Before DC Beer Week, it's Cask Night and Day!

DC Beer Week begins on Sunday, but Friday and Saturday, there's an unofficial DC Beer Week 'soft' opening: Cask Night & Day at the District ChopHouse & Brewery.

This is the third year for this local real ale ¹ showcase, which has been a hot commodity in the past, selling out. So, this year, District Chophouse brewmaster Barrett Lauer has expanded it: "We are doing it again this year, only a little bigger and longer (no snickering)." The double date offers greater opportunity to taste cask-conditioned real ales from many local breweries, and to meet the brewers themselves (often not the case at beer festivals).

• What
  Unlimited sampling of casks, District ChopHouse fare, complimentary tasting glass.
• When
  Friday, 9 August, from 6 pm until 11 pm.
  Saturday, 10 August, from 12 noon until 5 pm.
• Where
  The upstairs Brewer's Lounge at The District ChopHouse
  509 7th Street Washington, D.C. 20004
  Closest Metro stop is Gallery Place-Chinatown (exit at 7th & F).
• Cost
  Tickets are $50 apiece, including tax and gratuity. To reserve, call 202.347.1922, or email chophousebanquet@aol.com.

As of this morning, here's the line-up of 22 cask beers to expect.

• Bluejacket (Washington, D.C.)
  - #4 (American-style IPA). Hopped with Ahtanum and Palisade; lavender added to firkin. 5.5% abv.
• The Brewer’s Art (Baltimore, Maryland)
  - Resurrection Ale (Belgian-style brown abbey ale). Dry-hopped with Northern Brewer; infused with oak chips. 7.0% abv.
• Capitol City Brewing (Arlington, Virginia)
  - The Gilded One IPA (American Style IPA). Single hopped with El Dorado. 5.8% ABV.  62 IBUs.
• DC Brau (Washington, D.C.)
  - Solidarity Summer Ale (English Summer Ale). Dry hopped with Zythos and Ahtanum. 4.7% abv. 25 IBUs.
  - Heurich’s Lager
  Pre-Prohibition Style Lager 6.8% abv.
• District Chophouse & Brewery (Washington, D.C.)
  - Solidarity Summer Ale (English Summer Ale). Single-hopped with Amarillo; dry -hopped with Mosaic. 5.6% abv. 25 IBUs.
  - Bea’s Brew. Experimental ale brewed with cocoa nibs, coffee, raisins, and Belgian yeast. Aged on oak 18 months. 7.3% abv.
  - Sour Bourbon Saison (Belgian-style Saison). Aged in an inoculated Bourbon barrel for 2 years. 9.1 abv.
• Franklins (Hyattsville, Maryland)
  - 97 Pound Weakling (American-style wheat wine) With assertive hop character. 10.1 abv. 80 IBUs.
• Gordon Biersch (Rockville)
  - to be determined
• Gordon Biersch (downtown Washington, D.C.)
  - Solidarity Summer Ale (English Summer Ale). Single hopped with Fuggles. ABV 5.1%. IBUs 30.
• Gordon Biersch (Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.)
  - Blonde Bock 25th Anniversary Lager. 7% abv. 30 IBUs.
• Heavy Seas (Halethorpe, Maryland)
  – Red Sky at Night Saison. Spiced in cask with lavender, chamomile, and jasmine. 7.5% abv. 17.5 IBUs.
• Lost Rhino (Ashburn, Virginia)
  - Tropical Thunder (American Wheat Beer). Hoppy wheat ale collaboration with Liberty Tavern and Lyon Hall. 5.3% abv. 32 IBUs.
• Mad Fox (Falls Church, Virginia)
  - English Summer Ale. Lightly hopped with Citra. 5.2% abv. 28.6 IBUs.
• Rock Bottom (Bethesda, Maryland)
  - Cocoa Brown (Scottish-Style Export). Infused with chocolate. 4.8% abv.
• Rock Bottom (Arlington, Virginia)
  - Crom's IPA (American Style IPA). Hopped with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo and dry-hopped with Citra. 5.9% abv. 75 IBUs.
• Olivers Brewing /Pratt St. AleHouse (Baltimore, Maryland)
  - Human See, Human Do (Wheat Ale). With coriander and bitter orange peel. 3.2% abv.
• Union Craft Brewing (Baltimore, Maryland)
  - Grapefruit Duckpin Pale Ale (American Style Pale Ale). Pink grapefruit zest added to firkin. 5.5% abv. 55 IBUs.
• White Marsh Brewing /Red Brick Station (White Marsh, Maryland)
  - "They Made Me Do It" Blueberry Ale (Golden Ale). With blueberries. 4.1% abv. 21 IBUs.
  - Daily Crisis IPA (English Style IPA). Hopped with Target, East Kent Goldings. 6.1% abv. 55 IBUs.

In late July, many local brewers met at the facilities of DC Brau to collaborate on a brew for DC Beer Week. Called Solidarity Summer Ale, it's described as a "sessionable pale ale." Cask Night (and Day) will be its unofficial unveiling.

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• UPDATE: Photos from Cask Night: here. Review: here.
• For more information on Cask Night & Day, follow brewmaster Barrett Lauer on Twitter at @ChopHouseBrew.
• ¹According to the Campaign for Real Ale, based in the U.K., "Real ale is a natural product brewed using traditional ingredients and left to mature in the cask (container) from which it is served [without extraneous gas pressure] through a process called secondary fermentation. It is this process which makes real ale unique amongst beers, and develops the wonderful tastes and aromas which processed beers can never provide."
• For more information on DC Beer Week, visit the festival website at dcbeerweek.net and the website DCBeer.com.