The Brickskeller is a bar located at 1523
22nd St, NW, in
Washington, DC, near
Dupont Circle, and is perhaps the
beer lover's
dream. That is, they probably have one of the largest
beer lists in the world: The first time I went, a few years ago, they featured
600 beers. Up until recently, the old, beat-up sign out front read
850, but now is up to
1000.
The Brickskeller is a two-level
establishment, but the two rooms are not really connected. Besides, you really want to be downstairs, anyway. One will quickly find the name
apropos, as one makes the way down a
narrow staircase, into the
cavernous belly of this bar. It is
dusky and
dingy.
One should not, by any means, let this scare him off, however. There is good music on the
jukebox, and the walls are decorated with
beer cans, new and old, which make for great
conversation starters -- when's the last time your local grocery chain marketed its own beer?
The food varies in quality, but as mentioned, the main draw of the
Brickskeller is the sheer selection of
beers. All customers are handed a menu, which is theirs to keep, that contains several pages of both
domestic and
imported beers, broken down by state and country, respectively. You want
Aass? It's there. You want
Skullsplitter? No problem.
Moscova? They've got you covered... usually.
Ok, so it is true that you should have a second, and perhaps third choice ready, should you
desire one of their more popular
fringe beers. On the other hand, all of the waiters and waitresses who work there tend to have a very good knowledge of the beers, and can easily make a quality
recommendation. Personally, I
gravitate towards the
Quebecois Unibroue line of beers, but that's just
personal preference.
Of course,
we're all human, and if we drink beer, we will be frequenting the
facilities. However, there is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it brings you to perhaps one of the most under-appreciated and
overlooked qualities of this place: the restroom
graffiti. I say this for a reason: Like everything else in
DC, it's
political. You will see no "for a good time, call" or "
AC/DC rox!"
writeups. No, it is nothing but constant,
partisan bickering, and can be most amusing. You can almost imagine the guy in his suit and tie, wielding a
Sharpie.
The Brickskeller is not a place that the first-time DC tourist tends to visit, but it is certainly a place that should not be missed.
Just do me a favour. If you're with me, don't be
that guy who orders the
Iron City.