We had the opportunity to chat with Mike McCarthy, the Director of Brewing Operations from Capital City about this years O’Fest.

BeersIn: This year’s Oktoberfest is Capital City’s 13th annual – that’s quite a few years under your belt. How did Capital City’s Oktoberfest start, and how has it evolved over the years?

Mike: Capitol City brewing Co. starting having large brewfests in the early nineties on H St. NW near our original location.  There was some pushback from other local residents and we decided to move the event to Shirlington.  It has steadily grown over the last few years with the expansion of the Shirlington Village.

BeersIn: It’s not an Oktoberfest without German food and music – what can we expect to eat and listen to during the festival?

Mike: We will have authentic German music and dancers at the event as well as Delicious German fare to enjoy with your beer.

BeersIn: Since tickets are sold at the door, I assume the earlier you arrive the better. Do you expect a sellout?

Mike: There will be NO pre-sale of tickets, and yes the earlier the better- we do not have a specific number as far as selling the event out.  We do expect to have 8,000-9,000 people in attendance throughout the day.

BeersIn: One of the most unique things about this Oktoberfest, and one that I’m excited about, is that there will be over 50 breweries sampling their beers at the festival. Can you name a few of the breweries? Will most of the beers be October/Fall style beers?

Mike: We have 102 tents at the fest and 74 have beer in them.  Everything from local pubs( District Chophouse, Mad Fox, Rockbottom, GB) to regional/national brands( Sierra Nevada, Bell’s, DevilsBackbone) as well as imports.  A full list and map are available at capcitybrew.com – just click on the Ofest banner

BeersIn: To close it out, what would you like to tell those who may be on the fence about making the trek out to Arlington for the festival next Saturday?

Mike: Our Oktoberfest event is the largest brewfest in the region and has something for everyone.  The event is free if you are not sampling beer,  it is family friendly with face painting and candy from the Shirlington Library.  We have a great setting amongst all the stores in the village and expect this year to be our biggest ever.

Thanks again, Mike!  Remember, no pre-sale of tickets, just arrive early and get ready for a great time!

Photo Credit:  Arlnow.com

Nothing says 2012 like Food Trucks and Craft Beer.  Living Social is putting on an end of the summer blowout to celebrate these two hot trends at the Fairgrounds Container Park in Southeast, DC on September 29th.

So keep the party goin’ past Labor Day – we have a few months of nice weather to take advantage of!

The Living Social deal is a good one, $35 for full access ($49 originally), which includes all-you-can drink tickets to over 100+ brews. Food from the trucks is not included.

Check out the deal here.

Located in centeral Arlington, World of Beer is unique in its own right. WOB, as its name implies, specializes on serving beer from all over the world.  With 500 different bottles and 50 taps from over 40 countries in all, your sure to find something interesting at the new WOB.  Plus, they boast over 20 flat-screens, making this location a go-to for sports games.

Check out more about the new World of Beer opening at their website.

Photo Credit:  WTOP

It’s nearing that time of year for Washington DC – Beer week.  ”Beer Weeks” are spreading like wildfire around the country, and for good reason. What’s to complain about when you have local brewers and beer enthusiest gathering together to support what they love? Nothing at all but good times and great brews. Writing that gets me all warm and tingly inside.. man do I love the local craft movement!

2012 marks the third year for DC’s Beer Week. To kick off the week, The Odyssey will be hosting a Craft Beer and Dinner Cruisc on the Potomac.  This 3-hour cruis features over 40 craft beers from all over the US. Along with great brew, the cruise promises to get weird with a DJ, full dinner buffet and a cash bar for the hard stuff.

Learn more and purchase tix at DCBeerWeek.net.  They are selling out quickly!

Also be sure to checkout DCBeer’s great guide on all of the events at DCBW.

LivingSocial is featuring a great deal on the event – $30 for VIP early admission!  This pass gets you in teh event an hour early, giving you the right to sample the first brews.

Get the deal here:  https://www.livingsocial.com/events/408582-drink-the-district-vip-early-admission-for-1

Learn more about Drink the District Here - https://www.facebook.com/DrinkTheDistrict

RFD aka Regional Food and Drink

RFD offers over 30 taps and 300+ bottles, all of which rotate frequently.  They also host charity events such as the Flip You Leukemia event that I attended earlier this year, which was a Flip Cup tournament to benefit cancer in young adults.  Great times, great cause.  Love this place.

Learn more about RFD at http://www.lovethebeer.com/rfd.html

DogD

The most popular Dogfish Head Beers include the 60, 90, and 120 Minute IPA, the Indian Brown Ale, the Midas Touch and Raison D’Etre.

To learn more about Dogfish Head Brewery visit http://www.dogfish.com/

Clipper City’s founder, Hugh Sisson, opened Sisson’s brewpub in 1989, and brought craft beer into the Baltimore spotlight. In 1995, he develped Clipper City, in order to take this newfound love for craft beer to the next level.

The “next level” can best be explained by Clipper City’s brand “Heavy Seas.” Heavy Seas is arguably the most recognizable brand among the two, and takes Clipper City’s brews to the extreme front.  The beers are bottled conditioned, leaving a small amount of live yeast in order to naturally carbonate the beer and adding subtlety and complexity to each brew.

Clipper City BeersBelow Decks

Hang Ten, Weizen Dopplebock
Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale
Peg Leg Stout
Red Sky at Night – Saison Ale
Small Craft Warning Über pils
Winter Storm “Category 5″ Ale

Evolution Craft Brewing Company was founded in 2009, when brothers Tom & John Knorr, intrigued with the artistry in beer, decided to take a risk and join forces to start a microbrewery in Delmar, DE. As a small, and relatively new brewer, Evo beer may be hard to find – although not for locals.  Evo is available on draft and bottle throughout Maryland, Washington D.C. and Delaware.
Featured Brews:

BeFeatured BePrimal Pale Ale
Exile ESB
Lucky 7 Porter
Lot No3 India Pale Ale
Rise Up Stout

For more information, visit the Evolution Craft Brewing Company website