You’re probably wondering whether a place this busy and intense can make room for a watering hole where you relax and enjoy a decent beer. Not to worry. It doesn’t matter if you’re attending the upcoming presidential inauguration, looking for a staff job, chaperoning your local high school’s government class on a field trip, or planning to attend a Nationals game, there’s a variety of places to quench your thirst.

For over 50 years, beer lovers have beaten a path to The Brickskeller (1523 22nd Street NW), which boasts the world’s largest selection of beer. It can be a bit tricky to find since it’s in the middle of a residential street with less-than conspicuous signage. Once you make your way up the front steps, you can either continue upstairs to the Dining House, or follow the footsteps of other pilgrims. Open the door immediately to your right and head back down to street level and the Down-Home Saloon. The Brickskeller won’t pamper you, but it’s one of those one-of-a-kind experiences—like sharing a table at the Hofbrauhaus or hoisting a pint in a London pub where Samuel Johnson once held court—that earns it a place on everyone’s “don’t miss” list of beer destinations.

Once upon a time, Paul was a researcher in academia. Much of his work was sponsored by Uncle Sam, which required him to make the occasional trip to Washington. On one of those trips, in 1978, he met a friend at the Brickskeller. This was before anyone heard of the phrase “craft brew,” and most of the beer sold in America was mass-market lager. In those days, the Brickskeller had a large collection of canned beer, much of it directly facing the bar in a row of coolers—which are still there. Paul had spent a lot of time on the road and tried many local brands, but he’d never tried some of the beer on display and in some cases, hadn’t heard of them. The beer was undistinguished, but the cans were colorful and the bar staff let customers take them home to add to their collections. To this day, Paul regrets his decision to unload his collection: he had no idea that someone would invent eBay and turn his clutter into wealth.

The beer list—actually, it’s almost a book—has everything from Abita to Zywiec, and everything in between. As you look at it, you’ll be amazed how many more brews you’ll need to drink before you even come close to sampling everything the world has to offer. But keep trying: as Beer Travelers, we can think of no nobler goal.

Absolutely Capitol

Our next stop is the Capitol City Brewing Co. located right outside Union Station (2 Massachusetts Avenue NE). It served as the Federal City Post Office until 1986. Now, after a painstaking restoration, part of the building has become the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

With its white masonry exterior it is a quintessential Washington structure, so we were surprised to find a sleek modern interior. The large, centrally located rectangular-shaped bar surrounds copper serving tanks and immediately catches your eye. The open design also boasts a spectacular staircase that leads to a second level with the fermentation tanks and an additional dining area.

Sitting at the bar, we shared a sampler. You can customize your own, choosing between five and eight glasses, depending on whether you just want the regular rotation, or the seasonals as well. We found all of the beers spot on, and we particularly enjoyed the kölsch, a style many American brewmasters struggle with. The food menu is pub/casual and reasonably priced for the location.

By the way, there are two other locations: 1100 New York Avenue NW (at the corner of 11th Street and H Street) and 2700 Quincy Street, Arlington, VA. The first was established in 1992 as Washington’s first brewpub since Prohibition and was part of the new downtown retail area in the renovated Greyhound Bus Terminal.

The Metro, Washington’s ultra-efficient public transportation system, makes it easy to get around town, so in just a few minutes we found ourselves at the Old Dominion Brewhouse (1219 9th Street NW). As you might gather from the name, this establishment specializes in serving beer brewed at its mother ship, Old Dominion Brewery. They have 11 Dominion tap handles with both ales and lagers; and here, too, you can make a sampler to suit your fancy. Guest beers included Murphy’s and Tennants. It’s also a place where you can order any fancy or complicated cocktail your mind can conjure.

The interior is eclectic: breweriana, NFL team logos, and an unusual mural of DC icons. The sheer number of flat-screen TVs (including one inside the men’s room) gives off an unmistakable message: this is a sports bar. We half expected a talk show crew to set up shop and start fielding calls from antsy Redskins fans—and the pre-season hadn’t even started.

But that dream kept receding further into the future as one unprofitable brewing year gave way to another. Heurich figured he needed to sell at least 20,000 barrels a year to make his brewery viable. He sold one-fifth that amount last year.

On March 1, Heurich announced he was shutting off the taps. He figured that his Foggy Bottom Lager and Ale—made at the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, NY,— would soon vanish from area outlets, and that the Washington Monument-shaped tap handles would reemerge as collectibles on eBay.

Heurich is the grandson of Christian Heurich, whose brewery on the Potomac turned out Senate Beer and Ale (and other brands) until it closed in 1956 and was razed to make way for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

A disillusioned Gary emailed his supporters, “As our predecessor, the Chr. Heurich Brewing Co., learned… the Washington area is unique among major urban centers in its relative lack of a hometown spirit, and as a native Washingtonian this is something that is deeply and personally disappointing.”

Is DC a bad beer town? In 2004, District residents quaffed 30.9 gallons per capita, higher than Maryland (26.1 gallons), Virginia (29.3 gallons), New York (23 gallons) or Pennsylvania (29.3 gallons). The selection here is unparalleled: two establishments, the Brickskeller and Chevy Chase Wine & Liquors, offer over 1,000 brands. And DC has spawned a successful brewpub chain: Capitol City Brewing Co.

But Washington, DC is also, to a large extent, a city of transients who bring along their own beer loyalties. And Heurich, with his real estate dealings and many charitable endeavors, never had enough time to grow his beer business.

Heurich intended to move to upstate New York, near the shore of Lake Champlain, where he plans to convert an old pinewood barn into a brewpub and do some hands-on brewing. He leaves behind one triumph. The stately brownstone mansion his grandfather built, a.k.a. “The Brewmaster’s Castle,” has (so far) stayed out of the hands of private developers and remains open to the public, thanks in part to Gary’s efforts. The 31-room late-Victorian home (complete with suit of armor, hand-carved breakfast nook, chandelier and other luxurious furnishings) is well worth a visit after you’ve done the museum circuit. Check out www.heurichhouse.org for more information.

Congressional Plaudits

As we went to press, the Brewers Association (the Boulder, Colo.-based group that represents the interests of professional and amateur beermakers nationwide) was seeking to have Congress declare May 15 to 21 as American Craft Beer Week.

House Resolution 753, introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) and Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-New York), would commend the craft brewing industry for “providing jobs, improving the balance of trade, supporting American agriculture, and educating Americans about the history and culture of beer while promoting the responsible consumption of beer as a beverage of moderation.”

As of mid-April, the bill was before the Committee on Government Reform, and had picked up 54 cosponsors. “Rep. DeFazio went on the floor and got 50 of his Democratic friends to sign in one day,” noted BA president Charlie Papazian at April’s Craft Brewers Conference in Seattle.

Come Back With That Keg!

The Washington, DC, area, which in recent years has survived terrorist attacks, a Beltway sniper, a serial arsonist and innumerable political scandals, is now being menaced by a keg thief. A bandit in a blue pickup truck is estimated to have snatched as many as 400 empty kegs from local bars over the last couple months, according to the Washington, DC, City Paper. The thief, it’s believed, is returning kegs to liquor outlets for the $10 to 20 deposit or selling them for scrap metal. The Department of Homeland Security has yet to post a reward.