Where Spotted: The Red Derby, 3718 14th St. NW
Price: $4/can
Lemonade Stand: I’m usually the first to rail against fruiting up any beer, and if I’d actually seen the server drop off my beautiful blue can, already soiled by a lemon slice smeared across the lip, the two of us would have exchanged some words. But I turned around and she was gone. When I can’t be particular, I’ll be lazy, so in went the fruit and down went the beer-lemonade. And, it wasn’t half bad.
Wit’s End: Well, the beer half was bad. Wittekerke is the malt liquor of witbier, not as strong but thick and cloying. While proper wheat is fast and bright, this one is weighed down with thick, syrupy malt. But that dubious squeeze of lemon suprisingly brought the flavors into balance, changing the beer just as a sunny rooftop patio can suddenly change a man who hates fruit.