Month: September 2012

The DC Suburbs– Brewpubs and Reminiscing

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Again, I want to preface this blog by letting you know that I grew up in the DC area and spent several years of my adult life there.  I tell you this because I can always remember brewpubs and trendy bars in the DC area. However, as the suburbs have grown it seems that many of these brewpubs, many of which are chains, are found throughout the areas strip malls. This doesn’t mean they are bad, but they lack the atmosphere and ambiance of a true locally owned brewpub.

Let’s start with Gordon Biersch.  I can’t remember a time when there was not a Gordon Biersch at Tyson’s Corner Mall. I believe that the restaurant/brewpub was there from the day the mall opened. I am now in Florida and Gordon Biersch is relatively new here. However, I feel it is a bit old hat and nothing really special. There beers are generally not bad but not stand out. The garlic fries are, however, something to rave about!

Dogfish Head Alehouse is a relative newcomer to the DC area.  I visited the Falls Church, VA location which is right in Seven Corners. The concept is good and the food is decent. However, when it comes to Dogfish Head, the beer reigns supreme.  I would highly recommend a stop at on of the Dogfish Head Alehouses if you want a good brew. I have never really had a bad Dogfish Head brew. There 60, 90 and 120 Minute IPAs are superb. I am glad to see that their brews are getting to be more readily available throughout the country. You always know you’re getting a good beer when you go with Dogfish Head. I actually have some seasonal gluten free strawberry “beer” in my fridge right now. I was glad to see that they had a gluten free variety available at least seasonally. Dogfish Head is also well known for trying new things like making beer from ancient Egyptian recipes.

Capitol City Brewing Company has a couple of area locations. I like the Shirlington location best– not for the brewpub but the atmosphere. Shirlington is a trendy Northern Virginia neighborhood known for their Friday and Saturday evenings during Spring and Summer, where young professionals dine at outside patios (almost every restaurant has one) and bring their dogs. Shirlington is one of the most dog friendly areas around and almost every restaurant allows pets in their patio areas. The movie theater in Shirlington is also a great place to catch a foreign or limited release film. However, Capitol City Brewing Company is mediocre to say the least. The beer is adequate and nothing to write home about.  But, the atmosphere in Shirlington makes it worth while to go and have a cold one on a hot summer evening.

I also want to mention one of my favorite Northern Virginia haunts, Murphy’s in Alexandria, VA.  Murphy’s has a great atmosphere where bands play on many nights and you get a feeling of what it might have been like in an Irish pub a couple of hundred years ago.  Murphy’s is located on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. Alexandria has been around as long as colonists have been in the New World. The building where Murphy’s is located in one of the oldest areas of town. Over the years, I had so much fun there that I couldn’t resist a shout out to them.

Finally, I want to add a little tribute to a long standing Washington DC tradition that was sold about a year ago to make another trendy “fern” bar.  The Hawk n Dove on Capitol Hill in the District had been around for eons. Who knows how many politicians, staffers, and regular folk had a cold one there over the years. The place had an ambiance that is hard to describe– it was a dive, yet trendy at the same time. I have found memories of the place and am so very sad to see it go. DC will not be the same without it.

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Virginia Wine Country (DC Region)

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As some of you reading may know, I am originally from Maryland and lived a large percentage of my life in the Washington DC area. One of my favorite things to do, just an hour or so outside of DC proper, has been to visit Virginia Wine Country.  Virginia is a very fast growing wine producing region with many high quality wines. Virginia has become known for their Nortons, Chambourcins, Traminettes, and Viogniers.  There are some very high quality wineries within a short distance of DC. In fact, I have even seen mention of Virginia Wine Country tours on TV shows such as Today.  The best way to start a Virginia Wine Country tour is to get a map  which are available at almost all local wineries or at http://www.virginiawine.org.  I have probably been to the vast majority of the wineries in the state but every year more and more are popping up so you can always find something new.  I always suggest bringing a picnic lunch so that you can spend some time at a winery you enjoy. Most wineries have picnic tables available and sell wine by the bottle or glass in addition to tastings. Unlike many other wine regions, tasting fees at many Virginia wineries are low cost or even free.

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Tennent’s Lager– The Budweiser of Scotland?

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So last night I attended the keg tapping event at the Pub in Naples, FL. They were tapping Tennent’s Lager which is supposedly the best selling lager in Scotland. I think Scottish beer and I think deep Scottish ales full of flavor and color.  Tennent’s is more in line with Budweiser. In general it is pretty tasteless and the color of very light pee (for lack of a better description).  A big thumbs down for Tennent’s! Thanks for the tshirt though!

Oregon– Land of Wine and Beer!

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Now I am going back in time again to the summer of 2011 when I visited Oregon.

