Bluejacket Lagerfarm

Where in Town: Bluejacket, 300 Tingey St. SE

Price: $6/14 oz.

Dial M for Meticulous:

Since opening in 2013, Navy Yard’s Bluejacket has produced more than 200 beers—from delicate 3-percent-alcohol Berliner Weisses to hard-hitting, barrel-aged barleywines and everything in between. With an unapologetic commitment to making beers they want to drink themselves, beer director Greg Engert and head brewer Josh Chapman do whatever it takes to get each brew exactly where they want it to be. This includes giving a beer the extra time it needs before rushing it to the draft lines, as well as tweaking recipes from batch to batch. With Lagerfarm, they have done both—and the latest results are a home run.

Going, Going, Gone!

Originally brewed late last year with Sebastian Sauer of Germany’s Freigeist and Monarchy labels, Lagerfarm was meant to marry the crisp, refreshing qualities of a lager with the rustic characteristics of a farmhouse ale. In the previous three runs, Bluejacket’s house farmhouse yeast took center stage, but this time a cooler fermentation temperature has allowed the lager yeast to shine. The current version also uses Hersbrucker and Hallertau Blanc hops rather than Perle hops, resulting in subtle floral and fruity notes alongside the beer’s prominent white bread, lemon, and hay aromas and flavors. A touch of wheat to Lagerfarm’s Pilsner malt base adds body. The unfiltered, 4.9-percent-alcohol brew is perfectly refreshing for Nationals pre-gaming. Better get some while you can: Lagerfarm sells out quickly and takes two months to make again, thanks to the conditioning time needed to get the beer just right.