Integrating Beer & Cheese at Right Proper Brewing Company

This weekend I returned to Right Proper Brewing Company - in reality the legacy Shaw Brewpub & Kitchen as the brewery has also opened a  larger brewing facility and tasting room in  Brookland. Good for you Catholic University folks. The occasion of my visit was to introduce Finca Hispana owner Peter Deutsch to the DC beer scene and Right Proper's "Beer for the Soul" seemed a good choice. I'm attracted to the brewery because of their portfolio of low abv funky and tart Belgium and French Farmhouse ales. A perfect example is their Ornithology Grisette (3.9% abv) fermented using a house mixed-culture of wild yeasts in 45 hl French oak foudres. This Saison-like beer was originally designed to server to miners as opposed to the farmhand target of Saison. Right Proper's includes a wheat based wort and the final product is light with funky flavors. I'm a Berliner Weisse fan and their Kick Kick Snare Berliner Weisse (3.5% abv) is solid with sharp tartness

After our Southern Fried Chick-Filet, Peter was interested in the numerous cheese offerings which I never realized was that expansive. We choose a sampling of three, one Caromont Red Row (raw cow’s milk) from Virginia, Spring Brook Reading (raw cow's milk) from Vermont, and a cheese to be named later. I paired these with the NABI Farmhouse Ale (4.5% abv) and an unwittingly excellent choice. The funky and yeasty ale paired well with each of these cheeses.  And for now the NABI is my favorite Right Proper beer.

Next stop, the Brookland location.

What to Expect at #SAVOR 2015: #Beer Styles

Hopefully everyone who plans to attend SAVOR this weekend has already previewed the beer selections. If you're not familiar with the event, it is beer paradise organized by the Brewer's Association and featuring over 70 craft breweries from across the United States - each pouring two beers. Once again, the event is being held at The National Building Museum in Washington DC.

In the past the breweries have focused on the public's thirst for IPAs and dark beers nad this year is no exception with about 36 versions of an IPA plus 24 Stouts and Porters. However, I find more appealing the almost 30 offerings of Belgium styled ales as well as 17 sours.  Here are the beers and breweries I plan to concentrate on during the evening starting with the FATE Brewing Company - Boulder, CO; Barrel-Aged Uror Gose.

The Unique

• Brenner Brewing Company - Milwaukee, WI; Bacon Bomb - Rauchbier (smoked beer)
• Right Proper Brewing Company - Washington, DC; The Lubitsch Touch - Grätzer (a Polish-Prussian style smoked wheat
• Rogue Ales - Newport, OR; Marionberry Braggot

Sours

• Allagash Brewing Company - Portland, ME; Mattina Rossa - Sour/Wild Ale
• Brenner Brewing Company - Milwaukee, WI; Maiden Opus - Sour/Wild Ale
• Brooklyn Brewery - Brooklyn, NY; Brooklyn "K is for Kriek" - Sour/Wild Ale
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, DE; Raison Brett'ra - Sour/Wild Ale
• Drake's Brewing Company - San Leandro, CA; O'Bretta - Flanders-Style Red Sour Ale
• FATE Brewing Company - Boulder, CO; Barrel-Aged Uror Gose
• Finback Brewery - Glendale, NY; Starchild - Sour/Wild Ale
• Hops & Grain Brewery - Austin, TX; Volumes of Funk: Sour PorterCulture - Sour/Wild Ale
• Mad Fox Brewing Company - Falls Church, VA; Oaked Diabolik - Sour/Wild Ale
• MobCraft Beer - Madison, WI; Dubbel Czech Votre Échangeur De Chaleur - Sour/Wild Ale
• New Belgium Brewing Company - Fort Collins, CO; La Folie - Sour/Wild Ale
• NOLA Brewing Company - New Orleans, LA; Lowerline - Sour/Wild Ale
• Schlafly Beer - St. Louis, MO; Apricot Berliner Weisse 
• Shmaltz Brewing Company - Clifton Park, NY; Funky Jewbelation 2015 - Sour/Wild Ale
• Strange Craft Beer Company - Denver, CO; Cherry Kriek - Fruit Beer
• Upland Brewing Company - Bloomington, IN; VinoSynth Red - Sour/Wild Ale
• Yazoo Brewing Company - Nashville, TN; Yazoo Embrace the Funk Series - Deux Rouges - Sour/Wild Ale

