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In the D.C. alcoholic beverage scene, the phrase, "Where there's a will, there's a way" has been proven time and time again. Legend has it that in the early days of the Brickskeller, Dave Alexander drove cross-country to purchase beer from breweries on the West Coast. More recently, Ledroit Brands (a D.C.-based distributor) started bringing in barrel-strength whiskey from Kentucky under the Willett brand. Even in the last few weeks, the Dolin brand of vermouth entered the D.C. market, a product that was unavailable in the States until D.C.'s own Derek Brown prodded an importer to look into it.
When there's a beverage that's unavailable in the D.C. area, someone always seems to go the extra mile to get their hands on some. Perhaps no recent example more represents this perseverance than the tale of Greg Jasgur and the Three Floyds Brewing Company.
Munster, Indiana is an unlikely place for a great brewery. Almost an hour's drive from Chicago, it's far enough out of the way that you really have to want to get there to pay them a visit. But for such a small facility (only last year did they start to aim for the 10,000 barrel mark) they put out some of the most widely sought-after beers in the country. The worldwide list of the top 50 highest rated beers on beeradvocate.com includes four(!) of their beers. In their 12 years of business, they have become most well-known for their high-alcohol, highly-hopped, so-called "Extreme" beers. Their "Dark Lord Day" event draws hundreds of beer nerds from around the country to sample the newest release of the brewery's Imperial Stout.
But since the brewery remains small, they have stayed devoted to their fans in the immediate area and have not expanded distribution to more than a handful of other states. Enter Greg Jasgur, Beer Manager at the Georgetown location of Pizzeria Paradiso.
Greg started working at Pizzeria Paradiso in 2004 and took over the role of Beer Manager in 2006, when Thor Cheston left the position. In his time at Paradiso, Greg met the brewers of Three Floyds through a mutual friend who works at Jinx Proof, the Tattoo parlor across the street. In November of last year, Greg finally conceived a plan to get some of Three Floyds' beers, and the brewers approved. Greg got on a one-way flight to Chicago and rented a small U-Haul truck for the return trip. On the way back from Chicago, he stopped at the brewery, loaded up with as much Three Floyds beer as would fit in the truck, and headed straight back to D.C.
This may sound like something out of a shady moonshine distributor's playbook, but this is one area where D.C.'s somewhat strange liquor laws come in. If an alcoholic beverage is not already distributed in D.C., bars have the right to bring it in themselves, provided they pay the D.C. Liquor Board's tax. Although the combined cost of the flight and the U-Haul end up costing around $1000, the beer is so popular that the slightly inflated cost does not keep it from flying off the shelves at Birreria: Greg has made two more trips this year, and plans to keep doing so as long as it is economically viable.
The takeaway message here is twofold. First, there are some delicious Three Floyds beers at the Birreria right now. If you enjoy bold-flavored craft beers and you haven't tried their beers yet, you should work a Birreria trip into your holiday schedule. Second, and more importantly, this is just another example of what a great city this can be for craft beverages. Hidden amid a sea of mediocrity, there are outposts of good flavor where bartenders and bar managers are willing to put in extra effort to make sure you have access to the best beverages there are. I encourage you to get out there and find them.
Three Floyds beers to look out for:
Alpha King (6% abv) - "Pale Ale". Really this is like an IPA from any other brewery. Lots of citrus in the nose and flavor.
Gumballhead (4.8% abv) - Hoppy Wheat. Like an IPA ran into a German hefeweizen: banana and clove meld with citric and herbal hops.
Robert the Bruce (7% abv) - Scottish Ale. Malt complexity rules here: bread, toasted nuts, caramel, raisins.
Blackheart (9% abv) - English Double IPA. Herbal, earthy hops, big malt presence, warming finish.
Moloko (7% abv) - Milk/Oatmeal Stout. The lacto character balances the oats, and this is a full-bodied, delicious dessert beer.
Pride and Joy (5% abv) - "Mild" ale. 5% is low for these guys, but this beer is anything but mildly flavored. Full hop aroma with nice thirst-quenching dry finish.
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Sweet....
dude needs to get some ommegang rouge up in that bitch!
I greatly enjoy Birreria Paradiso - and the availability of Three Floyds is one of the things that consistently makes it a destination for an evening of beer geekdom.
love pizzeria paradiso, and love denman's suggestions.
When there's a beverage that's unavailable in the D.C. area, someone always seems to go the extra mile to get their hands on some
I dunno, I haven't seen anyone in DC hunting down the Southpaw.
thanks eric. will have to make some extra effort to check these beers out!
you forgot Dreadnaught IPA. Next to Dark Lord, it's probably one of the most sought after brews on tap.
Jaynuze: I didn't mention Dreadnaught because Greg wasn't able to get any this time around. Should probably be "Three Floyds beers available at Paradiso" instead of "Three Floyds beers to look out for"
"Munster, Indiana is an unlikely place for a great brewery."
