Photo by yosinator.

Photo by yosinator.

Drink of the Week: Heurich’s Lager

Where: Churchkey, Meridian Pint, Scion, and more (Full list below)

If you missed a chance to try DC Brau’s homage to D.C. beer mogul Christian Heurich at the fantastic Heurich House Museum earlier this month, fear not. The sweet, spicy lager is now in limited release at a host of bars around the city.

Heurich’s Lager isn’t a precise recreation of the brewskies Washingtonians were tossing back before prohibition, but it may be pretty darn close. Unfortunately, Heurich’s original beer recipes did not survive the vagaries of time (probably on purpose, as recipes were usually a closely guarded secret), and some commonly used ingredients of the era are no longer available today. However, thanks to the tireless researchof local homebrewer Mike Stein, we’ve got a very tasty approximation.

So what does a historic beer actually taste like? Surprisingly good, as it turns out. Heurich’s Lager starts off sweet and bready, but there’s a touch of bitter and spicy funkiness at the end — in other words, just enough of a twist to keep things interesting. And at seven percent alcohol, this easy drinker sneaks up on you. You can try a little taste of history at the following fine establishments:

  • The Argonaut

  • Boundary Stone

  • Birch & Barley

  • Churchkey

  • Clydes of Gallery Place

  • Evening Star Cafe

  • Granville Moore’s

  • Kramerbooks

  • Meridian Pint

  • Rustico

  • Old Ebbitt Grill

  • The Pinch

  • Pizza Paradiso

  • Poste

  • Quarterdeck

  • RFD

  • Ripple

  • Scion

  • Sixth Engine

  • Vermilion

  • World of Beer

    • Small Bites

    Bourbon in the basement
    Stop in Jack Rose (2007 18th Street NW) starting September 5 for their “Whiskey Cellar Series” featuring tastings and expert speakers presenting on a different whiskey each month. Head down to the intimate basement bar every Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight for some education, whiskey flights, cocktails, charcuterie, cheese and small plates. This month’s star whiskey is Kentucky bourbon, and will feature libations and guest speakers from the following distilleries:

    September 5-7: Jim Beam
    September 12-14: Heaven Hill
    September 17-19: Kentucky Bourbon
    September 24-26: Buffalo Trace

    Because nothing says Monday night football like a gigantic burger
    D.C. football fans currently have a chance to win a terrifyingly large burger in honor of the season opener game against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 9. BGR (1514 Connecticut Avenue NW) is giving away a nine-pound burger (plus six pounds of toppings and a bun) to the winning fan.That’s enough to feed a game day party of 15 to 20 people. You can enter to win through September 5.

    New D.C. restaurants continue to open at an exhausting rate
    Like mushrooms in the forest, the new restaurants just keep sprouting out of seemingly thin air. Some notable openings from this week include the adorably named Baby Wale (1124 9th Street NW), the casual sister restaurant to Tom Powers’ ever-consistent Corduroy, and Doi Moi (1800 14th Street NW), a Vietnamese small plates joint from the folks behind Proof and Estadio. The City Paper has a short and sweet line up here.

    Filed Under: DC Brau, food, Heurich Mansion, the weekly feed,