About: Brasserie Beck

Brasserie Beck, 1101 K St, Washington, DC, http://beckdc.com

A major inspiration for this post was a visit to Brasserie Beck near DC's Metro Center. I had been dying to go there since moving to the city, and I was not disappointed. There's no big sign outside the door screaming 'Beer lovers, enter here' - just a pair of B's scripted onto some windows facing K street. Walk in, and a moderately large seating area presents itself to the left and to the rear, partially isolated by a low wall from the main entrance. To the right is a long and glorious beer bar, with a small number of taps (10 or so) and a reasonable number of stools and bar tables. [Also, in case you care, the restrooms, located behind the bar, are as clean as anything I've seen.]

My first visit was with a group of 5 at 6 pm on a weekday; we asked for a table, no reservation, and got one fairly quickly. (By the time we left, the place was considerably more crowded.) The first person over to our table, after we were seated, was The Beer Guy. You see, some high end restaurants have a wine guy - he sets up the wine list, and comes over to your table and makes recommendations if you want some help. Well, at Brasserie Beck, they have a Beer Guy. I had made some recommendations ahead of time, but my companions wisely did not bring them, and instead asked The Beer Guy what to get, and I don't think any of them were disappointed.

Which brings me to the beer. Ahhhh, the beer. As mentioned above, there are 10 or so taps, all running around $7-9 a glass. But, the real key is in the bottles. Brasserie Beck has dozens and dozens of types of beer, all Belgian. Most run for about $7-$12 a bottle; the rest are generally $22-30 for a 750ml bottle (wine bottle sized, definitely for sharing), with a few over $60. Brasserie Beck goes to great lengths to get some ales that are not available anywhere else in the United States. The menu has some descriptions, but ask questions, and offer a general style (i.e. light, dark, heavy, golden, seasonal), and just get whatever The Beer Guy tells you to.

Oh, one more thing - get the frites too. Yum.