The week ahead is kind of like the calm before the storm for local brewhounds, considering DC Beer Week officially kicks of this Sunday. Those looking to get warmed up before the citywide bash begins should check out the events in my D.C. Beer Events Calendar above or read on for a picks and brief overview of what's on tap this week.

LAGERHEADS PICK: On Wednesday at Smith Commons, up to 50 contestants will compete for the title of best Czech-style pilsner and a trip for two to Prague in a homebrew contest sponsored by Pilsner Urquell. The winner will be chosen by Vaclav Berka, Pilsner Urquell's current brew master in Plzen, and locals Greg Kistock, beer columnist for The Washington Post, and Charlie Gow of local homebrew club Brewers United for Real Potables (B.U.R.P.).

Also this week, there are more Monday happy hours than you can shake a foamy one at. RFD has their weekly hoppy Monday happy hour, this time featuring DC Brau's The Public, Port City Monumental India Pale Ale and Lagunitas Lil Sumpin' Sumpin'. Capital City Brewing Company's newest venture 901 is giving free pints of their house lager for those who can get to Penn Quarter early enough (the special only goes until 5:30 p.m.). And Meridian Pint is launching a new weekly special with all bottles priced at 25 percent off starting this Monday night.

On Wednesday, Nest Cafe in Bethesda is hosting a dinner featuring beers from Flying Dog. Finally, all week long, Belga Café is offering flights of Belgian beer during lunch and dinner service.

Seem like a light week? Don't forget to take a peek at what's in store for DC Beer Week 2011, which kicks off this Sunday, Aug. 14, and runs through next Sunday, Aug. 21. Start hydrating now.

Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.

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For all its storied beer history, the Czech Republic has essentially two beer styles: dark and light. It’s a spartan selection even in comparison to Germany and its Reinheitsgebot. There’s the dark, chocolaty cerny (pronounced with a “ch” sound), and there’s pilsner, the famous light-colored lager from the city of Plzen. Poured fresh, they’re clear, bready, crisp, and delicious — and the reason Czechs drink more beer per capita than any country in the world.

But the best pilsner is a fresh pilsner, which is why the Pilsner Urquell we get in the States tastes like detergent. (An unfiltered keg of the stuff, a rare find even in Prague, is the beer equivalent of fresh-squeezed OJ.) In D.C., it doesn’t get better than Victory Prima Pils for a crisp, hoppy take on the style, while pilsners are always good choices at brewpubs like District Chophouse and Capitol City Brewing Co. In Virginia, seek out a bottle of Legend Pilsner, a slightly sweeter, appley version. And if you must try an import, start with Czechvar, the nom de plume of Budvar, the original “Budweiser.”

Cerny beers are equivalent to German dunkels, or schwarzbiers. They’re malty, with sweetness ranging from sticky caramel to deep, burnt molasses. Dunkels aren’t common in America, but they are growing. Duck Rabbit recently brewed a wonderfully charred seasonal schwarzbier, while Samuel Adams tasty Black Lager has more of a coffee profile. For a Czech taste, you can try Krusovice, which crops up now and then in good beer stores.

So there you have it: two beer styles. I’m particularly partial to a fresh pilsner, but they both have their merits. So try one or two of each — and then be thankful you live in America, where we can pretty much drink anything in the world.

A sixer of Dale's to go — on your desert island

I've had, and still do have, a proclivity toward lists and the ranking of favorites. High Fidelity inspires desert island-record discussions. Fantasy football drafts are a drug. And as tykes, my brother and I would sit cross-legged in the living room, surrounded by sorted mounds of Halloween candy or Pogs (depending on the season) and conduct elaborate trades and negotiations based on our arbitrarily prized possessions. (Should I be confessing this in print? If I ever run for public office, let's pretend this didn't happen.)

The point being: I'm no different today. So when I see the Alström brothers of Beer Advocate fame enumerating their top five desert island beers alongside a profile in The Boston Globe, I start getting ideas. Building a desert island list is a delicate task. With records, you need to take into account all the different styles, eras, and at least one sentimental favorite. You probably want some reggae in there, being on an island. So while ranking Pogs may be less nuanced, picking just five beers to drink for all of sand-locked eternity seems unfair, if not impossible. Or in other words, fun.

Like records, my favorite beers change frequently — probably every time I walk into a beer store. But here's my outline, the prototypical desert island beer list. And despite the urge to apply a beach theme, I have one rule: nothing with a lime in it. Ever.

1. The go-to quaff. You need one lighter beer, a refreshing lager you can drink by the case while watching the game (better believe my desert island gets NFL Sunday Ticket). This beer is also necessary for pairing with the fresh seafood your monkey butlers bring in off the trawler every morning. My go-to here is Victory Prima Pils, or in fantasy land, I'd take Pilsner Urquell, unfiltered and fresh from Plzeň. But no, if I really have to pick just one, it's Terrapin Rye Pale Ale from Athens, Ga. It's as light as Tahitian sand and bristling with dry rye flavor. Terrapin doesn't ship to D.C. yet, but I'm on their case about it.
2. IPA, at least one. What's a man without hops? Sad and alone on a desert island, that's what. But if there's a Bells Two-Hearted Ale or a Dale's Pale Ale in my coconut shell, I'm doing all right.
3. Sentimental favorite #1: big and hoppy. As with Jason Alström, I have to have some Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye. It's a dark, spicy beast with enough hops to put your average IPA to shame.
4. Something for the palate.You're going to want to invite guests over to the desert island, and you'll need something classy to pair with a fine cheese plate. Something in the Belgian style seems in order; I'd go with a trappist like Rochefort 8, St. Bernardus Abt 12, or a saison like Dupont.
5. Sentimental favorite #2: mellow and complex.I'm still lacking in slow-sipping beers, so I'm leaning toward a double IPA or barleywine. My choice here at the moment is Head Knocker from the Vintage 50 restaurant and brewpub in Leesburg. It's a lighter, golden take on an English barleywine, with a honey aroma and a sweetly smooth finish. The beer is now retired, but brewer Bill Madden will open brewpub Mad Fox in the fall. On my fantasy island, it's delivered in fresh casks via helicopter.
6. The cheating sixth beer. Come on, you knew it was coming. Who can pick just five beers? My cheating sixth: Fullers London Pride, the ultimate English bitter, in all its quaffable, buttery glory.

So fellow Beerspotters, let's hear it. What are your top five (okay six) desert island beers?