The Brickskeller

[Kanishka]

From what I understand, the Brick has a beer sorting system akin to the arcane practices of a medieval library. The system they use makes the card catalog look like GPS. The nerdy library type in me wishes someone would go in and re-organize everything based on a bar code system... Anyway, this is the reason that the beer service is so slow.

To think, a few thousand dollars, some handsets to let you know if a beer is in stock or not, a complete reorganization of the beers enabling easier stock rotation... but I doubt that will happen any time soon.

K

[EllenH]

From what I understand, the Brick has a beer sorting system akin to the arcane practices of a medieval library. The system they use makes the card catalog look like GPS. The nerdy library type in me wishes someone would go in and re-organize everything based on a bar code system... Anyway, this is the reason that the beer service is so slow.

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I was at the Brick last night with a bunch of library students who were bitching about the organization of the beer menu

What was really annoying was that this is the time of year for seasonal stuff, and yet about 75% of the SEASONAL that we tried to order was out! I mean, is it really that hard to buy one month's worth of beer??

I was happy though, as I got to sip a lovely Belhaven St. Andrew's with my forgettable fish-n-chips.

[Roger Troutman]

Has anyone been to RFD recently? And if so, how was the food? This is one place that I really want to like better than I do. I long to spend time there not only enjoying their excellent selection of brews, but enjoying some decent food, as well.

[Kanishka]

RFD always feels to me like drinking at a Fridays. If I want good, unique beer, I try to go to the Saloon on U St, where they have well priced drafts of some excellent and uncommon German brews. The Reef has good selection, but it's pricey.

Am I the only one that doesn't particularly like the Brickskellar? They never have my first or second choice. I'm told much of this has to do with their organization system, which is as old as the bar itself and is basically a glorified card catalog. I much prefer a bar that has 5 or 6 interesting beers on tap that one that has a humongous list of beers that isn't reliable.

K

[Fred]

I'm not a fan of the Brickskeller either. Food miserable beer selection well let's just say it looks good on paper but try ordering an Allagash Triple Reserve and see what happens. I just feel dirty when I come out of that joint. For me the best beer selection in the general vacinity is Lost Dog Cafe. I know, I know the 3 beer limit is a kick in the pants but the sandwiches are good and if your still in the mood to kick a few back after three at least you can drive home with a six pack of whatever you like. Eagerly looking forward to the opening of the Lost Cat Cafe next door.

[Chef Shogun]

RFD always feels to me like drinking at a Fridays. If I want good, unique beer, I try to go to the Saloon on U St, where they have well priced drafts of some excellent and uncommon German brews. The Reef has good selection, but it's pricey.

Am I the only one that doesn't particularly like the Brickskellar? They never have my first or second choice. I'm told much of this has to do with their organization system, which is as old as the bar itself and is basically a glorified card catalog. I much prefer a bar that has 5 or 6 interesting beers on tap that one that has a humongous list of beers that isn't reliable.

K

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No, I don't think many people here particularly like The Brickskeller for the reasons you outlined and more. I'm not nessesarily one of those people, but it certainly doesn't blind me to their faults. The fact that they always seem to be out of the first or second or third beer you want is pretty frustrating, sure, but never once in all of my visits there have they no beer that I was interested in drinking. There Is Always More Beer. In The Brick, as in life, wishful thinking will only make the truth more painful: don't go in with too specific a plan laid out, and you'll always leave drunk and happy!

How else would they organize beer? Just line the things up alphabetically by brewery, then within each, alphabetically by name. RFID maybe. It would only raise the price of each bottle maybe a tenth of a cent, plus another dollar for the labour involved in having to program and apply a specific tag to each....bottle....of....beer....that....came....in. Not like all the breweries are going to do it themselves. The sheer pain in the ass of that, as I imagine it, is mind boggling. Maybe a system of webcams and fuzzy logic so each fridge 'knows' what it contains.

[iamthestretch]

Getting back to the food at RFD, I have eaten it a number of times and, each time, no matter how drunk I have managed to get beforehand, it has sucked. Even though, thanks to the magic of eGullet, I now know that anecdotal evidence does not universal causality make, I also know that I am not willingly going to eat there again.

[JPW]

Getting back to the food at RFD, I have eaten it a number of times and, each time, no matter how drunk I have managed to get beforehand, it has sucked. Even though, thanks to the magic of eGullet, I now know that anecdotal evidence does not universal causality make, I also know that I am not willingly going to eat there again.

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Different. You are making the claim that RFD food sucks all the time based on repeated observation of the identical phenomenon. You are not claiming that the food sucks at all beer-centric restaurants.

Add in that the food stinks at the Brickskellar and ain't too good at Cap City. Now we're seeing the basis for universal causality.

[liamdc]

Add in that the food stinks at the Brickskellar and ain't too good at Cap City. Now we're seeing the basis for universal causality.

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The last time I ate at Cap City (Capitol Hill location) I found a piece of scrapmetal in my burger. Now, it wasn't named the Junkyard Burger - I believe it was the Filibuster Burger, which sort of suggests that the cow is still talking.

[cakewench]

yeah. Glad to see the comments re: "sorry, we're out of that." I've been there a few times in the past (it's obviously not local to me anymore! ) and they never had the beers I wanted. Specifically, I was always looking for Coopers (Aussie beer), something they had on their great big ol' list of beers they have heard of- I mean, beers they supposedly stock. They never had it. ever.

ev-er.

[jeffc666]

I have not been to the Brick in a few years. Yes the food is horrid (the Steak-umms cheessteak being a prime example) and the service slow. Though I did not have a problem with them being out of things as much as some of you other folks. I have mostly gone to the Brick for the tasting events over the years. Though now it seems that most if not all of these are held in the back room at RFD. The food at RFD is one half step above horrid, but the draft selection makes it a more than worthwhile trip.

Bottom-line with both places is beer not food not service.

[iamthestretch]

Apropos of nothing, that odd little bit of fish wrap that comes in the Sunday Post amongst all the coupons -- Parade Magazine is it -- had a sort of photo essay on "What People Earn" this week. (Its conclusion, shatteringly, was that their highly unscientific survey "underscores the huge rift between celebrities and the rest of us." They're, like, all famous and rich and stuff.) Anyway, among the hundreds of little mug shots was one captioned 'David Alexander, Restaurant Owner, Washington DC' -- who reported his take-home as $130,000. So they must be selling some beer.

Edited March 14, 2005 by iamthestretch (log)

[syzygy8]

Bottom-line with both places is beer not food not service.

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Well, unless they start letting customers go behind the bar to pour their own beers, they're going to have to put service issues on that bottom line. Their servers utterly suck, particularly at RFD.

[jeffc666]

Bottom-line with both places is beer not food not service.

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Well, unless they start letting customers go behind the bar to pour their own beers, they're going to have to put service issues on that bottom line. Their servers utterly suck, particularly at RFD.

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My experiences at RFD have all been either sitting at the bar or at a tasting in the back room. When I have sat at the bar, it does not take long for the bartender to realize that I am beer geek. The notebook and such give me away. I have found that the bartenders have always been helpful. I have not had table service at RFD so I can not speak to that, but it is has always been mediocre but not horrible at the Brick.