First Look: ChurchKey
Ever since it was announced more than 18 months ago that Birch & Barley/ChurchKey would be taking the place of Dakota Cowgirl and Ramrod in the Logan Circle neighborhood, anticipation has been building. The PR machines and press cranked, listing anticipated opening dates to ad nauseum. So it wasn't that surprising that more than 30 people were lined up outside of the bar starting around 4:50 p.m. on Thursday night, anticipating a 5 p.m. opening. But alas, they had to wait until 5:35 p.m. watching the delivery men roll cases of beer and liquor up the stairs. Even now, the bottles have not been inventoried and will not be available until next week.
Regardless, you still have plenty of options to choose from. The bar is stocked with more than 40 taps, and five cask ales. The menu is an education in beer, listing the type of glass the beer is served in, brewery, state of origin, and percent ABV. Four ounce tastings are available ranging from $1.50 to $7, making it easy to try a full range to discover your favorites at a reasonable price. Beer director Greg Engert has done a fantastic job of selecting beers, and we didn't see a PBR, Bud, Yuengling or Coors in the house. But even if those are your favorites, you should still be able to find something to enjoy.
ChurchKey has an innovative cooler system that sits in a loft just above the main room. Four HVAC style tubes run the lines from the keg rooms down to the taps, with each room set to a specific temperature to match the style of beer being served. Pretty geeky, but pretty great. Behind the bar, there's a ladder that goes up to the kegs for changing, and when the first keg kicked last night, the bar broke into applause as Engert climbed the ladder to change it over. It's hard to say if having the kegs above the taps is better for keeping lines clean, or just to save space, but it's an interesting feature.
The bar menu ranges from small plates like roasted potato poutine with cheddar curds and sausage gravy, foie tater tots, and sweetbread poppers to larger items like burgers, and flatbreads (with a gluten-free chickpea flour option). But let's face it, the beer's the thing. Here are some that we tried:
Allagash Curieux: This tripel is aged in old Jim Beam bourbon barrels, giving it a warm vanilla finish. Having had this from the bottle, this beer is best suited for the cask. Serving the beer at room temperature with minimal carbonation allows its sweet warmth to come through.
Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Extra! Ale: This beer is listed under hoppy, but reminds me of a citrusy wheat beer. More citrus juice than bitter peel, this is the hoppy beer that hop haters will enjoy. We recommended it to a hop-hating patron, and we got no complaints.
North Coast Brother Thelonius: This dubbel from California had hints of cherry and other red fruit with caramel, and chocolate at the finish. The low carbonation of this beer gives it an almost liqueur-like feel.
Mahr’s Ungespundet-hefetrüb: It's nice to order things you can't pronounce from time to time. Hazy and almost orange in color, this Kellerbier had a nice crisp and subtle sourness, but lacked some body. I was expecting more yeast in the flavor, which might come out better from a bottle.
Harpoon Glacier Harvest ‘09 Wet Hop Ale: Wet hopping is a style that uses hops only hours off the vine. Another friend of mine tried this beer earlier in the night, and when we compared notes later, we thought maybe the wrong keg was connected to this tap. The beer tasted like an old pilsner with something plastic on the end, with nothing remotely hoppy about it. Granted there are many styles of hops, and many ways to hop a beer, but none of them were apparent in the glass.
Stone Brewery Vertical Epic 09.09.09: The Vertical Epic is an annual limited release ale intended to age for approximately ten years. They is when Stone estimates that it will reach its peak. (Stone has been doing this since 2002, and you can track their check-in tastings on each of the beers.) A cult has built up around this beer, with bottles on eBay going for up to $200 for older bottles. The beer tastes like licorice and dark chocolate on the end. Neither overbearing, but they'll come out more as it ages. It is dark with a thick, creamy tan head. I hope they're holding on to another keg somewhere, as this seems like it will age quite nicely.
Founder's Canadian Breakfast Stout: Dark with an aroma of coffee and dark chocolate, this imperial stout tasted more like dessert than breakfast. Hints of caramel, cream and licorice, and at 9.8 percent this is one-per-night type of beer coming in 10 oz. pours.
Uerige “Sticke” Alt: Only brewed twice a year, and tapped on the 3rd Tuesday of either January or October, "Sticke" is German for secret, meaning that they don't reveal the recipe. This beer has an unusual balance of hop bitterness and sweetly malty finish. Almost like a porter in body and color, it's a great complex beer that doesn't feel the need to shock you with extremeness.
Green Flash Hop Head Red: A popular style now that mixes dry hopping with an amber ale. Very drinkable and pleasant, with an amber malt body and bitter finish.
On a bar or restaurant's first day of opening, it's foolhardy to make a proclamation like this, but ChurchKey may be the best overall beer bar in the city. Some might say that Brickskeller is better, but that's only when they actually have what you want. Others might bring up Brasserie Beck, but that works only if you prefer mostly Belgians. The Saloon has its obvious charms of quiet and board games. But if you want to talk about variety, best value for money, and beer tasting experience, ChurchKey manages to combine all of these. This is the place to get a beer education.
Additional writing by Eric Axelson