Out of all Belgian fun to be had, my top pick is the "Tour of Belgium" dinner on Wednesday at Granville Moore's. Chef Teddy Folkman's pairing dinners have long impressed me, and this eight-course, eight-beer menu looks like a marathon of Belgian delights, including just about every meat known to man and some of my favorite Belgian brews–Gulden Draak and rarities from Petrus, and Straffe Hendrik to name a few. The epic event is a follow-up to beverage director Matt LaBarron’s recent trip through Belgium. And it's a steal at $75 per person. The catch? The space upstairs is tiny. Better make a reservation immediately, if the event is not already sold out.

Not a Belgian beer fan? Read on for some other picks.

My infatuation with Quebecois beer turned into true love after a trip through Quebec last spring. For a chance to taste some über rare Canadian brew (Strange Brew, if you will), stop by ChurchKey Monday night. The bar will be featuring eight beers on draft, including two exclusive India pale ales, from Loup Rouge, a tiny artisanal brewery just outside of Montreal. I didn't come across any Loup Rouge brew on my trip, but if it's anything like the beer coming from La Trou du Diablu or other rock stars from the region, it shouldn't disappoint.

If you are looking for a non-Belgian event featuring both food and beer, Policy is hosting a Dogfish Head dinner on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for $75 per person plus tax and gratuity. The five-course menu looks pretty sick and the Policy folks know a thing or two about good beer.

For those who would rather hang out at a bar and have been looking for an opportunity to meet other local craft beer fans, I suggest heading to Iron Horse Taproom Wednesday evening for a #dcbrews tweet-up hosted by the bloggers at DCBeer.com. Be sure to take advantage of the special offer to get a half-price Mug Club membership.

And don't forget, it's still July, which means the drafts at all three Pizzeria Paradiso locations are still flowing with nothing but India pale ales for JulyPA Days. Check out the most recently released hoppy treats here.

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

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Fabio Trabocchi has long impressed critics through his innovative cooking—smoking meats and fish over smoldering thatches of hay, for instance, or infusing his lasagna with offal.

But at Fiola, Trabocchi’s latest Italian eatery in Penn Quarter, nothing impressed me more than the simple bombolini: golf-ball-sized puffy pillows of aromatic freshly fried dough, stuffed with ricotta and glistening with granules of sugar. In other words: doughnuts.

Forgive the fancy Tuscan nomenclature, which lends more than a mere sense of Old World authenticity. In Italian, the term also means “bombs,” as in explosives, a rather apropos descriptor for a dessert that obliterated even my fresh memories of the savory smoked gnocchi entrée that preceded it.

During my first visit, the $10 sweets were served in a shallow wooden box like sushi. On return trips, they came wrapped in a paper cone as if they were pommes frites. Either way, they command top billing among the restaurant’s dessert offerings.

They ought to command top billing on the entire menu. The five other patrons I quizzed echoed my sentiments about the fare in Trabocchi’s modish new dining room: The pasta, palatable; the doughnuts, wondrous. The only debate was about which dipping sauce proved more complementary: the fruity marmalade (sometimes apricot, sometimes raspberry), or the luscious crème fraiche.

You’ve got to hand it to pastry chef Jason Gehring, formerly of Baltimore’s venerable Charleston restaurant, for boldly upstaging his Michelin-starred boss.

Ours is the age of artisinal comfort food, as a recession-scarred populace takes solace in white-tablecloth evocations of childhood’s grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots. And Fiola isn’t the only place that has its own highfalutin’ spin on carnival-fare fried dough.

Policy, the boozy eatery on 14th Street NW, also markets an après-dinner ricotta doughnut under a fancy-pants Italian name. The fried zeppoles, priced at $7, arrive in a size and shape quite similar to Gehring’s bombolini. The major differences are coating (powdered as opposed to granulated sugar), presentation (delivered in a steamy brown paper bag) and the accompanying condiment (a rum-infused crème anglaise with ample enough dry bite to please the venue’s absinthe-minded crowd.)

Elsewhere—often at more understated venues than Fiola—the modern doughnut has been creeping in as a component of the main course. Consider the “jelly belly,” chef Erik Bruner-Yang’s sweet and salty sandwich of grilled pork slapped between slices of homemade glazed doughnut, recently unveiled to some fanfare at U Street Music Hall.

