For those moments when I am eating well and want a beer for just that, I have my go to girls. So here is my list of best beers in DC for eating well and beering well...
Pick number one: Gulden Draak (Dark Triple) - This is what I consider a Belgian without peers. I had it on tap at Mussel Bar in Bethesda and again in a bottle at Beck's in DC. I have heard it said that Lucifer uses it to tempt the damned. This ale is so eminently drinkable that, were it not for its coma-inducing 10.5% ABV, entire countries would favor it over water.
I think it smells a little bourbonesqe with some chocolate scents--what you wished the nape of the neck of your girlfriend smelled like. The alcohol smell is very subtle but resides in the tail of the drink, but not nearly as much as one would expect due to the alcohol content.
Once in your mouth, the flavor moves from brown sugar and dark fruit to that chocolate resident in the aroma. There are hints of vanilla, oak, apricot, plum and a little port. There is a little bite from the hops to round out the whole mess.
Pick number two: Aventinus Weizen Eisbock (Forget the impossible name) - I am told that an Eisbock stands for "lager that will kick your ass" but don't quote me. This is a very nice dark hazy brown beer with a pretty hefty punch, at over 10.5% alcohol. Pouring this is a joy, like chocolate milk for big boys, in fact as I was pouring it my first impulse was to dip a cookie in the glass.
It pours rich and thick with a creamy head. It has as sweet and spicy nose, and with that German banana-nut-bread and cloves pinch. There is a chocolaty under tone somewhere under the spices. Good beer reminds of good girls - and this one has a distinct intoxicating feel in your hand that makes you not want to put her down.
This beer drinks incredibly well and goes with any bar fare. The taste has a short tail, where you can really feel the alcohol dryness at the end.
Pick number three: Westmalle Trappist (Dubbel) - I stubbled on to this one some time ago and it remains one of the best bar hook-ups I have had. I am generally not a fan of the Dubbel style beer, but this one is a real keeper. As soon as you pop the cap, the smell is right there - apricots, brown sugar and a hint of tobaccos. I like the color purple on ladies and this one wears it well, it is the shade of dark purple eye shadow of a girl I know.
Although not as sweet as I remember Dubbels, this one still maintains that syrup under and over tones. There is a base note of yeast and barley combined with well brewed espresso. I like beers poured in the glasses for which they were intended. The glass designed for this one is a strong goblet. It is a sexy and sipable beer that will likely cause you to crave a smoke when you are done with your encounter.
Pick number four: Oud Beersel Gueuze (Sour) - Okay, over the years my beer palate has grown and my affinity for a gueuze is a fine example. If you haven't had a gueuze you may need to sample a few before you agree or disagree with my choice. I gueuze is to beer what a cougar is to females, until you try it, you won't understand what the crazy is all about.
The Oud Beersel is like a Champagne of beers, it pours blond and bubbly and has a gentle bite. The bottle comes corked like a bottle of wine and as soon as you pop it, the smell of funk and green apples explodes. This beer actually opens up, I think because the smell needs to atenuate and the bubbles need to settle. After a minute, the fruitiness and crispness is apparent from the nose to the stomach.
Tart and sour, the golden brew gives way to some of the crispest and best palate cleansing available in a beer. It has a little more acidity and a lot less hop then the typical beer. I find one bottle to be enough and it isn't the most drinkable beer, but it's ability leverage taste and refresh is really unsurpassed.
Pick number five: Kasteel Rouge - If they made anything called a desert beer, this one is the winner. I like the bit and hoppiness of a beer, I mean I think that is what beer means. However, the diverse range of today's beers makes exploring a treat and this beer is worth going off the standard brew list.
This beer pours hazy and cloudy reddish brown color with a small foamy off white head with fair retention that rescues to a thin lacing cap. It blows strong aroma that includes cherries and spices. Absent from this beer is the typical bitterness in its slightly syrupy feel. It drinks very smooth for the alcohol level, but is still sips well due to big flavor and sweetness. No alcohol noticed other than a warming after the finish.
