Posts Tagged ‘The Big Hunt’
This Week: Dogfish Head at Scion, Great Lakes at Big Hunt, Flying Dog SXSW Sneak Peek & the 2010 Brewer’s Ball
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.
Tipsy Tuesdays
Tuesday has long been an excellent night to go a’drinking in DC. The Belgian Beer Happy Hour Bohemian Caverns used to have was a night we thoroughly enjoyed in our just-getting-into-beer days. We have managed to have plenty more tipsy Tuesdays as a result of the wealth of beer happy hour opportunities available in DC.
Many of you probably know about dchappyhours.com, which is the most exhaustive list of happy hours searchable by both neighborhood and day of the week. While an excellent and fairly up-to-date tool, it’s not always the most useful resource for a couple like us, who care little for wine specials or $1 shooters. So, we thought we’d offer a quick list for your convenience.
Below are The Lagerheads’ picks for Tuesday budget beer. Got other good spots for beer happy hours? Let us know in the comments–regardless of the day of the week.
Imperial Beer: Fit for a Queen
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.
Gone Rogue
There’s a lot to love about Rogue. Its a legendary brewery, featuring a prolific brewmaster, that has been perfecting ales for over 20 years. It was a forerunner in the extreme hopping trend that emerged from the West Coast in recent years (and we’re NOT talking about adventure sports for bunnies). Its brews come in beautifully designed bottles, both glass and ceramic, that are some of the most informative around in terms of what what you may want to know to fully appreciate each beer. And of course, the Rogue line is full of great-tasting, creative brews.
Regional Rogue Brewery rep Chris Lacey guided the Lagerheads through a beer and food-paired dinner at Birreria Paradiso in June. Below is our take on the the six beers (and whiskey) we guzzled and the 411 on where you can find Rogue during DC Beer Week.
