Let's talk good beer

Do it. and get the chesapeake pizza. Delicious old bay pizza topped with crab and asparagus. yum...

I miss living in Gaitherburg. It was great to get home from work and meet up with the boys at DFH and watch the Caps dominate. Its weird how when the caps had their playoff run, every bar turned into a sports bar.

Can't wait until the Skins bring that back.
I know what you mean. Used to live a stone's throw from Lakeforest Mall (Walkers Choice Road), and when Dogfish Head first opened, it was our go-to place because not a lot of people had discovered it yet. Not a big asparagus fan, so my fave was The Alfredo Cajun. I'd either get that or the Chicken and Shrimp Club. I do play softball around the corner from there, so one of these days, I'm going to have to stop in after ball to grab something to eat.

Damn right Matty. Love fall brews. I'm currently loving the Rogue Dead Guy IPA. It's not a fall beer per se, but one of the best IPAs I've ever had. And pretty much anything that Brooklyn makes is money.

No doubt

This doesn't so much offer up a tip on a new beer to rush out and try, because everyone's had it, but I just love it and rejoice for this time of year because of it:

Sam Adam's Octoberfest

Just awesome.

Hard to go wrong with anything from Sam's, but yeah the Octoberfest is probably their best.

Brooklyn Lager is pretty money. It's not hard to hammer through a six pack of them and be good and buzzed without even realizing.

GM, correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall you celebrating the beer selection at the liquor store near the Avalon Theatre at the Chevy Chase circle, yes? Well, if you're an IPA fan, you'll find the Two Hearted IPA by Bells Beer at that store. Bells is a Michigan brewery that has entered the DC market with a bang. I went to an event they hosted at the Brickskeller about a year and a half ago, and I love their stuff. I've recommended the Two Hearted so often that Bells ought to be paying me for the sheer scope of my advertising.

That same store carries the Green Flash brewery's IPA and Hop Head brew. Love the Hop Head. Also, wait until December for the Mendocino Brewing Company's seasonal IPA--I bought out the store's remaining two cases last year because it's so good.

Yeah that was me. Magruder's at Chevy Chase Circle has pretty much the best beer selection I've ever seen. I'd say they easily have around 80 to 100 varieties of beer at any given time. And what's nice is they change up brands a lot to keep it fresh, and I'm not just talking about seasonals. Whoever manages their inventory does a great job. Always a great variety across a wide spectrum of styles.

As to your recommendations, I've had the Hop Head and loved it. Never tried the others, but I'll look for them next time I'm in the store.

Damn right Matty. Love fall brews. I'm currently loving the Rogue Dead Guy IPA. It's not a fall beer per se, but one of the best IPAs I've ever had. And pretty much anything that Brooklyn makes is money.
love the pennant ale myself

also it's relatively inexpensive and obviously on tap everywhere when you go to NYC

Excellent micro brews out here in Colorado. I remember hearing that Colorado has more micros than any other state...

The two biggest breweries, here in Fort Collins are Odell's and New Belgium. As far as I know, Fat Tire is the only beer sold outside of the state.

Odell's Brewery
-- 90 Schilling (Amber Ale)
-- Levity (Amber Ale)
-- IPA (India Pale Ale)
-- 5 Barrel (Pale Ale)

New Belgium Brewery
-- Fat Tire (Amber Ale)
-- Mighty Arrow (Pale Ale)

As you can see, I like Ales. :)

If you ever get a chance to try any of these, I highly recommend it. 90 Schilling is my favorite beer right after Yuengling. Mighty Arrow is probably my next favorite. If any of you are ever in Colorado, come to Fort Collins and tour the breweries. It's a lot of fun, and you get to sample tasty beer for free!

Ghetto - I agree with your list of great CO beers. Oskar Blues out of Lyons is all over DC with Dales Pale and Chubb, since they are in cans. I wish Breckenridge 471 small batches would get east.

Shiner Bock is my favorite. So happy they have it here in San Diego since I could not get it in NYC. Yuengling is awesome too...really like their version of a Black and Tan also.

Recently had a local macrobrew--Karl Strauss Octoberfest that was very good.

I miss the Pumpkin Ale at the Capitol City Brewing Company during this time of year--that was damn good and tasty.

Ghetto - I agree with your list of great CO beers. Oskar Blues out of Lyons is all over DC with Dales Pale and Chubb, since they are in cans. I wish Breckenridge 471 small batches would get east.

Ah yes, Old Chubb -- a regular on many camping trips. :) Didn't know it was from Lyons. I'll have to check out the brewery sometime. I've been thinking of going on a tour of microbreweries across the state, and I'll include that one for sure.

Breck Brewery is definitely good too. I like Avalanche the best (probably 'cause it's an amber ale).

Tommyknockers (Idaho Springs) and Left Hand (Longmont) are also favorites of mine.