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.
