10 February, 2012


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The Thirsty Fan

By pucksandbooks 11 October, 2006

“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Benjamin Franklin
Who would doubt the words of such a great American? Not I. And while Mr. Franklin never had the opportunity to see a hockey game while quaffing his favorite brew, I’m sure he would nonetheless support the endeavor.
Yet the discriminating Caps fan finds the beer selection wanting at the Verizon Center. To be sure, taps pouring Budweiser, Coors Light and the like abound. But, as Eric Idle once said, “How is American beer like having sex in a canoe? They’re both f*cking close to water.” And charging $7 for a cup of such swill is as staggering an affront to good taste as the beer itself.
Why must Caps fans struggle to find an enjoyable brew? I am tempted to rant about the price of our beer, but I doubt that will change. So instead, can we not hope for premium beer at these premium prices? Even the Hershey Bears quench their fans’ thirst with 20-oz Molson for a mere $5. We could learn something from our AHL brethren.
To be fair, good beer does exist at the Phone Booth. Red Hook taps are scattered about, though at least one such tap at each food area would stop fans from walking halfway around the arena for a pint. If you have the patience to go to the Dewar’s Club between periods, where the friendly bartenders are usually swamped, they have Guinness that one can bring back to one’s seat. Heineken and Yuengling, while drinkable, hardly dazzle the palette.
DC is clearly a town that enjoys good beer — just look at the success of Old Dominion, Capitol City, the Brickskeller, Chef Geoff’s, Gordon Biersch, R.F.D., and our city’s many Irish pubs.
So our taste buds (and wallets) are ready and willing. What’s the solution? Could the Caps bring in a local company to pour their high-quality beer in the arena, as they did in the past with Gordon Biersch? Could some advertising space be traded to a purveyor of fine brew in exchange for discounted kegs? Could an email-writing campaign by parched fans make a difference? I don’t know.
But what I do know is that Benjamin Franklin would want a thirsty Caps Nation to be happy.
If you agree, or have additional tips on finding good beer at the game, post a comment below.

This was written by pucksandbooks. Posted on at 4:10 am. Filed under American Hockey League, Hershey Bears, Puck Sodas.
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10 Comments

  1. Andrew wrote:

    MCI Center used to have a booth selling beer brewed at DC Chophouse–it was definitely a must stop on the way to our seats in the 400 level. Unfortunately, it disappeared, but that or something like it is a great way to offer local brews that are much better (and a better value) than the current offerings.

    11 October, 2006 at 1:33 pm | Permalink
  2. Gustafsson wrote:

    “Beer, if drank with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.”
    - Thomas Jefferson

    11 October, 2006 at 1:36 pm | Permalink
  3. Gustafsson wrote:

    “I wish to see this beverage [beer] become common, instead of the whiskey that kills one-third of our citizens and ruins their families.”
    - Thomas Jefferson

    11 October, 2006 at 1:45 pm | Permalink
  4. Gustafsson wrote:

    http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storycode=53071
    Beer and crisps united at last
    9 October, 2006
    By John Porter
    Kettle Chips launches mature cheddar with Adnams Broadside flavour
    Beer and crisps are a match made in heaven, but Kettle Foods is treading bold new ground with its new beer flavoured crisp.
    Kettle Chips mature cheddar with Adnams Broadside flavour combines two pub staples – the Southwold brewer’s beer and a strong ploughman’s cheese.
    Kettle Foods marketing director Peter Wilson said: “To our knowledge, this is the UK’s first ever real beer-flavoured chip. As such, it will appeal to all lovers of good English ale.
    “We couldn’t use just any old beer; we had to use the award-winning Broadside from our friendly neighbours at Adnams in Southwold – just a short trip from Kettle’s home in Norwich.”

    11 October, 2006 at 2:48 pm | Permalink
  5. Up The Irons wrote:

    Hey everybody – I wouldn’t trust this Orderedchaos guy. I know him personally, and he works as a distributor for Molsen!
    jk.. He doesn’t, really. Good article!

    11 October, 2006 at 5:43 pm | Permalink
  6. OrderedChaos wrote:

    “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”
    - Frank Zappa

    12 October, 2006 at 1:09 am | Permalink
  7. On Frozen Blog | Retirements, Firings, and Tribunals: a Fresh MSM Meditation | A haven for the hockey malnourished. wrote:

    13 October, 2006 at 2:31 pm | Permalink
  8. Trevor wrote:

    A hockey fan with a discriminating palate for beer, and an eloquent wordsmith to-boot. A man after my own heart. My preferences are ale and the New York Rangers. Gustafsson mentioned Adnams, one of my favourites (note the British spelling). Keep on blogging!

    14 October, 2006 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
  9. tijned wrote:

    Hockey and beer goes together, or not?

    21 July, 2007 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
  10. OrderedChaos wrote:

    Das stimmt, tijned. They go quite well together, as long as the beer is halfway decent.

    23 July, 2007 at 6:15 am | Permalink

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