Then there’s the enduring “Luther” phenomenon at Logan Circle’s ChurchKey: a local twist on late crooner Luther Vandross’ legendary favorite cheeseburger-doughnut hybrid, involving buttermilk fried chicken in place of the beef patty, topped with applewood smoked bacon and served on a large brioche doughnut glazed in maple-chicken jus and dusted with candied pecans.

The monstrous cholesterol bomb has never been listed on the restaurant’s menu. “It’s only available on Sundays and you have to ask for it,” says pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac.

But its popularity is nonetheless problematic. “We fried so many doughnuts one day, the fryer broke,” MacIssac says. Now, for the sheer sake of equipment upkeep, the Sunday heart-attack special is limited to only 30 orders each weekend, she says.

MacIsaac describes the sandwich as a somewhat grotesque outgrowth of her ambitious doughnut program during weekend brunches at the restaurant, where a sampling of her various doughnuts and doughnut holes runs $6. MacIsaac uses a rich and buttery brioche dough, lending her confections a more “bready” complexion than your average Krispy Kreme.

On any given Sunday, she says, the kitchen cranks out around 300 to 400 yeast-risen delights, ranging in flavor from the bright and acidic lemon poppy seed to the salty and sugary toffee-coated doughnut sprinkled with crumbled bacon bits. Lately, she’s been experimenting with a kind inspired by the Samoa Girl Scout cookie, drizzled with caramel and chocolate and topped with coconut and shortbread cookie crumbs, which she expects will soon make it into the rotation.

“There’s so much you can do with them,” MacIsaac says. “You can fill them, you can top them with all sorts of things. It’s a great basic vessel to put any flavor on.”

MacIssac might be the most outspoken proponent for fried dough and its endless possibilities in the District. “I keep telling [owner] Michael Babin, ‘Donuts could be the next cupcake,’” she says, referring to D.C.’s proliferation of boutique bakeries. “So give me a donut shop.”

Babin, she says, could be swayed: “We just have to figure out how to do it.”

MacIsaac points to New York’s Doughnut Plant as a model of what can be done. Owner Mark Isreal’s boutique bakery, now with two locations in Manhattan, hawks some pretty eclectic creations at equally eclectic prices, including a blowtorched crème brulee variety that costs $3 a pop.

In interviews, Isreal has repeatedly stated his desire to open a similar shop in D.C. MacIsaac aims to beat him to it.

But where well-dressed cupcakes have proved a gold mine, stand-alone upscale doughnut shops have had a harder time. The Fractured Prune, an Ocean City-based chain slinging hand-dipped doughnuts with some unusual flavors, ranging from creamsicle to trail mix, had a brief lifespan on P Street NW before shuttering in 2007. Its Silver Spring location closed last fall after barely a year in business. Instead of following the Georgetown Cupcake model, the treats have proliferated at formal establishments that sell plenty of other food, too.

One reason for this: Fire codes. You can make even the most expensive cupcake in a plain old kitchen. But try to install a deep fryer to make doughnuts and you’ll find yourself in a deep bureaucratic thicket. The presence of a fryer generally obliges shop owners to install and maintain proper venting, which can be prohibitively costly, especially for a one-trick specialty shop. For that reason, Cake Love owner Warren Brown told me, “We’re not going to be frying anything.”

“It’s expensive as all shit,” says David Guas, proprietor of Bayou Bakery in Arlington. “You’re talking about $50,000 per floor to run a hood system to the roof. That’s what they say. And I’ve got six floors [above the shop].”

Opening a Louisiana-themed bakery without the ability to fry up beignets—which he calls “the doughnuts of New Orleans,” and serves under a pile of powdered sugar at $3 per plate—seemed like blasphemy to Guas. “I would have passed up the space,” he says. So Guas sought out a ventless fryer with its own built-in ventilation system. The contraption saved Guas some considerable, um, dough, compared to the standard hood system. But it’s by no means cheap. “The filters are crazy expensive,” he says.

Given the steep price tag, Guas reserves the fancy machinery exclusively for preparing the beignets—hence no fried shrimp or oyster po’boys on the menu.

Less impassioned fried-dough aficionados might forgo the entire hassle. For Guas, it’s a source of pride—not to mention massive clean-up. “On Saturdays, we sell around 150 orders,” he says. “Powdered sugar everywhere. It’s all over the floor. It’s all over the banquets. All we can do is take a wet cloth to the tables. We don’t worry about the floor until the end of the day.”

Fiola, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, (202) 628-2888

Policy, 1904 14th Street NW, (202) 387-7654

U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW, (202) 588-1880

ChurchKey, 1337 14th St. NW, (202) 567-2576

Bayou Bakery, 1515 North Courthouse Rd., Arlington, (703) 243-2410

Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Photos by Darrow Montgomery

Dishes We Dug:

Dishes We Didn't: Slow cooked beef brisket on a potato roll at The Diner–dry enough to qualify as jerky.

Venues Notably Missing From City Paper's List of D.C.'s 44 Most Powerful Restaurants to the Chagrin of Various Readers: Tune Inn, Tabard Inn, Ris, Restaurant Nora, The Palm, Elizabeth's Gone Raw, Cafe Milano, Meridian Pint, Palena.

Most Dissenting Reader Opinion About City Paper's Top-Ranked Most Powerful Eatery: "How powerful is Minibar really? Isn't it just because it's so small? Very few people go or can even afford to go, and it's unheard of among politicos. Less than one tenth of one percent of people in the city have been."

Photo by Chris Shott

For the fourth year, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience will bring talented brewers and their beers to D.C. from all over the United States. The popular tasting event, which will be at the National Building Museum on June 3 and 4, sold out in less than 20 minutes again this year, despite doubling in capacity from one to two sessions.

But not having a ticket will not leave you thirsty come June. The excitement of having so much great craft beer in the city has motivated the D.C. beer community to once again create a beer week around the Brewers Association event. Only this time things are more official, as the logo above suggests.

SAVOR is two months away, but nearly 40 events have already been planned for the days leading up to and immediately following the event. Read on for a sneak peek at what's in store for SAVOR Beer Week DC, which runs from May 30 to June 5. (But grab a hankie because the list will make you drool.)

Kick-off events don't get much better than the craft beer and crab fest that Policy is planning for all day Monday, May 30. What better way to spend your Memorial Day than chasing down some softshells with beer from Heavy Seas, Flying Dog, and Dogfish Head?

The active planners at Flying Dog are leading the pack with events so far, starting with a book reading with CEO Jim Caruso at Kramerbooks on Tuesday. Caruso will mostly likely read from the works of Hunter S. Thompson, the "Gonzo" journlaist who is near and dear to the brewery and its founders. The same night Flying Dog has invited Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, Calif., for a double brewery event at The Big Hunt. On Wednesday, the Frederick, Maryland, brewery is hosting a late night comedy showcase at the Gibson Guitar Showroom. On Thursday, Flying Dog is throwing a brewers symposium draft night at ChurchKey featuring beers from several breweries participating in SAVOR. Finally, on Saturday Farmers & Fishers will serve a beer pairing brunch featuring Flying Dog brews.

RFD is pulling out the big guns again, with their "Toast to SAVOR" tasting event scheduled for Wednesday night and the annual Lupulin Reunulin on Thursday. The Lupulin slam began as a best India Pale Ale contest between teams of east and west coast brewers. These days it is a brewers' reunion that brings big names like Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewing Company, and local legend Bill Madden of Mad Fox Brewing Company in Falls Church to the stage for a night of beer, and often, comedy. RFD will also be the site of one of several SAVOR after parties on Friday night.

ChurchKey has an excellent line-up with events every night and a Saturday brunch featuring paired courses from the breweries they host over the course of the week. Standouts include a Sierra Nevada beer dinner at Birch & Barley on Tuesday and a tap takeover night with Short's Brewing Company of Bellaire, Michigan, on Thursday.

Pizzeria Paradiso is planning a five-course pairing dinner on Monday at the Georgetown location and a brunch on Saturday at the Dupont Circle location featuring two special breweries. The Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria locations will see two draft nights throughout the week as well. At this point the participating breweries are a secret but they are sure not to disappoint.

The Black Squirrel will be partnering with New Holland Brewing Company of Michigan for a special event sometime over the weekend. On Sunday evening, the ladies of Black Squirrel will be hosting an educational beer and food pairing event for women in the new downstairs bar that will showcase some of the biggest female names in the beer industry.

Scion in Dupont Circle is teaming up with Allagash for a paired tasting event on Wednesday featuring some of the Maine brewery's rarest beers. The list includes Odyssey, a barrel-aged dark wheat ale, Victoria, a Belgian-style ale brewed with 150 pounds of Chardonnay grapes, Big Little Beer, a collaboration with the founders of Beer Advocate, and Vrienden, a brew made with New Belgium Brewing Company of Colorado.

