2020 Virginia & D.C. Best in Beer Year-End Honors

The 2020 Virginia and DC Best in Beer features a community surviving and even thriving in this most unusual year. It was a time of coming together where local breweries invented new ways to reach their loyal customers, and those customers took their “drink local” mantra to new heights.  Together, the local craft beer community weathered the storm with remarkably few breweries closing, and even a few new ones opening.

Local breweries continued to put out some wildly creative and delicious beers and perhaps more than ever proved their worth as creators and sustainers of social bonds. The Virginia and Washington, DC craft beer communities look forward to a more “normal” 2021 while taking pride in their remarkable resiliency throughout the unprecedented global challenges of 2020.

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DC Brau Leads Collaboration Effort to Honor Ben Tolkan

One of the greatest things about the craft beer community is the community itself. Without a large group of like-minded individuals drinking it and bonding over it, craft beer would simply be a liquid with a curious chemical composition. And when tragedy strikes, breweries are often among the first to rally support, most often with a collaboration release.

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If in Doubt, Barrel Age It | A Look into the Vast Barrel Aging Program of Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Co.

As a Kentucky native, bourbon is in my blood. Needless to say, we have been barrel aging things for quite awhile. Though bourbon is not a uniquely Kentucky product (though it is a uniquely American product – one thing you can actually thank the federal government for!), many agree that the Bluegrass state does it best. Maybe it’s the limestone bedrock that adds that special blend of minerals to the water that is used to distill the spirit; or perhaps it is the Kentucky climate – with its frigid, ice-storm bringing winters and ever-so-muggy, sticky hot summers – that allows those oak barrels to expand and contract just the right amount to impart those woody, caramel, and toffee nuances from the barrel char into otherwise clear corn liquor; or maybe it is something about the Kentucky spirit that lends a warmness and hint of Southern hospitality to the things we are passionate about. Whatever it is, Kentucky bourbon is something special and the rest of America – especially the craft beer industry – has recognized that, as well.

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Finch’s Beer Co.: threadless India Pale Ale

ABV: 6%

IBU: 90

On Friday afternoon, I popped into my neighborhood Whole Foods to pick up something new to drink for the weekend. DC summers are a swampy mess … Read More

Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager

ABV: 4.9%

IBU: 18

As the age-old tradition goes, when the parents come to town, you have them treat you to dinner at places that are a bit (or a lot) out of your price range. I personally do not think this pasttime will ever fade, as my family loves exploring new places and sampling interesting eats, and (to be perfectly honest) I am always willing to let someone else pick up the check. As the fam visited the District this past weekend, I, of course, packed our itinerary with delicious prospects from new and old favorite restaurants. One particular gem is The Pig on 14th Street. As a member of the EatWell family, The Pig specializes in a more local, sustainable, and – when possible – farm-to-table approach to food. Beyond the merits of its laudable approach to sourcing ingredients, this place just makes a lot of very tasty, pork-filled dishes.

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THIS WEEKEND: The Inaugural DC Beer Festival Comes to Nationals Park!

This weekend in DC will be one to remember for Beer Lovers. The Inaugural DC Beer Festival is coming to Nationals Park! The festival will run from Saturday, March 23rd to Sunday, March 24th. Sadly, tickets are sold out for Saturday festivities (with a wait list for the evening – 6-9pm –  slot), but tickets are STILL AVAILABLE for Sunday, March 24th!

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