CRAFTconditioned

The front hall of the Heurich House. Photo by Pat Padua. Courtesy of the Heurich House Museum.

I recently wrote an article for a local blog about one of the more unique beer events in DC. Earlier this year, the Heurich House Museum began pairing historical tours with monthly beer tastings. This programming is unique because of its ability to juxtapose the historical brewing industry of the DC area with the new one.

The museum preserves the Victorian home of  Christian Heurich, owner of the Heurich Brewing Company.  When the brewery shut in 1956, it was the last operating brewery in DC until new craft breweries began to open in the district two years ago. Actively running the brewery until his death at 102, Heurich was apparently the world’s oldest brewer.

The conservatory at the Heurich House. Photo by Pat Padua. Courtesy of the Heurich House Museum.

According to the museum, the house is the most intact Victorian home in the country, was the city’s first fire-proof house,  and was very modern for its time. I found the tour both fascinating and revealing of the culture at the time.

For me, this site is a hidden gem of DC beer appreciation. I recommend it to anyone interested in local beer or local history.  The History and Hops beer events occur every third Thursday. The next one is tomorrow, with Heavy Seas Brewing Company.

Photo courtesy of Screaming Eagles

Last weekend, two of my favorite things about DC united for craft beer. As a long time soccer supporter and craft-beer drinker, I was very excited for the release of The Tradition, an American golden ale brewed by DC Brau in honor of local MLS team, DC United. So you can imagine my frustration to be out of town on the weekend it was released. I had to follow along through social media (#BrandtheBrew, #TheTradition).

There are a few things I love about this project and how it was rolled out:

• A long-time, dedicated supporter won the Brand the Brew contest with the name “The Tradition”.
• The beer was designed to be both accessible and lower alcohol (5% abv), making it a good choose for tailgates and viewing parties. 
• On the day it was released, the brewery helped to get a few growlers to a bus-load of supporters traveling to a United match (versus New England Revolution) so that they wouldn’t miss out.
• It’s the centennial anniversary of US Soccer this year, and milestone anniversaries are always a good excuse for something special.

Photo courtesy of Screaming Eagles

Yesterday, I was able to test The Tradition in the environment for which it was brewed – a tailgate with the Screaming Eagles supporters club. When choosing tailgate beers, I look for something versatile and  refreshing with an interesting enough flavor to enjoy drinking it but not so interesting it draws attention away for the pre-game social experience.

The Tradition proved to be a good choice for the sunny summer warmth of RFK Stadium’s Lot 8. Very close to a session beer (a low-alcohol beer designed for drinking multiples), it has a nice body that balances a lingering, slightly spicy bitterness. The flavor is enjoyable and present, but it doesn’t commandeer your attention while drinking it.

DC Brau also supplied a keg of their new Kolsch-style beer, Das Bier.  It’s 5% with a delicate body, soft fruit and biscuit characteristics, and low hops presence (15 IBU). This is definitely a beer I’d swing by the brewery for a growler of before a match. Apparently, my fellow supporters agreed because this was the first keg to be kicked at the tailgate.

Well done, DC Brau! You’re 2 for 2. Now, if United could just demonstrate a similar success rate….