Extreme Obsession: Three Floyds Beer at Pizzeria Paradiso
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.