Washington Caps--beer caps!

Angry Detroit Red Wings fans are pretty cool. Four of them said hello to me and my bike as I waited for the Metro at the Shady Grove Station. They were headed into DC for a little fun. I think the out-of-town conference was over and it was definitely party time. So where did I steer them?

Well, interest was expressed in "beer bars" (my term to them) so here's the list:

Bedrock Billiards

Brickskeller

RFD

Birreria Paradiso



It's a quick0-and-dirty list, but gets the job done if one desires copious beer choices and some cool atmospheres. Bedrock tops the list for laid-back funky with a clientele that manages to largely be hip without being pretentious douchebags. You'll find tattoos aplenty along with smiles and old friends trading insults. The tap list is short but usually has a couple good brews. The magic fridge behind the bar has an assortment of ass-kicking goodness!



Brickskeller wins on sheer volume. It's also a great hovel of a bar, particularly the basement. Server beer knowledge ain't what it used to be, but some of the bartenders are sharp and you can ask them to keep 'em coming in a certain style, and not be disappointed.



RFD is like the bastard child of TGI Friday's and a Sports Bar, with a generous helping of good taps and bottles, only because of its lineage to the Brickskeller--it's the offspring of the same owners. Great spot for belgian beers.



Birrerira Paradiso is awesome because--let me count the ways: it's Pizza Paradiso's underground beer bar. That means underground, which means cool, and Pizza from the best pizza shop in town--even cooler. It also means roughly fifteen taps of always awesome and varied microbrews. Now what else-oh yeah! A LARGE fridge full of beer bottles from around the world. Enough said. Go here. The 90's Metro buses down Wisconsin Ave will get you close. Walk, or bike the few blocks here. Hell, you could walk across the Key Bridge from Virginia, too.



I HIGHLY recommend public transportation to all these fine establishments. Bike down, Metro back. It is seriously hard to leave these places sober. I know, I have been trying for years. Trust me, I'm the son of a doctor.