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” »

When I was little I once saw a Family Circus cartoon in which the father, on Independence Day, thanked China for their fireworks, Germany for their picnic of sausages and coleslaw, and so on. It was about as funny as, well, Family Circus — but the message stuck with me.

So on that note, I remind those of you stuck in the imports section of your beer store that America is home to the world’s most diverse beer selection, including many of the finest and certainly the freshest. This Independence Day weekend (I’m starting mine today), buy American beer. If you have a friend who thinks Stella Artois is the gods’ gift to Belgium, send ‘em this way for a list of proper American substitutes.

• Heineken (or Stella Artois) — Of the imports on this list, Heiney’s the one I’m least offended to get for free at a party. But it’s still just the Budweiser of Europe. If crisp, clean lagers are your thing (and in July, they’re certainly mine), try Stoudt’s Gold Lager or Sierra Nevada Summerfest.

Read More “On July 4th Weekend, Buy American Beer” »

Boy did The Brickskeller get it wrong. They hosted a tasting Thursday with Carol Stoudt, “Queen of Hops” at Stoudt’s Brewing Company, at which they would also be selling sample pours of rare and vintage beers. The website declared:

Many of these extremely rare beers will never be offered again so if you miss the worlds (sic) sexiest Grandmother you are missing the grandmother of all extreme beer lineups too!

I’m not protesting the “sexiest grandmother” title — that’s a lose-lose argument — but the ‘Skeller’s mistake was in touting the “extreme” beers when the true star of the night was Stoudt’s lineup of quiet, balanced, even conservative offerings. With so many American microbreweries scooping up hops by the ton and barrel-aging anything that foams, a crisp pilsner or a well-executed hefeweizen can be damn refreshing.

Stoudt’s is a family-owned brewery from Adamstown, Pa., about half an hour from Lancaster, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. The family opened a German restaurant in 1962, which is still open today under the name Black Angus. The brewery was born in 1987. German heritage can still be seen in many of their beers, most notably their wheat and lager offerings, both of which use yeast from the heralded Weihenstephaner brewery. (Weihenstephaner was my personal favorite from last summer’s Wheat and Lowdown taste-off.)

Of the eight beers we sampled, not all were stellar, and there were one or two I wouldn’t drink again. But without fail, every beer nailed two things: carbonation and mouthfeel. All of the brews were full on the palate — light and refreshing where appropriate, but never fizzy or watery. These are hard things to get right, especially with the lighter styles Stoudt’s specializes in, and compared to the hop bombs of late, their line-up was restrained, balanced, and almost zen. I think they helped my chi.

Read More “Cool Hand Carol: Stoudt’s Beer Flaunts Their Zenlike Balance at the Brickskeller” »