The Big Hunt is planning some fun stuff for the week, with the marquee event being a tap takeover with Evolution Brewing Company of Delaware on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Rustico is hosting a Sierra Nevada meet the brewers night and glassware giveaway at the Ballston location. On the same evening in D.C., Capital Lounge will be throwing an event with Great Lakes Brewing Company.

Iron Horse has some unique stuff planned including a backwards SAVOR, called "ROVAS" which will run Monday through Thursday evenings. For opposite week, all craft beers will be $5 a pint and light domestic beers like Miller and Bud will be $10 a pint. Iron Horse is also hosting a tap takeover of beers featured at SAVOR on Friday night and a SAVOR after party on Saturday.

Brewery Ommegang has a full week of events planned including beer dinners at Smith Commons and Meridian Pint on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. There will also be Ommegang beer featured at a SAVOR after party at Brasserie Beck on Friday and a brunch at Granville Moore's on Sunday.

Brunch fans will be pleased to know that in addition to the wealth of options already listed, both Saturday and Sunday Bourbon in Glover Park will be putting on a "Beer Can Revolution" brunch featuring beers from DC Brau, Oskar Blues, Avery, and Butternuts.

There are also rumors of a beer bar bus tour with Dogfish Head brewmaster Sam Calagione Saturday afternoon starting with a book signing at D'Vines in Columbia Heights.

All event details are tentative. For udpates, keep an eye on our D.C. Beer Events Calendar.

Logo by Joel LaPointe developed through a contest with DCBeer.com, Premium Distributors and the Brewers Association

It's that time of year again. SAVOR is coming to town and with the national craft beer and food pairing event comes a week-long beer party for D.C. Tickets sold out in record time this year, but thanks to the local bars, restaurants, and distributors who take advantage of so many talented brewers being in town for SAVOR, you have plenty of opportunities to taste many of the same beers being served and meet several of the same brewery founders and brewmasters who will be at SAVOR.

The Lagerheads haven't decided if the best way to prepare for an entire week of drinking is to hydrate and get extra sleep now or start drinking to get our livers warmed up. Whichever route you choose, we hope this list of beer events for SAVOR week (a.k.a. D.C.'s Unofficial Beer Week) will help you make good decisions about where to spend your sobriety. (If you prefer a graphical representation of this info, check out our DC Beer Events Calendar. Our tired fingers thank you.)

TUESDAY, JUNE 1

• [LH PICK] East Coast Craft Beer Cask Party at ChurchKey – Leading up to SAVOR, ChurchKey will pour rare casks and drafts and give away glassware from five East Coast craft breweries: Harpoon, Dogfish Head, Peak Organic, Heavy Seas, and Flying Dog. 4 to 8PM.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2

• The Clash of the Titans at The Red and The Black – The event will feature Great Lakes Brewing Company's Lake Erie Monster and Harpoon Brewing's Leviathan, two behemoths among beers. Music provided by Nathan Robinson (of Archivist) and friends. Glassware giveaway. 5 to 8PM.
• Anchor Humming Ale Release Party at ChurchKey -Anchor's new seasonal release, Humming Ale, will be featured on draft and multiple other Anchor offerings will be available. 6 to 9PM.
• Flying Dog Meet the Brewery Night at Pizzeria Paradiso – Both Pizzeria Paradiso locations will have a special selection of Flying Dog beers including Barrel Aged Gonzo, Locally-Roasted Coffee Stout, and a firkin of Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. 5 to 8PM.
• [LH PICK] Three Floyds Tasting at the Brickskeller – The three brothers from Indiana who started Three Floyds Brewing Company will be on stage at the Brick leading a tasting of eight FFF beers, including their Alpha King Challenge winning beer. 6:30 to 10PM. Tickets $35 at LoveTheBeer.com.
• Heavy Seas & BreweryFans.com SAVOR Ticket Giveaway at Elephant & Castle – Loose Cannon IPA will be available for $1 off. Get a raffle ticket for every Loose Cannon purchased for a chance to win a ticket to SAVOR including a salon ticket. 6 to 9PM. Drawing at 9PM.
• Goose Island Sofie Tasting at D'Vines – Free tasting of the Illinois brewery's "sparkling saison" style beer, brewed with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel. Every 13th four-pack is $0.01. 5:30 to 8PM.
• Extended Hump Day Flying Dog Happy Hour at 19th – The golf-themed bar will have a late happy hour featuring Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale and other Flying Dog offerings. 8 to 10PM.
• American Craft Beer Tasting at Granville Moore's – It'll be too late for those award-winning mussels but the folks at Granville Moore's are featuring a bunch of American craft beers including Brooklyn Barleywine, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Local 2, Anchor Porter, Rogue Chipotle, Coney Island Albino, River Horse Triple and others. Free Granville Moore's glasses to the first 30 people. 10PM to 12AM.

