One man’s quest for good beer…a pint at a time! Butternuts Beer & Ale variety pack. Photo by Nick Hardt
Is there any “higher love” than my love of canned beer? As we speak I’m headed to Wolftrap tonight to see Steve Winwood, cooler stocked like Rambo’s duffle bag with silver bullets and craft cans and the answer is no. Well, sorta. I mean, I also love music too and as we all know canned beer goes hand in hand with our summer tailgating needs—it keeps the beer fresher, fits better in your cooler, won’t shatter in the parking lot, it’s environmentally friendlier, and cans just feel better in your hands don’t they boys? 
You can shotgun them, add a “speed ramp” pressing in the front to make their insides whip out like rockets, and with cans you can literally “crush” beers and “crush” the cans when you’re done. (It’s a macho guy thing, ladies, I swear). So, where should you go to reload that trusty grateful dead bedazzled cooler? Here are two stops you need to make.
Head to P & C Market (1023 E. Capitol St. SE DC; 202-391-3509; www.pandcmarket.com), a hidden gem in DC for craft can beers that also boast a great selection of wine, cheeses, and amazing sandwiches (try the Nun’s Bad Habit and the Naughty Vicar sandwich—crazy good!). Want to live life on the fringe? Grab a variety pack of “Butternuts” beers. Butternuts, you say?!! Yes, this NY brewery (www.butternutsbeerandale.com) and their variety pack features four beers that are creatively packaged and unlike anything you’ve tasted (like them or not, they are an acquired taste that will hit your pallet like a ton of bricks). The Moo Thunder Stout- 4.9%, is a delicious stout that pays tribute to the Butternuts Brewery’s former life as a dairy farm. They use lactose sugars so it’s similar to the Duck Rabbit milk stout I’ve reviewed before; thin texture, and slightly sweet with chocolate roasted malts. Rating: Moooves me baby! The Porkslap Pale Ale- 4.3%, featuring two pigs doing a belly bump is a malty so-so pale ale with
lingering salty/grassy flavor and no hops—perfect for those that don’t want to commit to the usual hop bomb. Rating: Easy drinking without the slap! The Heinnieweisse Weissbier-4.9%, is as interesting as its name. Never had a beer so weird! It’s an Americanized Hefeweizen that is wheaty/citrusy with banana notes, ending with a bready fruity finish. Rating: Perplexiweissed! Lastly I had the Snapperhead IPA- 6.3%. Love it or hate it, it is the only beer I’ve ever had that tasted like butter. Creamy and buttery with wheat malts, I rate this beer “the beer you can get Butter-faced on!” I felt like I drank an IPA with popcorn. Whaaat?
Secondly, head to my trusty beer spot near On Tap, Rick’s Wine and Gourmet (3117 Duke St. Alexandria, VA; 703-823-4600; www.rickswine.com). They always have something new in the can (and gourmet sandwiches, cheese, and wine, too!) and I love them for that. I grabbed a Tallgrass Brewing Co. Oasis Ale-7.2%, “slammer” pint can first, an American double imperial IPA with malty hop-filled rusty bitterness, yet sticky sweet ale that loves to lay heavy on your tongue as your drink it. Rating: Tonguetastic!—can’t get enough. Then I had the Tallgrass Brewing Co. Halcyon Unfiltered Wheat Beer-5%, an American pale wheat beer that is super refreshing and light. Reminds me of a Schlafly Summer Lager, minus the citrusy wheat bit. It has a certain light citrus flavor that turns into cascading hops. Rating: Holy Halcyon! –perfect for a summer tailgate! Off to the show I go!
