Washington Capitals and Wizards fans can expect little relief from the doldrums of macro-beer at the Verizon Center. Via the D.C. Sports Bog and Caps and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis’s own blog comes this article defending the Verizon’s Center’s beer selections. The beer list, which has 52 different brands, is impressive in quantity if not necessarily quality. The list includes 14 or 15 “craft” selections (by my personal count, individual results may vary), but for the most part it includes beers that are part of the big 3’s extended macro family. What this list doesn’t clarify is how widely distributed these beers are across the Verizon Center. It’s great if you can get, for example, Sam Adams Noble Pils, but if it’s only available in one location in the entire arena, it’s not exactly a utilitarian option.
That’s basically the argument that the Post’s Dan Steinberg makes when he says, “…it’s one thing to say the arena sells Starr Hill and Old Dominion, but another to find them. Maybe the suggestion in [Leonsis's] comments — a beer map available on the arena’s Web site — could solve that problem. And maybe you don’t need to have high-quality microbrews in order to enjoy a Caps or Wizards game. But having a lot of different types of bad beer doesn’t mean you have a great selection.”
I have to agree with Steinberg.
Leonsis, while a great owner otherwise, notes that, “I am not a drinker of beer personally but this looks like a good list to me.” You may need to look again, Mr. Leonsis, your craft beer fans in the District have to disagree.
Tags: verizon center
If it helps any, I was able to find the Starr Hill and Dominion last season around sections 403 and 404. I don’t remember the name of the booth, but there was almost never a line because they didn’t have beer taps, only bottles, and everyone just walked right by (which is totally fine with me).
I ran into the same problem at the Nats game on Sunday. I knew there was craft beer to be had at the Red Porch, but that was clear on the other side of the ballpark. Why can’t beer maps be published for all the major venues around DC? (perhaps the next project for DC Beer peeps?)
That’s a really good idea, Sean. We’ll definitely have to look into that. I wonder how much the locations change.
I really don’t understand the amount of outrage I’ve seen around the internet about the beer selection. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not really going to a Caps game expecting to find a beer bar. So what if I don’t find the top50 from BA or RB. Maybe I can’t find a Rodenbach, but I can get quite a few solid beers from the CBA every time I’ve sat in the lower bowl, and I can find solid beers every time I sit in the 400s as well. Craft beer still represents less than 5% of the total beer sales in the country, so I’m just happy that Verizon Center (as well as most other stadiums these days) don’t have 95% BMC products. I can find a solid beer everywhere in the arena, and that’s good enough for me.
No one is asking for the BA/RB Top 50 at games, but Leonsis, a guy who admits he doesn’t drink beer, says that looking at the list it looks good to him. Well yeah, if quantity is more important than quality (which appears to be the only basis he has to judge upon), then it’s a great list. But when you look deeper and see that there’s five kinds of Budweiser, none of it particularly good, along with a whole bunch of other BMC-class beers, that doesn’t represent a quality beer list to me, just a big one. The CBA beers being available are great; make them more widely available and I’ll be happy.
I’d also like to see Verizon bring in Port City, DC Brau, and Chocolate City once those breweries are up and running in about 6 months (not to mention maybe some Mad Fox also).
I know Ted can probably run an NHL team probably better than most people, but if he’s also acting as Beverage Director, I’d be a little worried.
Apparently the constructive criticisms are getting deleted just as fast as we can write them on his blog. Save yourself some key strokes.
I agree with Brett that it would be great to have some DC production beers at Verizon. But it ain’t going to happen. I will gladly eat my words if that day comes. I’ve never found a Rodenbach in an NBA or an NHL stadium and I don’t ever plan on it. In the same breath that it sounds like people are FOR craft beer, they poo-poo it statistically saying it’s less than 5% of total beer sales in the country. Ever wonder why that is? Hmm…five Bud products on the list and two “Pilsners”…”Pilsner” is literally listed twice on that list without reference to product or brewer. I’ve got to assume one is Pilsner Urquell but the other? Even if they got Heavy Seas on the list it would be a step in the right direction. They’re at Nats stadium which is fantastic. I was also at the Nats game on Sunday, literally in the last row of the stadium. All Bud taps up top but at least they offer Heavy Seas in the ballpark. I would gladly take a pint of pilsner from a keg that traveled 40 miles to get to the Verizon center over 400 (Uber Pils).