You might remember (or maybe attended) the DC School of Beer at the Washington Wine Academy’s 1K Beer Walk in Crystal City this past weekend.
I took the opportunity to pour beer at this event this past weekend because I had some friends who were doing it (yes, if they were jumping off a bridge, I’d probably do it), because we were being pretty fairly compensated for it (in beer classes and a gift certificate and experience), and because pouring beer is a lot of fun.
Let me cut to the chase of what this post is about because I don’t think you need a blow-by-blow of how every pour went. I think this event was pretty cool overall and a great example of thinking outside the box, a la our Tell DCBeer from last Friday.
Were there a lot of people making beer decisions that I wouldn’t have made? Yes. I’m looking at you, people who come back to the PBR table 12-13 times when you only have a finite number of tickets to get beer with, and also you, people who choose Leinenkugel’s Berry Weiss over Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown, among others. But you know why this event was great? Because it made people realize they had choices about what kind of beer to drink.
Were there a lot of people who kept to what they were comfortable with? Sure. Were there a lot of people who got to try DC Brau Public for the first time? (Poured by DCBeer.com’s very own Nick Rakowski, which made the experience great, of course.) Yes. Were there a lot of people who got to learn about Port City Brewing Company and meet owner Bill Butcher and talk to a guy who is brewing great beer in their backyard? Oh yes. Were there a bunch of Flying Dog beers, from IPA to imperial porter, for people to cut their teeth on? Yes indeed.
All of these chances to learn more about craft beer, try new beers and styles, and have a good time in one day? Presented in a creative way, complete with racing bibs and “hydration stations”? Consider me a fan. Events like this gain a lot of converts for craft beer, or at least open them up to the prospect of craft beer. Nice job and nicely executed, DC School of Beer at the Washington Wine Academy.
DCBeer is making it a point to get behind more beer education events this year in an effort to bring more people in the area into craft. Be on the lookout for offerings in that vein soon!
