Photo by Jon Grant

While SAVOR, the Brewers Association’s premiere celebration of food and beer, migrated north to NYC last year, it has come back to the nation’s capital with more emphasis on food pairings and expanded offerings in educational salons. On May 9th and 10th, the National Building Museum will play host to some of the leaders and rising stars in the beer industry for two nights of sensory decadence. Seventy-six breweries will bring two beers that are specifically paired with small plates to complement each other and expand beyond the sum of its delicious parts. Once again, the Brewers Association has paired with Adam Dulye, chef at Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco and culinary consultant for the beverage industry.

What makes the SAVOR experience different from most traditional beer events is the level of detail and personal touches that you cannot get at your typical beerfest. Instead of some volunteer pouring your beer and knowing nothing about it other than that it’s their ticket to a free shirt, most breweries usually have their founders or head brewers serving and talking to you about what you’re drinking. Be it the beer rockstars like Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Robb Todd of Allagash, or Jim Koch from Sam Adams, it makes it a very personal experience seeing these craft revolutionaries pouring their wares and really interacting with the crowd. The passion comes through beyond the beer and resonates whether or not you liked that particular beer.

And the food. Oh, the food. While in previous years there was mixed reviews about the pairings, this time around chef Dulye has definitely put on his game face and pushed hard to create some very ambitious pairings that go far beyond the usual stout and chocolate game. Garam masala, mole, yuzu, and lamb kefta are just some of the extensive menu items being paired with beers that are both traditional and innovative in style. For a closer look at all the pairings, DCBeer has been doing profiles on each brewery, what they’re bringing, and what plates are being served with the beers. Aside from the pairings, the cheese table and oyster bar will likely be a hit once again. New for 2014 is a smoked meats table featuring Duke’s Small Batch Smoked Meats.

Here’s the bad news: As with previous years, a SAVOR in D.C. (insert poke at NYC for having a hard time selling tickets) sold out within minutes. However, the good folks at the Brewers Association are giving DCist a pair of tickets to give away (No Matt, you can’t have them!) to our readers for the Friday night session.

So put on your brewer’s boots and thinking caps, and tell us: If you were a brewer, what kind of beer you would make and why? Let those creative juices flow be it traditional, imaginative or just plain snarky. We’ll let it ferment over the weekend and pick a winner on Monday.

Good luck!