THURSDAY, JUNE 3

• A Toast to SAVOR at RFD – Unlimited samples from 10 breweries featured at SAVOR:  Dogfish Head, Samuel Adams, Ommegang, Sierra Nevada, Saranac, Harpoon, Heavy Seas, Anchor Steam, Magic Hat, Flying Dog, Southampton, Stoudts, Peak Organic, Hook & Ladder, Cisco, and Otter Creek. 6:30 to 10:30PM. Tickets $30 at LoveTheBeer.com.
• Three Floyds Beer Dinner at Birreria Paradiso – The Floyds will guide guests through four courses and seven beers, including the super rare barrel-aged Dark Lord Imperial Stout. Seatings at 6:30 and 9:00PM. $65 includes tax and tip. Call 202-337-4936 for reservations. [SOLD OUT]
• [LH PICK] Odell Tasting at the Brickskeller – Doug Odell of Ft. Collins Colorado will speak about and serve eight of his beers. 6:30 to 10PM. Tickets $30 at LoveTheBeer.com.
• [LH PICK] The Bruery Dinner at Brasserie Beck – The Bruery founder Patrick Rue from California will host a dinner of four-courses paired with five Bruery beers: Orchard White, Saison de Lente, Rugbord, Oud Tart and 100% Barrel-Aged Coton. 7 to 9:30PM. $85 plus tax and gratuity. Call 202-408-1717 for reservations.

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

• Heavy Seas Barrel-Aged Below Decks Barley Wine Tasting at D'Vines - Taste free samples of Heavy Seas' award-winning barleywine aged two ways, in wooden bourbon barrels or cabernet barrels. Every 13th bottle is only $0.01. 3 to 5PM.
• Sierra Nevada Meet & Greet with Ken Grossman at ChurchKey – Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman will be on hand to serve some of his rare barrel-aged brews and cask ales and give away glassware. 4 to 7PM.
• [LH PICK] Sam Calagione Book Signing & Dogfish Head Tasting at D'Vines – Owner and founder Sam Calagione will be selling and signing his book Extreme Brewing. Guests can taste Fort on draft at the store. Free Dogfish Head glass with book purchase. 5 to 6PM.
• Harpoon Brewery Night at Scion – Six Harpoon Brewery beers will be available: IPA, UFO, Munich Dark, Leviathan Imperial IPA, Leviathan Big Bohemian Pilsner, and 100 Barrel Series Single Hop ESB. Food and beer pairings available a la carte. 5 to 9PM. RSVP to joanne@scionrestaurant by May 31, for a free bottle of Harpoon UFO.
• Great Lakes Lake Eerie Monster Debut at DC Bread & Brew - "Release the Kraken!" will feature Great Lakes Brewing Company's Lake Erie Monster and free glassware giveaways. 6 to 9PM.
• Magic Hat Beer Dinner at Policy – Alan Newman, co-founder of Magic Hat Brewing Company in Vermont, will lead a beer dinner upstairs. 6 to 9PM. Call 202-387-7654 for reservations.
• Terrapin Brewmaster Meet & Greet at Rustico - Meet Spike Buckowski, brewmaster and cofounder of Terrapin. Enjoy casks of Hopsecutioner dry hopped with Centennial Hops, Hop Karma Brown IPA aged on wood with vanilla, Gamma Ray Honey Wheat Wine, their newest Side Project, and #11 Boomshakalager. Terrapin pint glass giveaway. 6 to 9PM.
• Abita Bayou Beer Tasting at Eatonville – Meet and greet with reps from Abita Brewing Company in Louisiana and taste six different beers in draft and bottle, plus Abita Root Beer. Admission includes first beer and passed hors d'oeuvres including Fried Oysters, BBQ Shrimp and Exotic Gumbo. Live New Orleans-themed Music. $10. 6 to 8PM.
• [LH PICK] Lupulin Reunuless at the Brickskeller - Without key competitors, a Lupulin Slam reunion (Lupulin Reunulin) is not possible this year. Instead a new lineup of big names in craft beer will be on stage to talk about their beers. Speakers include Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada, Kim Jordan of New Belgium, Rob Tod of Allagash, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Greg Koch of Stone, Nick Matt of Saranac, Bob Pease of the Brewers Association, and Bill Madden of Mad Fox Brewpub in Falls Church. Doors at 6PM. Program 7 to 10:30pm. Tickets $50. [SOLD OUT]
• Meet the Brewers Night at Pizzeria Paradiso Georgetown – Meet brewers Phil Markowski of Southampton and Matt Brophy of Flying Dog and enjoy several great American craft beers from Flying Dog, Southampton, Ommegang, and Victory. Markowski will have copies of his book, Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition available for purchase and signing. Surprise guests and beers are highly likely. 7 to 10PM.

