Beltway Beer

Every year at Christmastime I hop a plane and leave the DC rat race for Houston, where I grew up. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Spoetzl, a great Texas brewery, had put out a winter seasonal called Shiner Cheer. They don’t usually do Christmas beers, so of course I picked up a sixpack.

It ended up being my favorite winter seasonal last year, by far, hands-down. It’s a dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and pecans, and it was pretty much heaven in a glass. I remember a really great peach aroma, not sweet at all but the peach flavor definitely came through and really complimented the dunkelweizen style well. Creamy, full-bodied without being syrupy, yet extremely easy to drink. I don’t usually go for fruit-imbued beers (Magic Hat #9, Raison D’Etre, or anything else), and even lambics I’m a little iffy on. So that not only did I tolerate this one, but actually liked it, and in fact loved it, was surprising. The only thing I regretted was not buying more; after I demolished that sixpack, I couldn’t find any more of it anywhere. So this year I asked my nephew to set aside a case for me, which’ll be waiting when I step off the jetway on Dec. 21.

I hear that in January, Shiner Cheer will be replaced on the Spoetzl production line with yet another new winter seasonl called Shiner Frost, a Dortmunder-style beer brewed “with a hint of peppermint.” Too bad I’ll be leaving on Dec. 31!

“Frost is the first offering in Shiner’s 2010 seasonal portfolio and our first Dortmunder-style brew. It has an appealing profile with a pale golden color and notes of honey and subtle floral hops. And like our Texas winter, it’s crisp and refreshing – like a frosty morning.”

So, a few weeks ago a reader wrote to me asking where in the area he could find a good selection of craft beers to slot into his brand new Kegerator. What’s a Kegerator, you ask? Take a seat, my child, and I shall tell you.

Simple answer: It’s a way to serve draft beer at your house.

More complicated answer: Kegerators will hold and tap a mini-keg, so you can pull yourself a fresh pint of your favorite brew whenever you want. Sure, anybody can get a keg and tap it, but the key to keeping it around for longer than one manic Saturday night is to have something to keep it chilled. Most domestic kegs aren’t pasteurized, so without refrigeration, the beer inside will go stale pretty fast.

I personally don’t have one, but only because I just don’t have the room in my cramped apartment. If I had more room, you can bet I’d be adding one of these to my decor. They’re also a little pricey, running anywhere from $250 or so for a “mini kegerator” that can hold about a 5 liter mini-keg, on up to $1,500 and more for fancy setups that can hold either an entire full-sized keg, or several mini-kegs all at once.

Some folks with more of a DIY bent make their own, using a kegerator conversion kit and an old fridge. For the curious (and handy), here’s how a couple of intrepid souls made their own: here and here.

Your kegerator purchased and/or built (feel free to come build one for me later), now you’ve got to stock it with beer. After surveying the area’s eminences gris for the best spots in town to get or special order kegerator kegs, here’s the cream that floated to the top. Most or all of these do special orders:

DC proper:

D’Vines in Columbia Heights. (3103 14th NW).
Wine Specialist in near Dupont Circle (22nd/M). I personally can vouch for them, knowledgeable and friendly.

NOVA:

Norm’s Beer and Wine in Vienna. (136 Branch Rd. SE) Norm is, apparently, the man. I hear that if it’s gettable, he can get it.
Total Wine in Springfield. (6801 Bland St.)
Westover Market in Arlington. (5863 N. Washington Blvd.) Extra bonus, they keep their keg lists online here.

Southern MD:

Perfect Pour in Columbia. (6630 Marie Curie Dr.)
Gilly’s Craft Beer and Fine Wine in Rockville. (2009 Chapman Ave.)