Virginia’s great beer is pretty much the only thing that gets me to take Metro’s blue/yellow across the river (well, beer and pho). And Galaxy Hut has several on tap this week by Virginia microbreweries that don’t distribute to the District. Here’s a quick guide to the highlights:

• Blue Mountain Double IPA – I haven’t had this yet, but Blue Mountain makes Full Nelson, a wonderful English-style IPA, so I see no reason this shouldn’t be tasty.
• St. George Fall Bock – Another one I haven’t had by a good brewery — the brewery that’s actually behind the revival of Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Ale.
• Legend Brown Ale – A big, dark, and roasty brown ale that is to Newcastle what Ray’s Hellburger a live cow is to a Big Mac.

Bonus after the jump: Virginia beer in D.C.!

Read More “What to Drink This Week–Yes, in Virginia” »

Jamie Leeds, the chef/owner of CommonWealth and Hank’s Oyster Bar, has been selected to serve as president of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, a national non-profit whose mission is to promote “the education and advancement of women in the restaurant industry and the betterment of the industry as a whole.”

The post is a two-year commitment that will place a fairly serious burden on Leeds’ time and attention. She will oversee the marketing and membership committees. She will attend quarterly meetings. She will have a say on the organization’s spending and Web site. She will even travel to Chile soon for a sort of culinary fact-finding mission.

“It means a lot of work,” Leeds tells Y&H over the phone this afternoon. “It’s a very challenging, exacting, and very rewarding position.”

How will Leeds manage her three restaurants with such a heavy commitment over the next two years?

Read More “Jamie Leeds to Serve as Next President of National Culinary Organization” »

Hey bloggeroos, don’t forget that tomorrow is the Blogtoberfest happy hour (which admittedly sounds way more fun than “planning meeting”). Throughout the month of October we’re getting local bloggers, foodie and non-, to share their beer stories on their own blogs. Cross-linking and conversation will ensue. Meet at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Axis Bar and Grill.

And one week later, come out to CommonWealth for October’s Food Blogger Happy Hour. Meet fellow bloggers, swap links and ideas, and say the word “blog” more times than you’d ever want to. Thanks to Capital Spice, Arugula Files, Gradually Greener, Modern Domestic, and We Love DC for their organizational prowess in putting it together.

Read More “Two Events for D.C. Bloggers, With Beer!” »

I love my neighborhood of Columbia Heights, and I love lists. So when Spud Lite at The Heights Life posted his top 5 beer menus in Columbia Heights yesterday, I got to reading faster than a tween on Harry Potter release night.

I was semi-outraged — not angry, but not mock outraged, so maybe just surprised actually — at not only his her ranking order but also two glaring omissions: Pete’s Apizza and new kid Room 11. I’m going to give Spud a break and assume it was an oversight and not a lapse in judgment, as she went so far as to bend his own rules and allow Tonic to sneak over from Mount Pleasant. Listless drinkers, I present to you my Columbia Heights top 5:

1. Pete’s Apizza – Pete’s four drafts rotate often, and as of yesterday included beers from Bell’s, Lagunitas, and Stone. (The fourth is Moretti, a crappy Italian lager owned by Heineken.) Add 8 to 10 American micros in bottles, and you’ve got a sizable menu for a place the size of the Five Guys next door. (beer list)
   Read More “Top 5 Beer Menus in Columbia Heights” »

According to old-school spellcheckers Merriam and Webster, the term imperial means (1) anything relating to an empire or emperor, or (2)  something of superior or unusual size or excellence. The first definition was what British brewers had in mind when they started making Imperial Stouts, and the second is why many American craft brewers are using the term for a variety of beer styles today.

Sam Adams founder Jim Koch, current record-holder for the beer with the highest alcohol content (the 2009 Utopias at a whopping 27% ABV), has an Imperial Series of big beers. At SAVOR this year, he explained the origin of the term:

We call it an imperial because that’s become a brewer’s custom. It began in the 1700s when English brewers were favored by the Russian court. Catherine [the Great] wanted English beers and so the English brewed beers for her court, which at that time was in St. Petersburg. The beers had to survive the long shipping up through the North Sea, through the Baltic, up to St. Petersburg, so the English would make really big, highly-alcoholic versions of their beers. They called them Imperial, particularly Imperial Stout, because they were meant for the Empress of Russia.