SATURDAY, JUNE 5

• [LH PICK] Stone Founder Meet & Greet at Rustico – Stone co-founder Greg Koch and hoprageous Stone beers including double dry-hopped Stone IPA, 10th Anniversary Blend Imperial Russian Stout, and a cask of Ruination IPA. 11:30AM to 2PM.
• Coronado Tasting with Rick Chapman at Best Cellars Clarendon – Beer tasting and bottle signing with Coronado founder Rick Chapman. 1 to 2:30PM.  More info: 703-741-0404.
• [LH PICK] Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Tasting at Commonwealth – A fundraiser and networking event for women in the beer and hospitality service industries to meet the Women Chefs of D.C. A selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie will be paired with three beers from Rogue Ales by Chef Jamie Leeds and Rogue Advocate Sebbie Buhler. 2 to 4PM. $10 WCR members; $20 non-members. RSVP online.
• Coronado Tasting with Rick Chapman at DeVinos – Meet Coronado owner and founder Rick Chapman at a tasting featuring Mermaid Red Ale, Islander Pale Ale, and Idiot IPA. 3 to 5PM.
• Stone Tasting at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits – Featuring five Stone beers: Levitation, IPA, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Smoked Porter & Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. 3 to 6PM.
• SAVOR: an American Craft Beer & Food Experience at the National Building Museum - Attendees will enjoy a reception-style sampling of sweet and savory appetizers and 140 craft beers from 70 breweries and a chance to converse with the brewery owners, brewers and representatives. 7:30-11pm, $95. [SOLD OUT]

SUNDAY, JUNE 6

• [LH PICK] The Bruery and Allagash Brunch at Pizzeria Paradiso Dupont - The Bruery founder Patrick Rue and Allagash founder Rob Tod will lead guests through a six-beer four-course brunch.  Beers include The Bruery's Hottenroth, Tradewinds Tripel, and Coton and Allagash Black, White, and Curieaux. 12 to 1:30PM. $60 includes tax and tip. Call 202-337-4936 for reservations.
• Coronado Founder Meet & Greet at Rustico – Meet founder Rick Chapman and drink two Coronado beers on cask, Irish Stout and Nutter Brown. 2 to 5PM.
• [LH PICK] All 'Ale the Ladies: Women of Craft Beer Meet & Greet at the Black Squirrel – Enjoy great beer, food pairings, and door prizes at this educational event. Featured guests include Sebbie Buehler of Rogue, Gwen Conley of Flying Dog, Julia Herz of the Brewers Association, Carolyn Smagalski of BellaOnline, Ellie Tupper of Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ales, Kelly Zimmerman of Heavy Seas, Erin Tyler of Legends Limited and Susan Greene of Global Brewers Guild. 6 to 8:30PM. Info online. [RSVPs FULL]

MONDAY, JUNE 7

• [LH PICK] Schlafly Happy Hour at The Big Hunt – Meet and greet with co-founder and brewmaster Dan Kopman from St Louis Brewing Co., makers of Schlafly Ales & Lagers. On draft will be the 2010 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner- Kolsch, APA (American Pale Ale), and the just-released AIPA (American India Pale Ale). Bottles of a rare Schlafly 750 ml will also be available to purchase. 5:30 to 7:30PM.

Photo by Eddie Arrossi Photography

Craft beer fans love David and Goliath stories. We rally behind our favorite small independent breweries as they battle against the big beer bullies. Anat Baron's documentary Beer Wars and last year's Vermonster vs. Monster debacle illustrate this age-old tale.

