Busboys & Poets - Beer Lists as Art

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Busboys & Poets is, in my opinion, one of the coolest restaurants that you can find in DC, and I say that mostly because to me, it captures the best parts of this city. It showcases the fantastic cultural and political diversity of Washington, and blends diversity through art, the menu, the clientele, and the wide variety of community events that they host.

Needless to say, I was pleased to see that they keep the feel good creativity flowing with the beer and wine list, and include such non-mainstream brews as Magic Hat, Peak Organic Ale, Brooklyn Brews, and Samuel Smiths. No boring bottle lineup of yellow fizzy beers for this restaurant.

Last night with dinner, I tried a Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager for the first time. Apparently I’m sheltered, because I didn’t even realize that they made a lager. Traditionally, I’ve associated Samuel Smith’s with their Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown Ale, and mentally had placed them solely in the “dark and filling” category. Upon further digging, however, I learned that this Yorkshire brewery has been turning out amazing vegan brews of all varieties since 1758. The lager was delicious, full-bodied, and refreshing, and had the perfect levels of carbonation while maintaining a smooth and subtle hoppy bite.

Samuel Smiths Organic Lager is solely imported to the U.S. by my business hero, Charles Finkle, of Merchant du Vin (and Pike Brewing) in Washington state. Thanks, Charles, for making this tasty brew available! It comes in a “Victorian pint” which is 6.7 ounces more than your average beer - whaddabargain!


I also tried a Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyner Weisse, which is, according to the label, a traditional unfiltered hefeweizen, or Bavarian style wheat beer, light, brisk, refreshing, fruity, and hazy with yeast. This last point is where I must ever-so-politely disagree. Where is the yeast? After rolling my bottle, I did have a few small droplets of so-called “hazy yeast”, but a lot less than what I was picturing. (In my mind, the poster child for hefeweizens is a Pinkus or an Erdinger, which are gorgeously hazy.) Despite being one of the most yeast-less of all hefes, it had a lot going for it. Refreshing, and the spicy sweetness of cloves and maybe even peaches did come through beautifully in its perfectly balanced taste and medium body and light-ish mouthfeel. And yes, it did pair very well with my corned beef sandwich. Mmmmmmm.

Thank you, Busboys & Poets, for continuing to promote creativity, through food, art, discussion, and even the beer list.


And in notes for future beer enjoyment:

Recently recommended by a friend of mine who happens to live in the land of beautiful beers, Portland, Oregon: Laurelwood Brewery (22 oz) and Ninkasi Total Domination IPA (also 22 oz). Feedback please! Has anyone tried these? What did you think?

Cheers to a weekend of happy tasting! TGIF.