What are you drinking right now?

It apparently takes a hefty bribe for a restaurant to get a liquor license.

 

I didn't think this was possible in 2016, but I went into a new bar in Georgetown, DC, Wednesday, and it had 50 beers on tap and I had not had a single one, NOT ONE, of the 50. They also have about 400 different bottled beers but I didn't bother to look at a list of those.

Anyway, I took a photo of the draft list. (A little dark, I didn't want to turn on the flash). A LOT of Belgian imports. I was gobsmacked.

Damn, photo is too large to upload. New iPhone images are too big for SJ. I can't figure out how to resize it at 5 AM. Any suggestions?

Anyway, the bar is called Sovereign, and it's two bars in one building. The lower level, where I went with my gf, was dark, well appointed, cozy. The barstools were an incredible pain - they are nice, square with a seatback, and they swivel - but there were enough of them that they were packed tightly side by side and you had to pull them three feet out from the bar just to get around them and to the bar rail.

The upstairs bar, which we didn't visit, is where the Georgetown students hangout. That's where I'm going next time.

tbf, if you haven't decided on a school yet, you should weigh Sovereign into your Georgetown decision making.

The beer I got was recommended by the bartender:

Prairie Artisan Ales - Funky Gold Mosaic. Dry hopped sour ale from Oklahoma. (Oklahoma! WTF! Probably my first beer from OK). It was on sale - normally $20, got it for $9. I had selected a Mosaic draft from Anchorage and this bottle was great and a better price.

I have now concluded that a future DC / Balto outing ought to be a pub crawl in Georgetown.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

I can not stand Sour beers. Or Saisons. Or Bourbon Barrels.

 

I haven't had many. I've found a few to be rather salty. One thing about the beer mentioned above is that they served it cool, not ice cold. That actually might have helped my enjoyment of it. I've recently learned (duh) that warmer beer brings more of the aromas out, if you can get past the mental hangup of, hey, my damn beer isn't that cold. I checked with the bar, and they store different beers at different temperatures deliberately.

I'm telling you. This bar, their bartenders and their beer curator know their stuff. Impressive.

 

Sankaty Light Lager from Cisco Brewers of Nantucket. Very good with my liverwurst on rye.

 

I can't see myself paying $20 for a beer.
I cringe dropping $8 for a pint of Guinness.

 

Mrs. Whitman and I are enjoying Old Fashioneds as we prep for Christmas Eve dinner.

My brother and I are splitting a barrel-aged Three Floyds Moloko milk stout tonight for the occasion.

 

Yes. Most of the Shop Rites, at least in North NJ, have a Shop Rite Liquors right next door to the Shop Rite.

 

Singlecut Beersmiths Bon Bon 2XIPA. A very good double IPA. In NYC, Other Half in Brooklyn seems to get the most hype and has been the most sought after beer for the past couple years. Singlecut is very close, and it's a lot easier to drive and park there. The tap room also is great, very high ceilings, brick walls and a projection TV on the wall, made it like watching Jets-Pats in a movie theater. They also have an impressive album collection and play good classic rock.

 

Coors Light.

 

We will soon be opening the champagne. Perrier-Jouet tonight. That's with the smoked salmon on crackers. Three courses for dinner, three different white wines, a St. Veran for the oysters, a white Bordeaux for the lobster bisque and a California chardonnay for the crab cakes. My son and daughter have done all the cooking and my daughter who works for a wine exporter in France supplied the wines. All I have to do is the washing up, which I don't mind that much when I've been drinking.

 

Coffee. Getting a jump on tomorrow's Christmas dinner for the folks down here in Honduras who weren't able to go home. Turkey, three-cheese scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, dressing, and maybe a broccoli and corn casserole if I can find another dish ...