Retirement Parade May 2012

These 25 pictures were taken at the United States Army Military District of Washington Department of the Army Retirement Ceremony on May 17, 2012 at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia.

The pictures were "stitched" together using Microsoft Photosynth.

H/T: MGBW

RT XXV and Memorial Day MMXII

Sharing a few photos snapped between moments of camaraderie with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, and moments of reverence and reflection with fellow veterans and patriots. Memorial Day 2012 was also the 25th Anniversary of Rolling Thunder. Four chapters of the Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club gathered in our Nation's Capitol to commemorate the fallen, the prisoners, and the missing.

Related Post: http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2011/05/remembering-americas-pows-mias.html

Moon Shadow

Photo credit: Michael Chow

Another PhilosFX Milestone

Another PhilosFX Milestone: 22,000 views! And only 16 days after we passed 21 K.

Highlights:

• The 48 countries with the most visits have 5 or more.
• The top 6 non-US countries have 100 or more visits.

Where to from here?

• We've had over 100 views per day 11 times. but never two days in a row. I'd like to see that soon.
• I would like to see page views in the past month top 2000 for the first time. The trend line gives confidence.

Ring of Fire

Sunset Beach Eclipse

May 20, 2012 

Photo credit: Milky Way Scientists.

In an earlier post about May's many cosmic delights, I mentioned the Super Moon, the meteor shower, and the May 20th Ring of Fire eclipse (and some other stuff). The Super Moon was so bright that I did not see a single meteor, and of course no one in the east coast was in the line of sight for the eclipse.

Two out of three ain't bad. One out of three? Ain't good.

I am an amateur stargazer. By that I mean I have a descent reflecting telescope, a small refracting telescope (for spotting, mostly), a bunch of software, and some favorite websites. I am more than willing get up early and drive out of town for a good view of certain celestial events. But as I said, the annular or "Ring of Fire" eclipse was not expected to be visible on the east coast, and even if we were in the viewing area, our skies were overcast.

Now, unlike the casual astronomer of modest means, such as myself, a professional astronomer--or even a serious amateur with excess coinage--might travel to the prime spots for observing these other-worldly phenomenon, staking round-trip plane fare on the odds of decent weather. There were people who flew to Lubbock, TX just to watch this eclipse. I've been to Lubbock, and I can attest that watching an eclipse may be the best reason to visit this west Texas burg. The point is, there are folks who book cruises to be out in the middle of the ocean for events, in order to get the best possible view. That level of dedication for astronomy is out there, my friends.

I don't do all that. Why? Either I lack the time and money, or perhaps I've misplaced life's proper priorities. Or not. At any rate, I am left to troll the web for the best images to share, giving credit where it's due of course.


Milky Way Scientists posted this awe-some time-lapse photo. Like them in Facebook. Follow them on Twitter. And keep looking up! For me, nothing puts a crummy day in perspective so much as realizing that in the Grand Scheme of Things, I am just a tiny, insignificant speck of stardust. It all reminds me of my favorite non-Elvis Costello song.

Ring of Fire

Johnny Cash

Love is a burnin' thing,

And it makes a fiery ring

Bound by wild desire 

I fell into a ring of fire.

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire

I went down, down, down

And the flames went higher,

And it burns, burn, burns,

The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

The taste of love is sweet

When hearts like ours meet.

I fell for you like a child

Oh, but the fire ran wild.

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire

I went down, down, down

And the flames went higher,

And it burns, burn, burns,

The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire

I went down, down, down,

And the flames went higher,

And it burns, burn, burns,

The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

The ring of fire

On Worrying

Are You Safe on Your Sofa?

Do we need safer sofas?

Maybe it's time for me to stop crashing on the couch so frequently? Nicholas Kristoff Op-Ed piece in the NY Times suggests that my couch may be laced with noxious chemicals that are lowering my IQ, disrupting my endocrine system, and increasing my risk of diabetes.

That explains a lot, actually....

Crashing on the couch night after night just works for me. I spend lots of time at the computer in my home office, reading, writing, and thinking things great and small until I need a break, usually around 11 pm, or something with an 11 in it (3:11 is nap time!). Then I slide over to the napping couch, which is also the (TV, CD, DVD, VCR, DVR, Wii, AM/FM Stereo Surround Sound, snacks and drinks on the coffee table) Entertainment Couch. One thing leads to another, and soon, patterns of awareness move from the real to the surreal, and -zzzzz.

Last night, for example, I tuned in to SNL's season finale and caught the emotional musical send-off for retiring 7-year SNL veteran Kristen Wiig. Arcade Fire, Dave Grohl, Steve Martin, Jon Hamm, and host Mick Jagger sang to Kristen as Lorne Michaels and the cast danced her one by one to her bliss. That moment was epic, and I was there! In real time! I was so pumped, it took at least 30 minutes of channel surfing before I calmed down enough to pass out.