Like Jim, many American brewers now use the term for any intense beer containing more of everthing–hops, malt, and most importantly, alcohol. Below are some popular imperial styles, examples of each you have probably seen, and your best bet for finding some featured during “official” DC Beer Week events. Got your own ideas? Throw ‘em in the comments.

Read More “Imperial Beer: Fit for a Queen” »

Like beer? How about animals? Yes? Well, you’re in luck. The annual “Brew at the Zoo” event at the National Zoo is scheduled for Thursday, August 20. Sponsored by Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ), the event will raise funds for the Zoo’s education, sustainability, and conservation programs. Tickets are $35 for FONZ members; $50 for non-members. For that you’ll be able to sample beers from more than 35 microbreweries, stuff you face with food from three local restaurants (Armand’s Pizza, Hard Times Restaurant, and Rocklands BBQ), all of it to the familiar tunes of Eighties cover band, Gonzo’s Nose. For those of you with more coin to spend, you can also purchase VIP tickets, which grant access to a reserved section with a separate bar and an expanded range of local restaurants, including Brasserie Beck, CommonWealth Gastropub, EatBar, Eatonville, and Urbana. You’ll also get a free t-shirt and special animal demonstrations from Zoo staff. For that, members will pay $70; non-members $85.

Read More “Early Warning: Brew at the Zoo” »

One by one, we’re running through the 50 restaurants that made the cut on this year’s Young & Hungry Dining Guide. If you have visited the day’s featured restaurant, let us know what you think. If you’re planning to visit for the first time, tell us about your meal when you return.

Jamie Leeds, the chef behind the casual seaside comforts of Hank’s Oyster Bar, seems to have no interest in joining D.C.’s fine-dining ranks so that she can, one day, find her name among the short list of Beard Award nominees. Nope, Leeds strikes a more populist pose, which is undoubtedly why she gave her latest project, CommonWealth in Columbia Heights, this deft little descriptor: The People’s GastroPub. Like Hank’s, CommonWealth is a neighborhood hangout, a place so bound up in concrete and human congestion that it virtually demands that you walk, not drive, to it. You could argue that Leeds’ brand of populism precludes patrons who can’t afford $14 for fish and chips or $15 for bangers and mash, but you could also argue that cheaper ingredients would only move CommonWealth toward Logan Tavern–level mediocrity, just with better beer.

 CommonWealth, 1400 Irving St. NW, (202) 265-1400

Now far be it for us to find fault with DC’s beer scene. We have a lot to be grateful for. Just a few years ago, the Brickskeller was the only game in town. Today, the competition outdoes it on a regular basis–especially if you get sick of having to order three or four times before they have something in stock. RFD does considerably better in this regard, but we digress…

Our fair city’s beer renaissance, though, has focused almost exclusively on Belgian beers. Yes, Red Derby specializes in cans. And Commonwealth features an English list chock full of bitters. We’ve even got a few brew pubs, not least of which Dogfish Head’s latest extreme beer mecca near Seven Corners. But what’s lacking is the one of the most elemental of beer experiences: an old-fashioned German beer garden. New York’s got Zum Schneider and Zeppelin Hall, among others. And Pittsburgh’s got its own brand new, Munich-style Hofbrauhaus. Anybody looking to invest in a new place, we beg you, please give us outdoor seating, strings of white lights, oompa music, and steins full of delicious German malts.

Read More “Missing in DC: A German Beer Garden” »

The editors (aka, the Meat Grinders) are busy putting the final touches on this year’s Best of D.C. issue, even though all the picks have already been made, including a large number in the Food & Drink section. Personally, if you ask me, too much emphasis is placed on the Best Restaurant category.

Seriously, do any of you expect to be surprised by the winner of that category? Far more interesting to me is the Best New Restaurant pick. Despite the crappy economy, our market saw a wealth of new eateries open in the past year. Below the jump is a list of the restaurants under consideration for the honor. Which one do you think deserves top billing?

Read More “Best of D.C.: Which New Restaurant Deserves Top Honors?” »