It’s American Craft Beer Week, the seven days each May that drinkers across the nation are rallied to put down their Buds, Heinekens, and Stellas and sip on something more interesting. The Brewers Association, the national non-profit trade group for small and independent U.S. craft brewers that organizes the week, even has a Declaration of Beer Independence for converts to sign in support.
The celebration has been going strong since its inception in 2006 when it was recognized by Congress. The annual pint party is expected to be bigger than ever this year, which should be no surprise given the growing interest in craft beer. D.C. is no exception to the trend. We saw our first production brewery in over 50 years open this spring, just months after the number of breweries in the U.S. reached a post-prohibition record of more than 1,700.
Accordingly, many local and regional brewers and craft beer-focused bars and restaurants are pulling out all the stops this week, as well as several venues that may not be known for their beer programs but are serving craft beer with fervor, even if only for one week. Want them to keep it up? Show up and let them know. Full event list after the jump.
For details on each event, click on it in the D.C. Beer Events Calendar below. And if you think this week is a doozie, peek ahead to the end of the month for SAVOR Week. (Start hydrating now.)
Image courtesy of CraftBeer.com and the Brewers Association
Send submissions for the D.C. Beer Events calendar to thelagerheads@gmail.com.