(Photo by Mr.TinDC)
It’s DC Beer Week, and there are plenty of opportunities to drink the weekday blues away. If alcohol isn’t your thing, enjoy musical performances or learn about D.C. history through art and literature.
MONDAY, AUGUST 20
YO HO: Arrrrr you ready for the work week? Of course you’re not. One fool-proof way to pretend the weekend never ended is to drink yer face off. Co-presented by Brightest Young Things, Heineken AfterWork: Treasure Island Edition! is a pirate party for all you land lubbers who love cheap beer. With $5 Heinies all night long and a treasure hunt, you can drink up, me hearties, then use the DIY message in a bottle station to let your boss know you’ll be taking a sick day on Tuesday. (La Vie, 6-8 p.m. FREE)
VINTAGE BREWS: Typically, if someone offered you a really, really old beer, you might think twice about drinking it. But there’s nothing typical about Amsterdam, 1940, the brew you’ll be sampling at A Beer and Bite Back for a Night (in addition to being atypical, it’s also fresh, not some rusty can rescued from a dusty attic). The recipe for this historic lager, which no one has allegedly made in 78 years, came from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Enjoy the beer, a pimento-cheese stuffed potato, (another recipe from the archives), and an illuminating panel discussion featuring the Smithsonian’s Katharine Mead, author/historian Garrett Peck, and beverage research firm Lost Lagers. (Right Proper Brewing Company, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., $22)
GET DOWN: While we’d like to be motivated by soothing sounds like windchimes and soft guitar, sometimes it takes a little more to get our butts in gear for yoga. That’s what makes Yoga in the ‘Haus in Clarendon so great: it’s an hour-long vinyasa class accompanied by DJ Thunder Bunny. Just register for the class here, then email eatYOGAdrink@gmail.com to request your favorite song that really just makes you wanna downward dog. Celebrate when you’re done with a drink of your choice. (Courthaus Social, 7 p.m., $22)
MORE: Absinthe Minded (The Royal, 8:30 p.m., free entry), Life Drawing (Hillyer Art Gallery, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., $10-$15), Modern Israeli Cooking: Rosh Hashanah Edition, (Sixth & I, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $40-$45), Brassie with Doe Deer (Songbyrd Music House, 8:30 p.m., FREE)
(Photo by Lorie Shaull)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 21
AGING WELL: Happy almost-50th anniversary to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, which opened its doors to the public in October 1968. It was also the year marches, riots, and protests left a permanent mark on our city’s history, making the year a major one in D.C.’s timeline. One Year: 1968, A Book Discussion Group is a joint effort between staff members from the Portrait Gallery and the DC Public Library. On the museum side, you’ll learn about portraits featured in the exhibit One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey. After the tour, library peeps will lead a discussion on Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos, a work of historical fiction set in 1968 Washington that tells the story of two brothers: a Vietnam vet and a cop. (National Portrait Gallery, 5:30-7 p.m. FREE)
BARREL OF FUN: Watch local breweries duke it out in the 5th Annual Battle of the Barrel-Aged. The winner will get to pick next year’s beer or barrel style, and brag for the next 12 months. Right Proper won last time around and picked white wine barrels. Who’ll make the best brew? Come find out, then vote for your favorite. You’ll taste four ounce pours of each beer to help you make your decision. (Boundary Stone, 5:30-9 p.m., $27.50)
TRIVIA BOUT: Have you ever thought “Hmm, I could totally take on the DC Rollergirls“? Us neither! At this trivia night, however, at least you won’t get your butt literally kicked. A ticket (purchased at the door) will get you two beers and an entry in a raffle. Start thinking of your team name now: This is a group that has members named Bunsen Burn Her, Ella Fistgerald, and Mean Latifah, so you’ve got your work cut out for you. (Denizens Brewing Co., 6 p.m.-9 p.m., $25)
MORE: Marvel Cinematic Universe Trivia (Pinstripes Georgetown, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., FREE), Year of the Anacostia Community Trash Cleanup (Capital SUP DC, 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., $10 kayak rental), Drawing Night at Milk Bar (Milk Bar Logan Circle, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., $27.03)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22
AFFORDABLE OPERA: Do you enjoy high-brow art in low-brow settings? Leave your evening wear at home and still get your culture fix at Opera on Tap. The group sings musical theater and opera songs in bars, while eating fried finger foods and working the room. You don’t need to be a performing arts geek to enjoy the selections from Carmen, Cosi Fan Tutti, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Hamilton, The Great Comet of 1812, and more. The company members will explain what’s going on in each song before belting it out. (Wonderland Ballroom, 8 p.m.-10 p.m., FREE)
OUTDOOR CONCERT: Didn’t quite get enough use out of that beach chair this summer? Use it to rest your bum at a show. Strathmore’s summertime Live from the Lawn series is winding down. You can catch one of the last shows this year, featuring the Mark G. Meadows Sextet. D.C. jazz musician Meadows has played alongside the likes of Bobby McFerrin and Renee Fleming. Pack a picnic and come hear him and his band for yourself. (Strathmore, 7 p.m., FREE)
THE FIRST LADY OF BEN’S CHILI BOWL: Ben’s, that landmark of the U Street Corridor, turns 60 this year. On Wednesday, the restaurant is celebrating with an all-day tribute to Virginia Ali, who opened the palace of half-smokes with her late husband, Ben, in 1958. It starts with a daytime block party concert, featuring Maysa, Rare Essence, Soul Searchers, Peace Makers, and more. It’ll be followed by a tribute gala at the Lincoln Theatre that night. Or just stop by the bowl for lunch: All proceeds at all Ben’s Chili Bowl locations on Wednesday go to the Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation. (Block Party: Ben’s Chili Bowl, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., FREE; Gala: The Lincoln Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $60-$150)
MORE: Discover Your Backyard: Great Hikes Within and Around the Beltway (S. Dillon Ripley Center, 6:45 p.m. $35-50), Chris Hedges – America: The Farewell Tour (Politics and Prose, 7 p.m.-8 p.m., FREE)
(Photo by Alicia Griffin)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23
BATTLE HUNGER: It’s time for a juicy showdown. Local burger makers are flipping their finest recipes for the title of “Burger King”… er, okay, not that. The second annual DC Burger Battle will feature nearly a dozen restaurants, including Hill Country, Rebellion, Bullfeathers, and more. Your ticket will get you a burger sample from each participant, all-you-can-drink beer, music, and access to lawn games, and a photo booth. Proceeds benefit So Others Might Eat. (National Building Museum, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., $30)
WHEREFORE ART THOU, ROMEO?: Theater can be an expensive habit, but Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Free For All summer series makes it easy to enjoy the performing arts. This year’s selection is Romeo & Juliet, directed by Alan Paul. You probably know how the romantic tragedy goes, but you might not know how this free ticket thing works. The two main ways to score seats are to either enter in the online lottery, or to physically get in line a few hours before the show. (Sidney Harman Hall, 7:30 p.m., FREE)
TREKKIES ASSEMBLE: Are you more Original Series or The Next Generation? DS9 or Voyager? No matter: come together with your fellow Star Trek fans at a live show of The Greatest Generation, a podcast all about the show we know way more about than we may like to admit. At this event, hosts Benjamin Ahr Harrison and Adam Pranica will discuss the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Knowledge of Klingon not required, though it couldn’t hurt. (Sixth & I, 8 p.m., $25-$30)
MORE: Fresh to Death tap takeover (Pizzeria Paradiso Dupont Circle, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., free entry), MoonLit: Written and Unwritten on the Body (Femme Fatale D.C. pop-up store, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., $12.61)