Another such underdog story is that of Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly. From co-founder Tom Schlafly's book synopsis:

In 1991, St. Louis lawyer Thomas Schlafly started Schlafly Brewery as the city's finest micro-beer in the shadow of the world's biggest beer maker, Anheuser-Busch. Despite legislative shenanigans that tried to limit how many barrels he could brew and resistance from local distributors, Schlafly took an abandoned warehouse in midtown St. Louis and has turned it into one of the nation's most successful micro-brewers.

Technically, Schlafly beer is already in D.C. We recently spotted some reserve bottles hanging out on Chris Schmid's impressive beer list at Policy. But the Missouri brewery's true launch is happening Monday at ChurchKey. Starting at 6pm, lucky patrons can order from nine Schlafly brews, snag free glassware, and chat with co-founders Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly about their brewery and line of well-crafted beer.

Most exciting are the six D.C. launch party exclusive drafts the "Show-Me" state boys are bringing with them–Schlafly's complete series of special release bottle-conditioned and barrel-aged beers (photographed above). Now that's a debut! Read on for the full list.

ON DRAFT:

BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL STOUT – This Imperial Stout is aged for several months in freshly-emptied Jim Beam bourbon barrels, where it picks up caramel and bourbon flavors, and the essential character of oak.

OAK-AGED BARLEYWINE – Schlafly Barleywine is aged on new Missouri oak; a nutty character is added to the beer as it soaks into the wood.

BIERE DE GARDE – This French-style Farmhouse Ale with delicious spicy-sweet malt notes has a touch of ale-ish fruit.

TRIPEL – Hearty with a golden hue and rich, fruity character, this ale is light in color but fuller bodied than many darker ales.

GRAND CRU – The golden-colored strong Belgian ale is fruity and spicy, with a medium body and effervescence that make it seem light and dry despite its strength.

QUADRUPEL – Schlafly Quadrupel is, as its name implies, a serious beer, with a rich, malty backbone that is generously balanced by fresh hops to create a luscious, smooth character.

DRY-HOPPED AMERICAN PALE ALE – An American Pale Ale with hops directly added into the finished beer to boost the fresh, fruity flavor and aroma of American hops.

KOLSCH – A golden-colored, medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing ale that is well balanced and mild mannered.

ON CASK:

DRY-HOPPED AMERICAN PALE ALE – This is the same beer as the draft version but further dry-hopped in the cask with Cascade and Chinook hops

Photo by Peter Skwiot Smith used under a Creative Commons license

Y&H got a little crabby last week.

Last week was one for the books: The Lagerheads found a cache of cool beers, two different sources reported that Top Chef would fire up stoves here in the District, and one of the city's own top chefs was suddenly without a job. 

And what was one of the top items? The "news" from May 2009 that Spike Mendelsohn was evicted from his apartment. WTF? Seriously, WTF? The best I can tell, no single Web site drove traffic to the page. Hundreds of readers came through Google searches.

Your Top 5 from last week:

1. Enzo Fargione Fired from Teatro Goldoni (*)
2. Dangerously Delicious Pies and Ezme Set to Open Next Week
3. Policy Lays Down the Law With Rare Beers
4. A Day in the Life of the Maine Avenue Fish Market
5. Spike Mendelsohn Evicted from His Capitol Hill Rental House

* A certain light-drinking Budweiser beer was, once again, a popular item among readers, but we’ve stopped counting it.

We never thought beer would bring us back, but last week we struck gold when we stopped in for the SXSW Sneak Peek event hosted by Flying Dog, Brightest Young Things, and ESL Music. Hidden inside the chic resto lounge is an impressive beer selection that includes some of the rarest bottles on the East Coast. Read on to find out which ones...

At the time of our visit, Policy's drafts included the usual suspects like Brooklyn Lager, Allagash White, and Magic Hat. But also available was Dogfish Head Old School Barleywine. With an ABV of 15%, this big beer is no small investment to have on tap, and not the kind of beer we pictured party-goers drinking while shaking their booties.

Our beer bias flared up again when we saw the drink list had almost 60 beers, with six drafts, a couple dozen canned beers, about 15 large bottles, and just under 20 "longnecks." Alongside staples like PBR and Miller High Life, Policy offers beers from craft can breweries like 21st Amendment, Butternuts, and  Oskar Blues, with five of the six styles the popular Colorado brewery distributes.

