Reef Cask (14 May 2005)

[MeridianFC]

Just heard from Brian that it'll be a pin of JW Lees Harvest Ale done in a sherry cask.

Oh yeah.

[Fritz_Hahn]

You mean April 14, right?

[MeridianFC]

How dare you correct me.

:o

Er....yup.

[TedE]

Crap. My streak of missing good casks at the Reef continues. At least this time it's because I'll be at Opening Day and not sick or late at work ...

[chazwicke]

I've got a vintage bottle of this in my beer cellar along with bottles aged in whiskey, port and Calvados. they are all from 2003. I have regular Harvest Ales from 1989, 1997, 1998, and 1999.

[chazwicke]

Who is going tomorrow evening? I've got a meeting of the Local DC area Breweriana Collectors on Friday evening and the Brickskeller tasting on Sunday. I'm not certain that my wife would take kindly to my heading out Thursday as well. Then again, Maybe she wouldn't care.;)

[MeridianFC]

I'll be there.

[Fritz_Hahn]

I'll probably hit the Rodenbach first, though -- I expect the free Duvel will go faster than the Reef's cask.

[MeridianFC]

You're probably right, though bear in mind that it's only a pin not a firkin.

[Katefan00]

Not sure how tonight will go for me; very busy this week... all depends on work. I would guess that I'd be more likely to make it to Brick though given that it's literally three blocks away from my office.

K.

[MeridianFC]

The Mrs. MeridianFC will be there tonight!

[chazwicke]

The Reef or Bricks?

[MeridianFC]

Reef. I don't get off work till 6:30pm.

I you're going to be at the Brick you should definitely stop by the Reef it's all of 10 minutes away (by car).

[Wit Memo Jeff]

Why are all these casks (Reef, Cap City) on Thursday, the one day each week that I don't work downtown?

[Katefan00]

FYI, John Harvard at Metro Center supposedly has a cask all the time. Last time I was there it was their Sucker Punch IPA which was pretty decent.

K

[chazwicke]

I just read a poor review of John Harvards on DC beer. It has been a while since I was last there. The reviewer said the beers were off and the service and food were not good either. He wondered if JH had gone down hill recently. I can't say because it's been a year of so since I was in the DC JH.

[Katefan00]

Well, I was there about ... two or three weeks ago, and the reviewer is mostly right. My waitress was not as familiar with beer styles as you might expect at a brewpub. However the service was very attentive, if a bit misguided. The bar was PACKED with a combination of tourists downtown for the theaters and after work-ers, but the tables weren't busy considering that it was a Friday night.

The beer was spoty. I thought their IPA, both cask and not, was pretty decent. But I also ordered a glass of their Belgian-style offering and was disgusted to find that it was absolutely SWIMMING in yeast. I'm not talking about a fine fuzzy haze, or even a good bit of floaties, I mean you couldn't see through the glass for all the yeast -- it looked like a raging storm, like someone had poured a half cup of flour in there. If it had settled (it didn't), it probably would've been half an inch thick on the bottom of the glass. My waitress brought it out to me and said "I don't know if this is any good or not -- or if this is just the Belgian style, but... if you don't like it, let me know." I immediately said, I'll go back to the IPA.

So, like I said, the IPA was pretty decent. But the place does have its problems.

K.

[chazwicke]

Your description of the Belgian matches his exactly. I've had decent beers there before and have also eaten there and was not dis-satisfied. I'd like to try the Pale Ale on cask.

[MeridianFC]

I was at JH a week ago and the place is looking a bit run down at the heels (I believe the whole JH oraganization is in some form of bankruptcy protection at the moment). The service I got at the bar was ok, but I could see plenty of other slacking floor staff near by. Someone needs to come in and kick a little service folks ass. Side work and cleaning were not getting done.

The cask was good but that's all I had. The local JH (and its previous incarnation as Dock Street) never wowed me but they have managed some decent brews. I'll definitely go back for the cask and will try some of the other brews.

[chazwicke]

I suppose I better get down there before things get too bad for them. I was in a JH outside of Boston a month or so ago and it was packed and the beer, service and food were fine. Even though they are a chain, I hope they survive.