I have a new favorite beer bar in DC: the ChurchKey.

My all-day meeting in downtown DC ended around 4:00, and I was ready for a beer. I had read a few articles about ChurchKey in the Washington Post and I was anxious to visit. The beer selection sounded fantastic – 50 draft beers, 5 casks, and 500 bottles. I walked over quickly to the corner of 14th and Rhode Island and got there by 4:30. A few spots remained at the long bar and it filled up quickly. It isn’t hard to figure out why – this may be the perfect beer bar.

What a beer menu!  I could have stayed all night working my way around the menu, but I only had time for four:

• Lucky 7 Porter, Evolution Craft Brewery, Delmar, Delaware
• King Crimson, Peak Organic Brewing Company, an American Strong Ale (9%) from Portland, Maine
• Uerige Doppel Sticke, an Altbier brewed by Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei in Düsseldorf, Germany
• Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen, a smoked beer brewed by Brauerei Heller in Bamberg, Germany

My first beer was a warm-up to buy some time with the beer menu – it’s that extensive. My second beer, the King Crimson, was an impressive and complex Strong Ale.

It was easy to start up a conversation about the beer, whether with the knowledgeable bartenders or my fellow bar mates, and my next two beers were recommended by the guy on the next barstool, who had spent a lot of time in Europe. I’ve never had beers like these. I didn’t just have a Sticke beer, I had a Doppel Sticke. Incredible. And I’ve never had a beer that actually tasted like smoked meat, like the Rauchbier. Amazing.

It’s been over a month since that visit (December 9) and as I write this I can’t figure out why I haven’t been back. I’m heading back to ChurchKey soon!