Belgium Styled Ales

• Allagash Brewing Company - Portland, ME: Speciale Blonde - Belgian-Style Ale
• Aspen Brewing Company - Aspen, CO; Belgian Farmhouse Saison
• BearWaters Brewing Company - Waynesville, NC; Sunburst Saison
• Boulevard Brewing Company - Kansas City, MO; Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale - Saison
• Brooklyn Brewery - Brooklyn, NY; Brooklyn Sorachi Ace - American-Belgo Style Ale
• Deschutes Brewery - Bend, OR; Zarabanda - Saison
• Ethereal Brewing - Lexington, KY; Anomaly Saison
• F.X. Matt Brewing Co. - Utica, NY; Saranac Sultana Quad - Quadrupel
• Flying Fish Brewing Company - Somerdale, NJ; Exit 4 - Tripel
• Flying Fish Brewing Company - Somerdale, NJ; Abbey Dubbel - Belgian-Style Ale
• Fremont Brewing Company - Seattle, WA; Rye Saison
• Hardywood Park Craft Brewery - Richmond, VA; Peach Tripel - Brewed with Virginia Peaches
• Intuition Ale Works - Jacksonville, FL; Devil in the Details - Belgian-Style Ale
• Lost Highway Brewing Company - Denver, CO; Grave Robber Fraud Quad - Quadrupel
• Lost Highway Brewing Company - Denver, CO; Golden Ghost - Belgian-Style Ale
• Port City Brewing Company - Alexandria, VA; Colossal Four - Quadrupel
• Right Proper Brewing Company - Washington, DC; Songlines - Farmhouse Ale
• Samuel Adams - Boston, MA; Samuel Adams Kosmic Mother Funk - Belgian-Style Ale
• Schlafly Beer - St. Louis, MO; Lazy Ballerina - Saison
• Societe Brewing Company - San Diego, CA; The Widow - Belgian-Style Ale
• SweetWater Brewing Company - Atlanta, GA; 18th Anniversary Belgian Tripel 
• The Brewer's Art - Baltimore, MD; Sangreale - Saison
• The Brewer's Art - Baltimore, MD; Choptank'd - Saison
• Troegs Brewing Company - Hershey, PA; LaGrave - Belgian-Style Ale
• Troegs Brewing Company - Hershey, PA; Jovial - Belgian-Style Ale
• Uinta Brewing Company - Salt Lake City, UT; Birthday Suit - Belgian-Style Ale
• Urban Family Brewing Company - Seattle, WA; Citron Noir - Farmhouse Ale
• Urban Family Brewing Company - Seattle, WA; Rustic Road - Rye Farmhouse
• URBN St. Brewing Co. - El Cajon, CA; URBN St. Saison

Music, Shaw, & Right Proper Brewing Company

 Planning for a night out at the 930 Club, DC9, or Howard Theatre in Washington DC's Shaw neighborhood? Then head out a little early to sample some delicious beer and food from Right Proper Brewing Company. This past week before attending Centro-matic's farewell tour at DC9, I stopped in for dinner and a couple beers. The beauty of these beers start with their low ABV levels; no one wants too much alcohol before watching a show. Or maybe so. In any case, despite these low ABVs, the beer are diverse and flavorful. I started with the farmhouse radler Kodachrome Dream(ing) - a sour tart, creamy, and citrus collaboration with Michael Tonsmeire - The Mad Fermentationist. Love the sours.Being an Uncle Tupelo and alt-country fan, I had to order the No Depression country alt - a solid offering.  I need this in the can for road trips. I had time for one more which had to be the Haxan porter - a dark chocolate, creamy, slightly bitter treat. A versatile beer - breakfast or dessert. There's plenty of good music on the horizon so I envision many return visits to Right Proper. Cheers. Need directions? Check out theCompass.