But what flipped our lids was what we found casually listed among the list of big bottles. Three months after DC's known stock of Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head’s collaboration beer Life & Limb had been wiped out (or so the beer geek community thought), Policy was still pouring it. And if that wasn't enough of a shock, they also carry two beers from Russian River, one of the highest-rated and most sought-after breweries in the US, if not the world.

Policy's rare bottles are not cheap. Consecration, a sour oak-aged ale, and Damnation, a Belgian-style strong golden ale, will run you around $30 a bottle. Yeah, that's pricey, but since Policy is the only place we have seen Russian River in DC, we expect they will have no problem selling it.

It was time to find out who was responsible, so we tracked down Policy's Beverage Director Chris Schmid and Manager Jordan Davidowitz. Schmid, who is one of the DC Beer Week organizers, takes advantage of beer laws that make it easy to import alcohol into DC. He has been getting Russian River from Philadelphia, one of the only places the brewery is distributed on the East Coast, and then pays the required fees and taxes to the District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) office so he can sell the beer in DC.

In doing this, Schmid also contacts breweries directly. Many are receptive, but some do not want to distribute geographically beyond where they can make sure their product will be in good condition and treated well (which is often the reason a brewery will not distribute somewhere).

When asked which beers Schmid was most proud to have he said, "We've had Rock Art Vermonster and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and we have Schlafly's Reserve Oak Aged Barleywine. I love that beer." Davidowich added, "We've been under the radar so far." We'll say, but not for long. Policy is aging kegs downstairs and Schmid is trying to get a keg of Russian River's Pliny the Younger, the jealousy-inciting beer that is rumored to be at the bottom of the bar raids in Philly earlier this month.

According to Davidowitz, Policy is a modern chic restaurant and lounge with an aggressive cocktail and beer list. "We're not a Birch & Barley, but we take beer very seriously." The Lagerheads agree, but now that we have shared Policy's secret with you, please remember to leave some beer for us.

Another week of beer lies ahead. Tonight you can enjoy a multiple-course meal paired with Dogfish Head beers at Scion in Dupont Circle. If you like the neighborhood but aren't up for a full-fledged affair, head over to The Big Hunt for a limited preview of Great Lakes Brewing Company's new spring release Belgian-style witbier Holy Moses.

On Thursday, you can mix beer and rock (a perfect combination) at Policy with the Flying Dog/Brightest Young Things/ESL Music SXSW Sneak Peek party featuring performances by Gina Rox, Sitali, Photosynthesizers (Richmond, VA), and more. Saturday night is the 2010 Brewer's Ball to beneift the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event will allow as many as 800 guests sample from almost 20 local and regional breweries, including Dogfish Head, Clipper City, Flying Dog, Williamsburg Aleworks, and Capitol City.

Find more details by clicking on an event in our DC Beer Events Calendar above.

MJ and Chimp: Not part of Policy's pop-culture decor

Last night, as I was hanging with restaurant designer Walter Gagliano, we stopped at Policy to check out the interior at this new 14th Street hotspot. Gagliano had plenty of interesting things to say about the restaurant/lounge, far more than I thought any human being could possibly have for a spot that looks, essentially, like an S&M dungeon with designer cocktails.

But as we were sitting there, dipping our toasted pita into a trio of spreads, I couldn't help but notice the music. It was one Michael Jackson tune after another. Finally, after about the sixth song from the King of Perpetual Adolescence, I turned to Gagliano and asked, "Have you noticed the music? It's all Michael Jackson. Do you think that's on purpose?" It didn't seem to fit the vibe, nor the target audience, that Policy was aiming for.

Gagliano appeared perplexed as well and wondered if Policy didn't have a jukebox tucked away somewhere, to which an obsessive MJ fan was feeding a bank roll of quarters.  Neither one of us had the desire to go searching the joint for that possible secret jukebox.

Later, as I was standing on the sidewalk and talking via cell to Amanda Hess to relate Gagliano's thoughts on Policy, The Sexist told us the bad news: MJ was dead. It all suddenly made sense, and I had a newfound sense of respect for Policy for dropping all pretense at hipness in order to mourn a man/child whose once immense talent had been reduced to an unfortunate freak show. I wish I could go back to that moment at Policy and relive it, knowing what I know now. The experience would have been far different.

If you haven't read them yet, Walter Gagliano also shared his thoughts on two other 14th Street/U Street spots: Cork Wine Bar and Station 9.

Photo by dalbera via Flickr, Creative Common