It’s a fact of life around here in August: nothing much goes on. So when something does, you’ll be well rested and able to bring your considerable energies and focus to the task at hand. The task: beer. Seven days of it. Here’s how you’ll want to spend <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dcbeerweek.net/">DC Beer Week</a>.
You typically leave the Odyssey cruise ship to tourists. Which is fine, because on Sunday, they’ll leave the craft brews to you. Think dinner, DJs and hard-to-find beers like Maui Coconut Porter, Elysian Mens Room Red and plenty from Baltimore’s own Heavy Seas. Which hopefully the boat won’t encounter.
Option 1: sign up for Star and Shamrock’s weeklong hot dog eating contest and start demonstrating your skills. Option 2: show up and watch other people try to force down dog after dog while you merely enjoy the Schmaltz brews like Coney Island and He’brew lagers. We like option 2.
We’re not suggesting you can live on beer alone all week. No, we’re pretty sure some whiskey is in order as well. The folks at Jack Rose have picked three top rye whiskeys, which you can then chase with B.W. Rye beer, a collaboration between Baltimore’s Oliver Ales and DC’s own 3 Stars Brewing. We eagerly await pumpernickel beer.
There’ll be a few American beers making their DC debut next week, but none will travel farther than Elysian Brewing out of Seattle, which is shipping in 20 different beers for ChurchKey’s taps. Can’t hurt to dig out your flannel and combat boots.
By next Saturday, you will have been going to school on beer all week. Fitting, then, that you wrap things up in a school bus. Namely Trusty’s School Bus Bar, where you can nosh on brunch items like a half-smoke and an array of canned beers. Don’t throw your empties at the driver.
