Welcome to The Mash-In! This feature is a hodgepodge of contributions from our staff that we hope you enjoy.
Price Point Quick Check
Each edition of The Mash-In we’ll check in at various beer shops and compare prices on beer. This edition’s beer is a classic: Orval.
11.2 Ounce SIngle Bottle Prices:
- Pizzeria Paradiso Georgetown (3282 M Street NW): $10
- Scion Restaurant Dupont (2100 P Street NW): $12
- ChurchKey (1337 14th Street NW): $12
- Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery, and General Store (5123 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville): $5.99 (to go)
- 1 West Dupont Circle Wine and Liquor (2012 P Street NW): $7.99
Not spotted at: Cordial (Union Market), P Street Whole Foods, Barrel House Liquor (Logan Circle), Best In Liquors (Logan Circle), Connecticut Avenue Wine and Liquor (Dupont Circle)
Seen Orval around town? Let us know the prices you’re seeing in the comments.
Upcoming Beers/New to the Area
- 3 Stars Brewing Company now has the North American Samsquantch in market. This is white IPA using north American hops, and what a charming little guy he is.
- DC Brau is now available throughout Maryland!
- Mad Fox Brewing Company has released a west coast-style IPA called Sandy Eggo IPA (say it out loud). This is a seriously tasty beer that you should check out.
- Port City Brewing Company will release Ways and Means Bitter. This is the Alexandria brewery’s second beer issued without an “adjective” name. The first, of course, is the Porter that they launched with. Beerpulse has the press release.
- Cambridge Brewing Company’s Tripel has been spotted in Maryland, which would be a new area for the Massachusetts brewery.
- Great Divide is back in DC; after having returned to Virginia a while ago, you now no longer need to go over the river to get your Titan or Yeti.
- Ithaca Beer Company is now officially in DC. Flower Power fans, rejoice!
- Left Hand Brewing Company is officially entering DC and Maryland. They’ll debut in DC on March 5 at ChurchKey.
- North Carolina’s LoneRider is coming to DC between February 3-Mid-March
- Fort Collins Brewery is coming to Maryland, according to Beerpulse.
Upcoming Event Spotlight
We’ve picked out an event that caught our eye. To see even more events check out our calendar at bit.ly/dcbeercalendar!
This Saturday and Sunday, be sure to check out Mad Fox Brewing Company’s 4th Annual Barleywine Festival. A rotating selection of over 30 barleywines will be available on both days. Each barleywine will be served in a 4 oz. tasting glass for $3. No admissions fee. Mad Fox’s own barleywines will be available, including Headcracker, Slobberknocker and the last keg of their Oak-aged Slobberknocker.
Looking out a little further, get your tickets for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s 10th Annual Brewer’s Ball at the National Building Museum on Saturday, March 8. Featuring over 30 breweries, including local, regional, and national favorites; food from 20 restaurants; a silent auction; and live band, this gala raises money for a great cause. Buy tickets here!
Reader Email
No good ones this week. Need to get in touch with us? Email us at editor@dcbeer.com!
Recent Beer We’ve Liked
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Hoperation Pink – India Pale Ale – 6.0%
Be on the lookout for The Hardywood Hoperation Pink. This outstanding IPA is brewed with grapefruit. It’s very balanced and refreshing as a radler. On top of that, $100 per barrel is contributed to non-profit organizations that support women’s health, with half going to VCU Massey Cancer Center and the other half going to local charitable causes selected by the participating brewers with each batch brewed. A great beer for a great cause? Count us in.
Tweet of the Week
Pilot brew day in full swing! Lager-a-go-go!!! #DCBrews pic.twitter.com/P78siTlG8G
— Pulaski Beer DC (@PulaskibeerDC) February 15, 2014
We will be keeping an eye on Pulaski Beer, apparently coming to the DC market. More on this when we get word! Intrigue!
"What's Brewing?"
Interesting batches/recipes from local homebrewers with the occasional spotlight on a specific kind of brewing ingredient. Brewing something good and want to see your batch highlighted? Email us at editor@dcbeer.com.
