This week is a doozie (or should we call it “boozie”?) with lots of fun beer happenings across the Metro area. Click on an event in the calendar or read on for details.
On the educational front, Brickskeller bar manager Rachel Murray (a.k.a. DC Beer Goddess) is starting her Beer School. As the Beerspotter pointed out last week, Session 1 is being offered this Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday and Sessions 2 and 3 will be offered the following weeks.
If learning about beer is your thing but school is not, take advantage of ChurchKey‘s offering of all five Mikkeller Single Yeast Series beers on draft this Monday evening. You can also head to Room 11 to try Four+ Wyld, their featured guest tap this week. Four+ is an off-shoot of Uinta Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a newcomer to D.C.
Speaking of beer you can’t easily get, all week Black Squirrel will offer beers from SweetWater Brewing Company in Georgia. They’ll have SweetWater’s IPA, 420 Extra Pale Ale, Blue Ale (brewed with fresh blueberries), and Catch & Release Road Trip German-Style Pilsner. As always, talented chef Gene Sohn will offer appropriate dishes like fried chicken, catfish, and oysters.
Thursday is Brew at the Zoo, the annual outdoor beer festival put on by Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ). If you have tickets, which are sold out (sorry), check out The Lagerheads Beer Guide for tips about how to best enjoy your evening.
The “three toques,” chefs Bart Vandaele of Belga Café, Robert Wiedmaier of Brasserie Beck, and Claudio Pirollo of Et Voila! are kicking off a week-long celebration of Belgian food and beer to commemorate Belgian National Day. This week’s events include a special four-course dinner at the residence of Belgian Ambassador Jan Matthysen on Thursday, a “European Happy Hour” from 2pm to 7pm at each of the three restaurants on Friday, and a “Mussels Throwdown” between all three chefs at Et Voila! on Saturday.
And finally, we warned you about it last week, but two new beer-focused establishments will open their doors to thirsty customers this week. Monday is the grand opening of Mad Fox Brewpub in Falls Church, and Thursday Mussel Bar will open in Bethesda.
Click on any event our D.C. Beer Events Calendar above for details.