A marathon ten years of good beer

Monday evening was the 10th anniversary for the Hard Times Cafe in Bethesda, Maryland.

Owner Greg Hourigan —whose voice resonates with the silky tones of the radio announcer that he once was— told a packed house, to great applause, that he had opened his outpost of good beer (and chili) in 1998.

Monday evening was also Greg's annual Autumn beer tasting.

One hundred thirty or so good beer fans listened as representatives of various breweries described the flavors and appearance of their respective beers —mostly Oktoberfest or pumpkin beers. Afterward, when servers brought out the dozen beers one by one, attendees attempted to guess which beer was which.

Of course, success was directly proportional to the skill of the reps in describing the beers!

There was at least one good beer fan present who put the lie to the myth of the beer belly.

Two days earlier, he had successfully completed the Marine Corps Marathon. Last evening, he was enjoying his post-race carbo-loading.

The beer menu here.
More photos here.