John Burke typically brews to style (see, e.g., a English mild currently in the fermenter), but when Right Proper head brewer Nathan Zeender hooked him up with some Westmalle yeast, he figured it was a good time to experiment. He was hoping to do a sessionable style with a quick turnaround (no dubbels/tripels/quads/Belgian strongs) while paying homage to my dad, whose birthday is at the end of January. Dad has never been much of a beer drinker, but he's been supportive of John’s brewing and is always willing to try new the latest creation. He got hooked on Belgian wheats, specifically Allagash White, so John figured he’d make a pale Belgian wheat that hopefully his father would enjoy.
John used French Pils malt as a base, with decent helpings of Belgian Aromatic, Belgian Pale, Vienna, and White Wheat to create a soft, sweet body. The hops at knockout are traditional Saaz and very nontraditional Belma. Between the subtle fruitiness imparted by Belma and the fresh apple taste imparted from Westmalle, John looked to apple juice to tie everything together. To 8 gallons of run-off he added 2 gallons of juice in the fermentor for an 80/20 blend. The final 2 gallons of runnings he combined with 1 gallon of juice for a 3 gallon batch. The main batch is kegged and ready to go; the remaining three will get a dose of clover honey and possibly a fruit addition to up the ABV for a apple harvest ale come this fall.
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Fan of Bieres de Garde? DC Homebrewers Club President Bob Rouse has an, apparently, great recipe for you. This entry was the winning entry in the Belgian Beer competition at a recent joint homebrew club meeting. Here’s the recipe! Thanks, Bob!
9 lbs Pils
2 lb Munich 10L
1 lb Melanoiden
12 oz Carawheat
8 oz caravienne
4 oz Biscuit
1 lb Candi syrup, 1L (do not add to boil)
1.5 oz Hallertau 3.30% 60 Min
1.5 oz Hallertau 3.30% 30 Min
WLP350 Abbey Ale
Mash in with 4.5 gals at 134 (125 mash temp: 52 C) – rest 20 mins
Raise to 144 (62 C) – rest 45 mins
Raise to 158 (70 C) – rest 15 mins
Raise to 168 (75 C)
Sparge
Boil 90 minutes, adding hops per schedule
Cool, pitch yeast
Jukebox Headboppers
You know that moment. That moment when you’re drinking the right beer at the right bar and the right song comes on and you can’t help but bop your head and go, “Oh yeah.” We’re capturing those moments for you right here.
Beer: Haymarket Mandarin Bavaria Pale Ale
Song: Belle and Sebastian – The Boy with the Arab Strap
Venue: Haymarket Brewpub, Chicago
Coming in out of the cold in Chicago during Cidercon 2014, we were greeted with a very of great brews and this fine song from everyone’s favorite Glasgowian indie band.
Non-Beer Read of the Week
Because sometimes you want something non-beer while you beer.
Mother Jones – "Charts: The Most Ridiculously Expensive Olympics Ever"
Loving the Olympics right now? Us, too, for the most part. But try not to forget the incredible financial cost at which all of these events are coming. This article really puts it in perspective.
/Facepalm’able Craft Beer Venue Yelp Reviews
Yelpers can’t help it, sometimes they write things in their reviews that are nonsensical. We will keep an eye on Yelp reviews of craft beer venues across the city and report back with anything of note.
You know, some people really like root beer, and if they can’t get it at your venue, then they don’t want it. From a review of Bluejacket:
No root beer. When asked if they have root beer, was told, "This is a brewery." Well, so is Gordon Biersch down the street and they have their own on-tap root beer. What can Bluejacket offer the non-alcoholic crowd: "Coke" products.
So, we left. We figured that if they're all about beer (see above) and not keen on keeping their other items up to par or offering basic beverages, we're better off eating our leftovers from dinner the night before. At least that seemed more appealing than chancing it with what they offer.
Too bad. We live in the neighborhood too and wanted to enjoy this place. …I bet they sell root beer next door at their bakery.
#DCBrews Photo of the Week
Take great photos? Of your dog? Good for you. Take great photos of the goings-on of the #dcbrews scene? That’s more like it. Tweet/Instagram us @dcbeer or tag your post #DCBrews and you may find your photo right here.
An extremely triumphant Tim Liu, beer director for Scion and Crios Modern Mexican, hoists an empty cask of Flying Dog Doggie Style pale ale on his birthday.
And on that note, we’ve finished with this edition of The Mash-In. Let us know what you thought in the comments! Until next time, don’t forget to close your tabs and tip your bartenders. Cheers!
Header modified from Flickr user beerbrewingman, some rights reserved.
