Capital City, the first and one of very few brewpubs in the DC region, organized and sponsored its annual Oktoberfest event in Shirlington yesterday. The gorgeous fall weather was a major factor in my attending. It would have been criminal to spend too much time inside and what better way to enjoy the sunshine then sampling new beers.
For $25 we were given a wristband, a 4 oz sampling glass and tickets for beer (I was given 10, Em 8...score). There were 30 or so breweries, dozens of food vendors and traditional German music and dancing. We arrived at 1:30 and had to wait in line for nearly 20 minutes to buy our tickets, but once in, the lines for beer were fairly short and manageable. I was really impressed by the organization and efficiency in general. There had to be several thousand people milling about (I bumped into many of them) and yet we had no trouble finding places to stand, sit or refill our glasses.
I was unsure what I'd find, in terms of beer offerings, but there was an excellent selection on hand.
Notes on my samples:
- Heavy Seas: Marzen (4 time GABF winner) - excellent
- Southern Tier: Back Burner Barely Wine, 2XIPA - both awesome
- Sweetwater Tavern: GAR Pale Ale (GABF Gold for ESB). A local and beloved brewpub.
- Sierra Nevada: Tumbler - good brown ale
- Oskar Blues: Gordon
- Firestone Walker: Nectar IPA (a subbrand I assume?) - this beer was my #1 pick, amazing
- Blue Point Brewing: IPA
- Avery: The Kaiser - Outstanding, my #2 - these guys do everything right
- Vintage 50: Can't recall the sample, but was good. Another local brewpub
- Willamsburg Aleworks: Brown ale - so-so
- Terrapin: Hop Karma IPA & Pumkinfest - both great
The waiting is the hardest part. The line to buy a ticket:
One of the 30 beer tents in action. Functioning with military precision:
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