There are lots of reasons to be in Washington, DC this coming week, May 12-17.  It’s American Craft Beer Week, so you guessed it, beer is the reason I’ll be in the Capital from Monday through Saturday for lots of business, great beer and food.   Let me start at the end of the week and work backwards.

            On Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and then again on Saturday evening the Brewers Association will be hosting SAVOR; Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience.

            Enjoy a reception-style sampling of your choice of 35+ sweet and savory appetizers and 96 craft beers from 48 American small craft breweries. Converse with the luminaries of the craft beer industry - brewery owners, brewers and representatives will be on-hand - serving you your beer.  Meet and listen to presentations by an A-list of beer and food personalities, including Boston Beer founder and brewer Jim Koch, Dogfish Head founder and owner Sam Calagione, award winning California brewing legends Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing Co.) and Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey Brewing Co.) as well as Senior wine editor at Food & Wine magazine, Ray Isle, Dave Lieberman, chef and TV host on the Food Network and Marnie Old, award-winning sommelier and Director of Wine Studies at the world-famous French Culinary Institute in New York City.

            The event is surely to be a food and beer lover’s paradise and I’ll be there for all three sessions helping to host and toast America’s beer drinkers.  Savor will be held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW. Times: Friday, May 16 from 6:30 to 10 and Saturday, May 17 from 12:30 to 4 (this session already sold out) and 6:30 to 10 in the evening. Admission: $85; Click to link to ticket information and event details. No tickets will be sold at the door. Event information also call 1-888-822-6273.

            The Brewers Association is also a hosting a reception for Congressional members and their staff on Thursday afternoon.   Not open to the public, this event is a widely attended event which will feature several of the nation’s top craft brewers and their beers in an effort to promote awareness of the 1,400 small American brewers (and their beers), their business challenges and the contributions these small businesses make to their local communities.  Did you know that the average American lives within 10 miles of a brewery?

            Monday through Wednesday I’ll be participating in a Legislative Conference with the nation’s brewers and beer distributors.  With all this stuff going on it’s easy to confuse the issues and the reason why all this is important.   In my eyes it’s all about the beer drinker.  Creating value and helping assure that Americans are able to enjoy the flavor and diversity of America’s great beers.  Brewers are one of the most heavily regulated types of business in the country.   Misconceived regulations, fees, rules and taxes can dramatically and quickly threaten the operations of a small brewing business.   That’s why I and hundreds of others are in DC the earlier part of this week, helping to make sure that our congressional leaders are aware of the challenges of making great beer and offering a choice to beer drinkers.  It’s not all hops, malt, yeast and water.   But I’ll be enjoying some of the best.  Just as you can this week.

            Just to mention a few other activities, check out the Brickskeller and RFD’s events calendars for their line up of beer personalities and beers.  Also offering some special beers and brewers is Rustico Restaurant and Bar and Birreria Paradiso.   

What’s in my glass?

Last week I was in the German town of Hohr-Grenzhauesen to present the World Beer Cup awards to the European winners.  Hohr-Grenzhauesen was once a historical center for the countries ceramic industry.  Now with Chinese imports at a lower price (and quality) the town’s ceramic industry has evolved to host a world center for beer glassware design, production and distribution.   A tour of the Sahm Glassware facility provides a fascinating insight into how beer glasses “happen.”   The sight of tens of millions of empty glasses in their warehouse and their production facility is impressive and to tell you the truth, thirst provoking.   I filled one of those glasses with one of my favorite German Pilseners, Bitburger.  

Freshness and “local” is a virtue I embrace.  The fresh Bitburger Pils I enjoyed in Germany had a lively freshness which imported bottles in America don’t come close to replicating.  It’s a long way from Germany to America.  No brewer will disagree when I say the closer you get to a brewery the better their beer tastes.  So although there are great reasons to enjoy local beer where ever you are, there is justification to travel the world to try other local brews.  I was working late. 

        Bitburger Pils, topped with an attractive and lasting dense white head of foam, lacing the sides of the glass.  Served at a cool 55 degrees F (by my educated guess) and not at taste numbing near freezing temperatures orchestrated perfectly between sweet malt character and the floral and earthy signature of hops.  I was intoxicated more from the flavor and aroma than the alcohol.   Never ever drink beer with value out of a bottle, always pour into distinctive glassware.  Glassware enhances the enjoyment of beer more than most people realize (more on this in another essay).   A little exercise I always execute whenever I enjoy beer is to inhale while taking the beer into your mouth.  The mingling of beer aroma and flavors is music unto itself.  Gotta go.  Beer time.