Oregon is, of course, known for the Willamette Valley and the great abundance of Pinot Noirs. I honestly don’t think I ever drank so many Pinot Noirs. I am not a huge fan of them, and for several months after returning home, I wouldn’t touch one. However, Oregon is so much more than the Willamette Valley. We visited the Mt. Hood region which also had some great wines and a lot more variety than Willamette.  I found some very good Barberas and Sangioveses there.  The area was also much more pleasing aesthetically.  Willamette Valley is the land of the strip mall and main drag loaded with winery after winery.  Of course, this all makes it very easy and convenient, but it really could be anywhere in the U.S. Mt. Hood was much more pastoral with rolling hills and wineries set apart. Even the town of Mt. Hood had a friendly small town feel.  The Mt. Hood area reminded me very much of many of the wine growing regions of Virginia. Wineries had outdoor picnic tables, small tasting rooms, and friendly staff.  In retrospect, I would probably spend much more time in the other areas of Oregon outside of Willamette to enjoy the “fruits” of the state.

Oregon is also known for some great beers. Standouts are Rogue and Widmer.  Unfortunately, I visited Oregon well before starting this blog so I never made it out to Rogue. I did sample several of their brews in the conveniently located airport bar.  I am a big fan of Rogue Dead Guy Ale and have been for years. I really wish I had made it out to the brewery.  I did make it to Widmer Brothers.  I think Widmer Hefeweizen was the first craft beer that I really enjoyed and was very easily available back in the mid 90s at bars and restaurants in the greater DC area (where I was living at the time).  I still enjoy their Hefeweizen on a hot summer day.  The Widmer brew pub is worth a visit but a bit hard to find.  We drove around for about 30 minutes before we finally figured out where it was actually located.  Your GPS will probably tell you that you are there when you get to a really big hospital. The road appears to dead end there. However, in reality, the road continues on the other side of the hospital for a short block or two. You have to drive a few blocks out of the way to go behind the hospital. The brewpub is located behind the hospital and right next to the river. The food was quite good and beers are available by the pint or by a sample.  My husband greatly enjoyed their KGB Russian Stout and go a big kick out of the name. I remember the selection of beers was quite large and there were several that must not be distributed in this market. I am always a big fan of Widmer and have been to several local tastings since my visit to the brewery that featured their brews. I don’t think I have ever had a Widmer Brothers brew that wasn’t above par!

I am not impressed with the St. John Brewery

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Virgin Islands Island Summer Ale

Just  last week, I traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands, specifically to the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. I was excited to see that there was a Virgin Islands beer. I ordered one at a local restaurant. The Virgin Islands Island Summer Ale is a light wheaty ale, perfect for a hot summer day.  But imagine my surprise, when looking closely at the bottle, I learn that it is actually brewed in Portland, Maine, by Shipyard Brewery.  This seems a bit deceitful to me, especially when the coaster accompanying the beer tells me to go to www.stjohnbrewers.com to learn more about the beer.

Since I was headed to St. John anyway, where the brewery was advertised, I decided that I would be sure to make the stop. The “brewery” is actually the Tap Room, located in a shopping mall called Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay.

Upon entering, I was immediately unimpressed with the atmosphere. The bartender spent most of the time talking and playing dice with his local friends, while ignoring paying customers. I was there for about an hour and saw several other people walk in, receive no service, and walk out. We actually had to go up to to the bar and interrupt him several times to get service. I sat for quite a while with an empty glass, just to see if he would even notice. In addition, to the atmosphere. We found the bartender to be just plain rude.  I asked if they had a sampler– I receive a rude response that included something about this being an island and beer costs 80 cents an ounce to even get here….etc. I told him I was not asking for anything for free. A sampler could have easily been charged out at $10 and for the 4 beers they had that were “Virgin Island” beers, they would have made a good profit. When I got my final bill, this 80 cents an ounce didn’t even seem to pan out because I was charged about $2.40 for a pint (do the math).   Let’s not mention the fact that at 6 pm on Friday night, the food service had stopped because the cook had apparently left.

In spite of these issues, I ended up trying all four “Virgin Island” beers available.

Of course, the majority were quite good, as they were Shipyard brews.  As I stated previously, the Island Summer Ale appeared to be the most popular and was widely available at bars, restaurants, and even the airport throughout the US Virgin Islands.  The Tropical Mango Ale was not bad. In a moment of friendliness, the bartender said it reminded him of Magic Hat #9. Although I could see it somewhat, I think it was a bit of a stretch. The Tropical Mango Ale is very fruity on the nose which is a bit off-putting. The Liquid Sunshine was reminiscent of Budweiser to me and the worst of the bunch.  The Island Hoppin IPA was obviously a Shipyard product and tasted exactly like Shipyard IPA.

So what would I say about the St. John Brewery….. save your time in St. John for the beach and take a trip to Shipyard in Portland, Maine. Maybe they are friendlier there and we know that’s where the beer came from anyway!