Crystal City Sports Pub

On Tuesday, I met with my college friend Laurie at Crystal City Sports Pub. They have good happy hour specials and bar food. CC Sports Pub is where you go to watch a game in the DC area - the top floor has 3 HD projector screens and the rest of the walls have as many TVs as one could possibly cram in that space. This place is a cathedral to sports. Collen would remember this place, as she's eaten there during one of her trips to DC.

In short, I had a really good time catching up with Laurie. It had been a long time since we'd been able to have a conversation lasting longer than 10 minutes, which were usually during VT football game parties at a sports pub. I tried two "new" beers. The first one really was new, while the second I had before but deserves another review.

Hook and Ladder Golden Ale: This beer left a funny after taste. It was crisp, clean, and cold. That's not a bad thing for a beer, but cold sometimes hides a beers inadequacies - kind of like parkas do for people in the winter. I thought this beer was fine to drink, but it certainly wasn't a favorite. Golden ales aren't a style that I enjoy very often.

Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown Ale: This beer is brewed in Baltimore, and despite what the ratings at ratebeer have to say, this is an exceptionally smooth and enjoyable Brown Ale. I'd call it one of the most pleasant finds that I've come across in my quest to try new beers. The best part is that this beer is really accessible in taste to a lot of people. It comes highly recommended from the DBF staff!

The scorecard:
Colleen: 205
Paul: 202

Cheers,
Paul