Thursday 25th of March 2010 03:34:53 PM

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This is one place I've been wanting to hit for a long time. Finally my GF & I made it there & the hype was larger that the reality. Sure, they have a killer list of beers but after hearing "sorry, we're out of that right now" for the first eight or so, the novelty was beginning to wear off. The place filled up in a hurry & by the way the waitresses were rushing back to tables empty-handed, I'd say we weren't the only ones that were being disappointed. So, been there, done that...probably won't be back.

Friday 15th of May 2009 12:53:32 PM

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I've always been wishy washy on this place. I like the look of it, but unless you get there REALLY early or on an off night you will almost certainly be squished into an overly crowded seating area. Ick. I actually prefer to sit at the small bar, for whatever reason it feels less claustrophobic. The beer selection IS amazing, but on more than one occassion I placed an order several times only to keep getting "we're temporarily out of that one" I know it happens, but it dampens the fun when it happens repeatedly on any given night. And really you go there to try out strange beers you can't find anywhere else, because it is crowded, and the food is average at best. I guess my overall verdict is - it's fun to go there at least once, and a good place to take out of town visitors to show off, but by no means would it make a comfortable go-to bar for me. Caveat - I moved a couple of years ago, so my impressions could be way out of date.

Saturday 24th of January 2009 01:21:29 PM

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Located near the Dupont Circle area, next to a church. The closest Metro location is the Dupont Circle stop. I didn't really look for parking, but there is probably some scattered street parking in the area.

Brickskeller has an upstairs bar and a downstairs bar. The downstairs bar area has, as you guessed, a bar that runs down a narrow corridor, maybe with around a dozen seats. From the bar you can see the fridges that hold the beer and some storage toward the back. On the other side of the bar area is an area with "catacombs" of seating, with different interconnected small rooms. The upstairs bar is a little smaller, just being a big room with another bar, again holding about a dozen. The upstairs has TVs available as well.

Downstairs has bottles only, and you will be presented a list with all 1000 that they carry. In reality, they don't have all of them. Many of them are seasonal or some sort of rotating release. Upstairs has the taps. I haven't been upstairs, only looked around, since I was last there, so I don't know if you can get bottles up there as well. The beer seemed to be somewhat reasonably priced.

The food is about at the level of your standard bar food. Edible, sometimes good, but nothing special.

I somewhat liked the atmosphere. It seems somewhat cozy when it's not too crowded and noisy. A good place to go if you want to have a conversation with a beer. The walls are mostly open brick, and there are mantles decorated with various beer bottles. Service was okay, they get you the food and have good knowledge of the beer.

It's not my favorite place in D.C., but I think this is a good enough establishment in the area to still be a place to see when visiting or living in or near D.C. Brickskeller gets a little bit of unfair criticism from the fact that they don't carry anywhere close to the 1000 beers that they have on their list. However, it's not possible to carry all of them all the time, and they still have one of the best selections, in bottles at least, in the entire Mid-Atlantic area, and certainly in D.C. I guess in my opinion the low-point of the place is the food, which is just bar food, at least from what I saw. Still, it's palatable and it's something to go with the beer.

I still recommend this place.

Wednesday 29th of October 2008 07:30:24 PM

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It claims to have the biggest selection of bottle beers in the world and it probably does, even if they are out of the ultra obscure one you picked from the menu.

The beer menu is arranged by country, if you're going make a session of your beer drinking you have to decide: Drink as many different countries as possible; or pick a big beer country (England, Germany, etc) and try to knock off all the brands from it.

This place in NOT about the food. But if you must have a buffalo burger, then you're in luck.

The owners also have RFD on 7th street with the same beer choices.

Thursday 20th of March 2008 07:39:19 PM

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The Brickskeller is pretty famous in the DC beer bar scene as it touts such a vast selection. While there may be an ungodly number of beers in the several page menu, a great number of these are generally not in stock. During one round of ordering I had to request five different beers since each one I requested was out of stock. In addition, the service can be awful. I'm pretty sure there have been a few half hour periods when we did not see our server once.

The food was standard beer bar fare. A little pricey, but no pricier than you'd expect for such an establishment.

This all being said, there are a phenomenal number of beers available and if you're ever nostalgic for some strange brew you had on your travels to Slovakia, chances are you can find it here.

Saturday 2nd of February 2008 03:10:45 AM

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The Brickskeller is essentially the epicenter of the Washington, DC beer world (at least as far as beer bars are concerned). With a staggering selection of bottled foreign beers and obscure American microbrews, and a very healthy and constantly changing selection of brews on tap, the Brickskeller will definitely have something new available for even the most travelled and experienced beer enthusiast. This world-renowned pub is located in a quiet, stately section of DC's Dupont Circle area, close to several embassies and about 2 1/2 blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro stop. The interior, while very spacious, is reminiscent of an old English pub, with low, thick-beamed ceilings, weathered brick walls, and a dark but inviting ambience. In addition to the main bar area, there are three main "rooms" (two on the bottom floor and one upstairs) that are open areas, but all with nooks for a more private experience for yourself or your group.

The 'Skeller boast that they have over 1,000 beers available, in bottle and on tap. Technically, they're correct - however, they count different sized bottles of the same beer as separate selections. All told, they actually probably have around 600-700 varieties of beer available at any time, with around 50 of those on tap. Either way, this is a staggering variety to choose from.

Generally, the bar staff, while somewhat gruff to non-regulars, are polite, and are pretty knowledgable regarding the bar's offerings. They can provide valuable assistance and recommendations in visitors seeking certain beer varieties and flavors.

While the facility has a full kitchen available, the Brickskeller is not known for the quality of its food. That being said, the bar has several solid menu options for hungry patrons, including a very good buffalo burger. Over the years, I have been partial to their hot wings, which always seemed to go well with whatever I was drinking that night.

Plusses:
- Astounding selection of beer
- Knowledgable staff
- Proximity to the DC Metro
- Located in nice area of DC
- Special events (beer tastings, etc.)

Minuses:
- Limited parking in the Dupont Circle area
- The decor has a certain English pub character, but in recent years this 'character' has drifted towards a general lack of maintenance (the restrooms especially)
- In my opinion, the Brickskeller's selection of international beers is not as varied as it was during the early/mid 1990s. True, the Belgian beer offerings appear to have expanded, but they seem to have cut back on the English brews and Australia/New Zealand/South American selections once offered.

Overall, the Brickskeller is a not-to-be-missed stop for any beer-loving visitor to DC. It is the pinnacle of Washington beer!

Sunday 16th of September 2007 12:32:25 PM

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A nice place for a beer sophisticate to escape the suits of WDC. The atmosphere of this step-down basement of a neighborhood brownstone is not the appeal of Brickskeller. But who need atmosphere when focused on good beer? The draft and bottle list are above average in quantity, but not especially deep in quality. The five different servers I experienced were average in knowledge of on-site beer list, and below average in knowledge of beer characteristics, defering to one bartender on duty. In a city known more for martini bars and cigar bars, Brickskeller is still a nice oasis for the smart beer drinker.