PICK OF THE WEEK

The very creative party planners at Flying Dog Brewing Company and local blogs J Street Beer Review and DC Beer are sponsoring a scavenger hunt of the alcoholic variety on Friday night. Teams of four will use clues to order selected beers at several bars across the city and compete for awards like “most bars visited” or “best team uniform.” Winners will be announced at the official District Beer Hunt party at RFD on Saturday night. Other participating bars include The Big Hunt, Meridian Pint, The Reef, and Smith Commons among others. For anyone already thinking of bar hopping this weekend, why not rally some friends and make it interesting?

THE REST

Beer before liquor, never been sicker? That’s not the case at ChurchKey on Monday during beer director Greg Engert’s guided barrel-aged beer and whiskey tasting. At $35 per person for samples of three specially selected beers, three potent spirits and a few small plate pairings created by chef Kyle Bailey, this event could be the bargain of the week (especially when the list of featured libations includes a 2008 Old Dominion Millennium oak-aged English-style barleywine with wild yeast and a two-year-old Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout).

This Tuesday marks the second week of Washington Wine Academy’s series of educational tastings featuring the ingredients of beer. This week’s class, led by Mike Reinitz, focuses on different types of barley and how malt varieties change the look and taste of beer. Next week the final class in the series will be on yeast.

For those looking for more of a bar night than a sit down class on Tuesday, Meridian Pint is featuring eight beers from Coronado Brewing Company of southern California. The selection, which includes staples Idiot IPA and Mermaid’s Red Ale as well as six exclusive new beers for D. C., will be $2 off from 5 to 7PM and $1 off for the rest of the night.

On Wednesday the Pizzeria Paradiso locations in Georgetown and Dupont Circle are hosting D.C. release parties for Brewery Ommegang’s new collaboration beer Gnomegang. The strong golden ale is a joint project with Brasserie D'Achouffe of Belgium, a brewery known for the gnome-laden labels on its Chouffe line of beers. Belgian yeast from both breweries was used in the beer, which was brewed this summer and clocks in at 9.5 percent alcohol by volume.

Thursday evening on H Street, NE, Bernie Van Order of Ohio's Great Lakes Brewing Company is throwing at “Bock and Brats” patio party at Little Miss Whiskey’s. A keg of Great Lakes Doppelrock German-style doppelbock will be tapped at 7PM to be enjoyed alongside grilled sausages and warmed mulled beer.

Unfortunately you would had to have planned ahead to attend Saturday afternoon’s sold out Real Ale and Barbecue Fest at the Heavy Seas (formerly Clipper City) brewery in Baltimore. Next year, perhaps…

On Sunday afternoon Red, White & Bleu Wines in Falls Church is hosting a unique beer versus wine cupcake pairing face-off. Tastings that include five beers, five wines, and five cupcakes start at 1PM, 2PM, and 4PM and cost $20.

Not to be forgotten is the Cask Madness real ale festival at both the Alexandria and Ballston Rustico locations. The firkins are meant to accompany March Madness basketball and will be poured through the end of the month.

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

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Let's assume for a moment that you don't want to grill and that you don't have any friends kind enough to invite you to their barbecue drunk-a-thon on the Fourth. Where do you turn? Well, Y&H has some options, including a couple with smoked meats for those who just can't celebrated America's birthday without an animal sacrifice.

Mmmm, animal sacrifice.

• Jamie Stachowski will be grilling his artisan sausages at Red, White & Bleu in Falls Church from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The charcuterie master will be tending the charcoal grill at the wine and gourmet food shop, cooking up veal bratwurst, kielbasa, merguez, and linguiça for customers to sample. Stachowski will also have some rabbit terrine, country pate, and other "meat surprises" to try. All samples will be free, but the shop is hoping, of course, that you'll be enticed into buying some of Stachowski's meats to take home — and maybe a bottle or two of wine to go with it.
• Mr. P, one of the top 50 performers on Y&H's 2009 Dining Guide, will be working the Fourth at his usual spot: the Safeway parking lot at Rhode Island Ave. NE. Aside from his amazing spare ribs, which are smoked to a charred, crispy, and succulent state, Mr. P will also trot out a new item: barbecued short ribs. He tells me they will be a permanent part of his menu.

• Asia Nine not only has some patriotic rolls available — the red-white-and-blue tinted Firecracker Roll and Independence Roll — but also a special BBQ Grab-n-Go Menu. The latter features such entrees as Thai barbecue chicken and Laos grilled steak, which you can have boxed with sides and ready for transport to the Mall. The specials run through July 9.
• Cashion's Eat Place is not taking any holiday on the Fourth. From 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., chef John Manolatos will be serving up a picnic spread of hamburgers, brisket sandwiches, and Maryland blue crabs. You can also call ahead and order a picnic basket for two for $40. Call (202) 797-1819.

Speaking of picnics, the Post has compiled a list of restaurants that will be packaging their food for carryout on the Fourth. And if you're looking for more Fourth-oriented restaurant specials, the Washingtonian has an authoritative list.

Happy Fourth, everyone.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery