There's a BB/C in WDC

Well, well, well.

Things look as if they are finally coming together for Birch & Barley/Churchkey. Originally slated to open in April of 2008, but delayed by various building and legal snafus, this Washington D.C. beer bar and restaurant may soon be more than a promise.


Three web presences popped up today: a site for the restaurant Birch & Barley, a site for the accompanying same-building beer bar Churchkey, and a blog written by Greg Engert, beer director for Rustico in Alexandria, Virginia and soon for BB/C.

Those join BB/C's already up and running Twitter feed.

Here's a little bit of what Engert wrote in his first blog entry:

555 unique labels culled from over 30 countries, including 50 draught beers and 5 authentic cask conditioned ales in fluid rotation. We’ll also provide a multitude of exceptionally rare, often exclusive, beers on draught, cask, and among our 500 hand-selected bottles. A Cellar Stash list of obscure and vintage bottled beer
<...>
Three distinct temperatures zones will insure that the various styles of draft, cask and bottled brews attain their highest flavor expressions

Let's repeat that: 500 different bottled beers, 5(!) cask ale lines, a reserve bottle list, and 3 different serving temperatures for lighter vs. heavier vs cask beers.

Engert doesn't mention much about a menu but here's Chef Kyle Bailey talking about beer and food:

Throughout school and up until this point in my career, the focus has solely been on pairing food with wine, and while I love wine, I’ll let you in on a little industry secret – chefs drink beer.

Look for an October opening at 1337 14th Street, NW, in Washington, D.C.

• When open, BB/C will be the 9th location of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG).
  
• There's more at Washington City Paper and Beer in DC.
• Earlier stories from YFGF here and here.
• Caveat lector: I might refer to BB/C's marketing as web-savvy, but because Rustico is a client of mine, I'll leave that determination up to my readers. I sell beer and wine as a representative for Select Wines, a wholesaler in northern Virginia.