Washington, DC

Happy SAVOR Beer Week! The masters are in town showcasing their best brews so we hope you partake in the festivities. Kelly and I attended SAVOR in 2009 when craft beer was on the verge of exploding here. (That was back in the day when tickets didn't sell out in under 10 minutes.) We had a GREAT experience - as you can see below - but since then have opted to focus on the DC area events surrounding SAVOR.

SAVOR 2009

Last night's pick: ChurchKey's tap takeover for Short's Brewing Company (DC debut!) from Michigan. They've got some unique stuff and we were jazzed to sample several of the 25. Had I known they wouldn't sell out quickly, I would have made wiser food pairings...but I couldn't help myself. The list, strangely in order:

• CARROT CAKE (Brewed w/ Carrots, Walnuts, Pecans & Spices) 5% American Amber Ale
• ANOTHER CAUCASIAN GARY (Brewed w/ Coffee, Vanilla, Milk Sugar & Brown Sugar; Inspired by White Russians) 6% American Brown Ale
• MAMA'S STRAWBERRY MILK (Brewed w/ Strawberries & Milk Sugar, Aged in Brandy Barrels) 9% Fruit Beer
• CHOCOLATE WHEAT (Brewed w/ Chocolate Malt & Wheat Malt) 6% Robust Porter
• BLOODY BEER (Brewed w/ Tomatoes, Dill & Horseradish) 7% Specialty Lager
• KEY LIME PIE (Brewed w/ Lime, Marshmallow & Graham Cracker) 5.5% American Blond Ale

The first 3 were SUPER sweet (obvi) so 4oz were plenty. And originally I ordered the Bananarama but swapped with Kelly...too heavy on the molasses and for once I preferred the brandy-aged beer. I felt disappointed by the Key Lime Pie as well and decided that fruit beers aren't my thing, even if they do have yummy stuff tossed in. If I had to order a glass of any of these it would be the Chocolate Wheat, hands down. Not too sweet, not too roasty - hit the spot. BUT my award for best surprise goes to Bloody Beer! I couldn't leave without trying it and I'll admit, I had to work up a little courage. I don't even like Bloody Marys but this had character - namely pepper - and somehow it worked!

Okay, Kelly's turn...

• HUMA-LUPA-LICIOUS 6.8% American IPA
• FREEDOM OF '78: PURE GUAVA IPA (Brewed w/ Guava Nectar) 6.5% American IPA
• BANANARAMA (Brewed w/ Bananas & Molasses) 10% Fruit Beer
• RICHARD IN THE DIRT 8% Tripel
• ANNIVERSARY ALE (Brewed w/ Blood Orange Zest & Puree & Peppercorns) 10% Wheat Wine
• WIZARD (Fermented w/ Raisins) 11% Barley Wine

I decided to go for the hoppy beers first, and I was not disappointed.  The Huma-Lupa-Licious was a great American IPA, and I could definitely taste the guava in the Freedom of '78, which was a collaboration with Half Acre Brewing from Chicago.  The sweetness cut into the hoppiness, but it worked well enough.  As Katie mentioned, I switched with her to have the Bananarama, and I was actually a fan.  The molasses flavor was prevalent but I could taste the bananas as well, very unique.  The Richard In The Dirt was a very sweet and enjoyable tripel, and the menu said this was the first time it's ever been brewed by Short's.  I finished off the night with two of the more high octane beers, and the two beers I had most hoped would not sell out.  I was in luck, and both were excellent, although I couldn't detect much orange or peppercorn flavors from the Anniversary Ale wheat wine, which was fine with me.  The Wizard was a delicious barley wine.

All in all, the selection was amazing with some incredibly innovative beer styles that you just don't see anywhere else.  We were definitely grateful that we could sample a large array of beers, and while not every one was a hit, they were all worth trying.  Well done as always, ChurchKey!