Beer.

Where are some good places in the area to get good beers. I know about Old Dominion but they have seem to have gone downhill since being bought by Amheser Busch. Im looking for reataraunts as well as stores.

Thanks.

 

personally, that is a tough one, but depending on what you are looking for, there are a few good choices. Sweetwater Tavern is one of my favorites for micro-brew on-site. They have a great selection and one of the best features is their take-out "Growler" bottle. You get about a 2 litre bottle, with ceramic top that you keep, and can re-fill (they clean).

Cheesecake factory has Blue Moon on tap (one of my favs) for a Belgian White (wheat) style. Glory Days has a decent selection as well as the Steakhouse. For purchase, a very small but excellent selection of Belgian can be found at the new Ashburn Wine shop in the Village. Also, I think there is a certain bonus too with going to the Buffalo Wing Factory and getting beer and wings - and their beer selection on tap is decent (with wings I happen to like a Sam Adams or IPA type). Also, Kirkpatricks Iris Pub has a good selection on Tap if you do not mind the smoke.

So there is something to think about! Oh, and one of my favorite beers is "Skull-Splitter". And my favorite place in the DC area is the Brickskeller by Dupont Circle - the largest selection of Beer in the WORLD, holds the record at a little over 1,000 commercially available. http://www.thebrickskeller.com/

 

I think I just also read something about American Flatbreads having a good selection of microbrews. I will have to check on that.

Well I am off to Total Wine in Sterling to pick up the keg for the kegerator.

 

...kegerator.... what time should I come over? and what are you getting on keg?

 

Even though it's in the Tysons I mall, I really like Gordon Biersch. Decent sized bar, great food, a few flatscreen televisions and they brew their own beer. They have keg tapping parties when they roll out their seasonal brews and I think they have a brewers dinner coming up in the next couple of weeks.

http://www.gordonbiersch.com/

 

I love their Blonde Bock. It was always on tap at the restaurants in NoCal when I lived there but I've never seen it at either the DC, Tysons, or IAD locations

 

you might want to give these two a try from Sweetwater... I think they are similar.

Sidewinder Holiday Bock - a big, rich, malty bock lager style beer...extended
aging provides the full, robust flavor

Silverado Cream Ale - a straw colored fruity ale...highly fermentable dextrose gives a light body and quenching character to this dry hopped beer

 

Be vewy vewy careful when beer hunting. Many of the "house brews" are contracted out to Old Dominion or Capital. I even saw one house brew AT Capital that was brewed at ODBC!!!!

There's another big contract brewer in PA, but I forget it's name.

 

mmmm.... Blue Moon...with a thin slice of orange!

 

But the key is the recipe.

Use to know the owner of Old Dominion and he said that recipes where followed to the exact amounts.

 

There have been rumors circulating that Gordon Biersch will be opening at the Brambleton Town Center and they are just waiting to see what kind of traffic flow the theater brings before committing. Granted that's probably a good two years out, but still good news! Also heard the same thing about Austin Grill which is money!

 

Re: Beer/Microbrewery Websites

Fellow Beer Drinkers--

My husband likes some of Frederick, MD's microbrew beers. Here are some web sites/links that he told me to post regarding local and state beers and microbreweries.

www.pubcrawler.com (Pubcrawler is web site with beer and microbrewery information from across the USA. It gives reviews of local and national breweries, etc. Just "plug-in" state or area of interest.)

www.beer100.com (Beer 100 lists also some beer and microbrew info sites.)

There is also a HOPS Restaurant and Microbrewery in Alexandria, VA. They used to have a location in Frederick, MD; don't know if it is still viable. We have previously been to this location about a year or so ago at the one in Alexandria. Web site is--

www.hopsrestaurants.com (Hops Microbrew and Grill site. Great food and beer.)

Cheers--

Foodie

 

There's a store in the new Giant Shopping center (the one near the Home Depot in Ashburn) called the "Wine Smith". Aside from selling great wines and being really helpful they also have a small selection of micro/craft brewed beers. They sell Stone Brewery's Arrogant Bastard and Pale Ale. They also sell Bells Brewery's Two Hearted Ale and a couple of their other stouts. They also have a varying selection of other beers to choose from. I highly recommend the Two Hearted Ale.

They do wine tastings most weekends and a beer tasting usually once a month.

 

Be still my beating heart!!!! Don't be spreading rumors like this! Unless of course, it's true!

 

Brew pubs: Vintage 50 (Leesburg), Brewer's Alley (Frederick), Applachian Brewing Company (Gettysburg. There's a better one in Harrisburg), Wharf Rat (Baltimore), Ellicot Mills (Ellicot City. This one is fantastic), to name a few of my favorites.

Beer store: Total Beverage (or is it total Wine now?). Can't beat it.

Beer bar: Best local one is Wing Factory.

 

Hah, just got Shiner Bock this time. Good summertime brew. When you do come over would you mind bringing a lawn mower and cutting the grass on your way in?

 

funny, but I am sure something can be worked out... But I think I live within crawling distance so negotiate - and what I can offer is a deck, two tables, over 700sf of kick-back a relax room, with a grill just 10 feet away.

did I mention that I have remote access to the outdoor speakers and over 12,000 mp3 files that we can access like a jukebox? Are you a classic rock fan? Perhaps you would like to listen to radio from around the world... just pick a language. My wireless PC acts like a jukebox from the deck to control any media through my home audio/video system.

So, Shiner Bock (which is one of my favs) would look great on my deck so I am sure we can wheel over the kegerator... convinced yet?

 

Hmmm... I think you got me beat on the music, for now. But I do have the poker table, chips and cards. As well as a full stocked bar.

But I digress from the topic. I have heard rumours that American Flatbread will have a small bar with a feature of Micro Brews.

And as for the poster who mentioned Bells Brewery, they are one of my faves and now I am happy I know where to get some around here. The TwoHearted Ale is good, but their Oberon is the best, and I mean best summertime brew there is.

A restaraunt in Arlington or Alexandria is going to be having a Bells Beer Dinner hosted by one of the brew masters of the brewery. I think I may have to make it for that.


* And I will add that I am pretty bummed that there will be no Old Dominion Beerfest this year. Im sure some of the tee-totalers are happy, but not me.*

 

Rock Bottom Brewery Wednesdays. $1/pints.