Why is it unusual to find a brewery in a small town in Indiana? Especially when it's called 'Munster.' Anywhere German immigrants have settled, there will be good beer. Small, local breweries may not be as common as they were fifty years ago, but they certainly weren't invented by some greasy longhair in Portland...
edenman: OOH ... I didn't realize they're all available there! My liver just got the chills! Are any on tap, or are they all in bombers?
Excellent. As a recent transplant and a lover of a delicious beer, I would be interested in hearing about some of the dcist folks' favorite beer bars in the district. I know about the Brickskeller, of course, but what other hidden gems are out there? I was pleasantly surprised to discover the size of The Big Hunt's selection and their reasonable (for Dupont) prices.
I fondly remember buying the Dreadnaught at the Whole Foods on Wisconsin a few years ago. I'd kill for one right now.
they've had Dreadnaught on tap at Paradiso before ... rumor is that they blew through the keg in less than one business day.
Jaynuze: when I was there on Friday doing "research", Gumballhead was on tap. Before that was Pride and Joy. I believe he got 15 kegs this time around, so there will probably be one of them on tap for the next few months.
PhillyPhilistine: The Big Hunt is also a favorite of mine. Other notables include RFD, Belga, Beck, Saloon, Reef, Bourbon, and I've recently been hearing good things about the Black Squirrel, of all places. Probably forgetting some, but that's off the top of my head. Also, here's the article I wrote on Belgian beer bars last fall.
Thanks for the info ... I will have to try and stop by there for a few beers this week.
Good job summing up, edenman.
Anyone have an update on Birch & Barley/Churchkey?
TheTim: February/March is the latest estimate I've heard.
Thanks edenman...that opening can't come soon enough.
philly--
try the wonderland ballroom, 11th & kenyon. they've got a bunch of good ones on tap.
alpha king is the BEST BEER EVER.
actually, i take that back. there are two Sweetwater Brewery beers (another beer that has NO DISTRIBUTION) that I like better. Alpha King is 3rd.
Sweetwater used to distribute up here (well, at least they did in Charlottesville) but they scaled back for some very annoying reason around 2004.
Maybe it's just my memory being foggy on account of the booze, but didn't Three Floyds used to be readily available at the Brickskeller and your better beer shops in the area?
Did I just make that up in my own mind?
Second Saloon and Reef. Nobody goes to Big Hunt anymore. It's too crowded.
Rustico is still worth the cab ride from Braddock Road Metro. A selection comparable to Brickskeller, but unlike Brickskeller, Rustico will have your first choice. You don't have to have 5 alternate beer choices because they're out of your first four. And their seasonals are right on target. I just wish the kitchen would get its act together. Their "mac & cheese" is nasty, and their tuna "gyro" makes no sense at all. Stick with the burgers, pizzas, and excellent twice-fried frites, and wash them down with a cask ale.
Ummm this is story is lacking a black trans-am, an orangutan, a surly sheriff and a mustache. Until then, I will stick to Total Wine, they have quite the impressive selection.
problem is, monkey, that rustico and alexandria is usually a bit of a hike for a lot of us...
Maybe. But unlike Paradiso in Georgetown, there IS a Metro near Rustico.
It's not a "problem." It's an "opportunity."
The Three Floyds products are not new to the District. A couple years ago, Whole Foods (at least one of the D.C. locations, I don't remember which) was carrying their Alpha King Pale Ale. It was delicious. I haven't seen it around in a long time, though.
"Maybe. But unlike Paradiso in Georgetown, there IS a Metro near Rustico."
Ahh but the guys who run the food n beer at Rustico are opening a new place in logan circle! And with the new, larger paradiso opening in dupont... LONG LIVE DAS BEER HALLS!!
I dub thee, "Borderstan Biergarten."
as a beer snob, there is absolutely no place like the brickskellar. don't they even hold the world record for most out of stock beers on a menu? it's like 1000 or something! and they have quite the impressive selection of beer on tap for a beer bar.
Saloon is definitely a favorite.
Gordon Birsch... shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath, but as a large establishment it does have a very nice Winterboch right now.
Capitol Brewing co's Bourbon Stout is delicious.
Brickskellar... you have to know what you're doing: either order while standing infront of the glass case, so you know they have it. OR, go upstairs to the taps. Much prefer the taps.
No shoutout to Lost Dog Cafe in Falls Church?
if youre a 'beer snob' then you must know brickskellar blows and has turned to shit in the last 5 years.. they have about a third of the beers on that menu.. and its run by dicks.
@hungeegirl - I have also been hunting for Sweetwater brews ever since I left Atlanta a few years back. I can almost taste the 420! Oh, the pain!!
I understand that local-regional distribution is part of what keeps these 'hard-to-get' beers special: it's easier to manage the quality of the product if you don't get too big. But in this age of technological gizmotrons, can't we get this figured out? You can order Domino's pizza from your TiVo for Chrissakes, but we have to travel to South Carolina to get Sweetwater?
...the terrorists have won.
yes carn, i am aware. and i stand by my assertion that there is no place quite like the brickskeller
i look forward to the borderstan biergarten!