Raging Bitch, on the other hand, is a completely different animal; it’s one feisty son-of-a-bitch! It weighs in at a formidable 8.3% ABV.

This brew has a beautiful citrus aroma with hints of clove, floral hops, and spices. The taste is just as good as the smell, if not better. The herbal hop bitterness and citrus flavors blend beautifully with hints of creamy sweet malt and a slight bite from the 8.3% ABV. Be careful, this bitch bites.

This was the first Tweet-up I have attended and definitely not the last. It’s easy to have a great time when you are surrounded by craft beer lovers, drinking delicious beer, and talking about Hunter S. Thompson and the Gonzo lifestyle.


Raging Bitch

Brewery website: http://www.flyingdogales.com/

Big Hunt website: http://www.thebighuntdc.com/

"Who loves amazing craft beer and partying in Philly?" she asks. THIS GUY

Why go to Philadelphia for New Year’s? Well, Philly is one hell of a beer and food centric city. I haven’t been there since I was legally permitted to drink, and I had 6 beautiful and party-lovin’ ladies offering to be my tour guide. SOLD!

I arrived in the early evening on Wednesday the 30th and immediately cracked open a Pilsner Urquell. After a couple of drinks, the tour guides and I headed to Monk’s Cafe. I had heard countless good things about Monk’s and I wanted to see for myself if this Belgian beer emporium lived up to all the hype.

The beer selection was better than I had imagined. The “kid in a candy store” reference comes to mind. To kick things off, I started with a Pliny the Elder on tap. This was the first time I have had the Elder and I was simply blown away. You really can’t ask for much more out of an IPA/Double IPA. Following the Pliny, I had a delectable Rochefort 8, some amazing Brussels Mussels, and a 17.5% ABV Mikkeller Black to wash it all down.

After the delicious food and drinks, we hopped a cab to the Eulogy Belgian Tavern for a couple of roasty Ten FIDYs from Oskar Blues. Delicious canned beer makes for a great nightcap.

New Year’s Eve began with a trip to Reading Terminal Market to hunt-down our lunch from the plethora of vendors, and later stopping at the Foodery (which sells no food, only beer) to grab beer for the pre-game celebration. The beer selection at the Foodery was on point; I created a mixed six-pack of De Dolle Brouwers Stout, Saint-Martin Cuvée De Noel, New Holland Dragon’s Milk, Stoudt’s Winter Ale, Hitachino White Ale, and a Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster. There were still some Pilsner’s back at the place, so no need to overdo it.

To ring in the New Year, our party of seven headed to Drinker’s Tavern (home of the original PBR ripcord, and “$40 buys the bar a shot” motto) to consume copious amounts of adult beverages. The selection of beer was nothing to rave about but the Dead Guy Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale they were serving hit the spot. They certainly helped chase down all the random shots that people were passing my way. Drinker’s was a great time and a pretty good bang for the buck.

You (or at least I) would think that New Year’s Day would be somewhat tame after a crazy night of debauchery. This is not the case in Philadelphia, where New Year’s Day is when the real party begins. The people of Philly freak out over the Mummers Parade. “What the hell is a Mummer?” you may ask. Well, your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that people dress in elaborate-colorful-crazy costumes, have a parade, and party like it’s going out of style. If you’re in town for the holiday, this is a must-see event, just make sure to dress for the tundra.

My next day started with brunch and then a tour of the pubs by some old friends. My favorites included Johnny Brenda’s with lively Sly Fox Chester County Bitter and Victory HopDevil. Both were straight from the cask and very well-received. Also, Devil’s Den with Barbãr Winterbok and Boulder Mojo Risin’. After running, well actually cabbing, all over the city, I decided to meet back up with my tour guides and a fellow craft beer lover who was celebrating his birthday. Happy birthday Mark!

I joined the party – mummers, my tour guides, and several other thirsty patrons – at the Dark Horse. A very large establishment – easy to get lost in and many stairs to fall down. After shots, some sloppy-dancing, spilled drinks and drunken follies, it was time to call it a night. This was a great way to finish the three day craft beer bender that we were on.

Ringing-in the New Year Philly-style was an amazing decision. Drinking phenomenal beer, eating delicious food, and having exceptional company is the perfect way to spend any holiday.

Special thanks to my posse of beautiful party companions – Britt, Blaire, Erin, Alex, Maria, and Rebecca – for being the ultimate tour guides and tearing up Philadelphia with me. It was a New Year’s I will never forget…except for the parts I can’t remember.


FedEx Field - Washington, DC

I am a huge football fan (or should I say Steelers fan?), and this week I had the opportunity to check out the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles Monday night game in DC. I have been living in DC for a couple of years and have been to FedEx Field several times.

FedEx field is a monster stadium that seats 90,000+ fans, second only to the new Cowboy’s stadium that opened this year. The lot scene is always a good time. Considering how poor the team is this year, I was actually looking forward to the pregame party in the parking lot more than the game itself.

I went with my longtime buddy, and fellow beer lover, Ian. We decided to go with Newcastle and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA to quench our pregame thirst.

Well, the lot party definitely did not disappoint. The smell of grilled meat filled the cool fall air. The atmosphere leading up to the game was great. It was Monday Night Football between two division rivals and you could feel, hear, and see the excitement in the crowd.

Sitting in the club section, we had a couple of drink options near by as well as a great overall view of the field. Beer at any sporting event is overpriced, and FedEx Field is no exception, with an average price of $9. I decided to go with the Gordon Biersch Pilsner and Heineken for most of the evening. The beer was cold and decent tasting, although it was no Dogfish Head.

The Eagles took a quick 14 –  0 lead in the first quarter and all the excitement around us quickly turned to disappointment. It’s a sad situation in DC, a city that has passionate and knowledgeable fans who unfortunately route for a team whose billionaire owner doesn’t have a clue. By the 4th quarter, it seemed like half of the fans had either left or gone out to the common areas to drink away their sorrows.

There was an after party on our level with live music, Guinness, and more Heineken. I have been to more lively parties and I’m assuming that losing their 5th game out of 7 had something to do with the subdued atmosphere.

The passionate fans and great pregame parking lot scene made up for the disappointing football that was played that night. Live sporting events, good beer, and great friends, always make for a great time, and Monday night was no exception.