The couch has a purpose.

But here's the rub: because many a smoldering cigarette has ignited many a couch cushion, the tobacco industry has pushed for laws requiring flame-retardant chemicals to be added to couches. All couches. Even couches of non-smokers. The consumer has no choice in the matter. Want a couch? And really, who doesn't?  Then be prepared to inhale toxic dust from flame-retarding chemicals in the cushions.

OK, now I am wise to the dangers of sleeping on my sofa. I suppose I could slog up to my bedroom when it's time for rest, but how do I know my bed is any safer?

What "Professional" means in the age of Social Media

A new definition of professional behavior is developing in this social media-driven world. I think the table below captures the dynamic clearly. Where do you see yourself on the continuum of professional behavior? Are you leading the pack, keeping up with developments. or lagging behind? What does this changing dynamic portend for our country, our economy, our families?

Original table appears in the Harvard Business Review Blog

How clearly one sees the divide between Old and New professional behavior might be a function of one's age and experience. In my personal case, as a field grade Army officer, I am positioned between the younger company grade Captains and the more senior General Officers. In my observation, junior officers uniformly exhibit the New Professional ethic. What is interesting to me is that the Army is so resilient and so adaptable, that the majority of General Officers are also embracing social media. The Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN Ray Odierno, tweets on Twitter and posts on Facebook. 


Where I see a rub is in some of the old-school field grade officers, who mistrust social media--and often fer very good reason! They prefer secure email for a private, auditable record of communication. I get that. With all of the privacy concerns surrounding unwelcome advertisements via data hounds supporting Facebook and Google, I certainly get that.


My perspective as a career Army officer is one dimension of the professional divide. I am also a family man, so I think a personal divide applies. I am a Dad to two teen-aged daughters, with whom my primary means of communication is the sound-bite of an SMS text message: the kind one must delete daily to prevent one's phone from "clogging up." How impersonal and remote that feels to me! At the same time. I have parents who prefer phone calls, so I call my folks who never text and text my kids who never call, and spend the rest of my time in the in-between. 


If you follow that generational communication trajectory I just laid out, where does it lead? What does it portend for our country, our economy, our families--our world?    


I have no clear predictions to offer but my thought is this: I aim to remain relevant. I see the decision to stop at least trying to keep up as akin to death. Everything living changes. 


Please read Allison Fine's excellent blog post HERE

H/T: Scott over at Nestler Analytics.

Celebrating American Craft Beer Week!

American Craft Beer Week

14-20 May 2012

More info HERE

What are you doing to celebrate #ACBW? 


As you know, I am strongly pro-beer. I am an all-things-in-moderation guy, and I am all about variety, choice, and discovery. So for me, savoring small samples of many different brewed offerings with a few friends is not only fun, but also enlightening and liberating. 

So I couldn't be happier about the state of American Craft Beer today the the prospects for the future. More brewers, more beers, more styles and choices, more venues, more creativity, more competition, more customers.

And of course, the burgeoning brewing scene in our Nation's Capitol is making DC a beer-lover's Mecca.

I have enjoyed 24 American Craft Beers in four local venues this week. This included a tour of Mad Fox Brewery on Meet the Brewer Night Thursday and a beer tasting event at Rick's Wine & Gourmet Saturday. 

Get out and support your local brewers.

American Craft Beer = Good for the Soul!

Recap of American Craft Beers (in order of tasting)

1. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, worth its GABF Gold 
2. Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale   
3. Great Lakes Eliot Ness Amber 
4. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, a perennial favorite 
5. New Belgium Shift Pale Lager new from New Belgium, and their first lager. Wonderful!
6. Flying Dog Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout, scary-nice! 
7. Mad Fox Broad Street IPA 
8. Mad Fox Big Chimney's Porter  (Cask) 
9. Mad Fox Tinner Hill IPA 
10. Devil's Backbone Eight Point IPA 
11. Yards India Pale Ale (Cask)
12. Mad Fox American Pale Ale aka Defender APA from the zwickel
13. Mad Fox Diabolik Belgian Strong Ale aka Devil's Due  from the zwickel   
14. Mad Fox St. James Irish Dry Stout  from the zwickel and from the tap 
15. Mad Fox Mason's Dark Bitter, brand new 3.5% Mild, flavorful and ultimately sessionable.
16. Widmer W 12 Brewmasters' Release 
17. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA 
18. Victory Summer Love 
19. Devil's Backbone Belgian Congo Pale Ale 
20. Sixpoint Apollo 
21. Samuel Adams Norse Legend Sahti 
22. DuClaw Soul Jacker 
23. Flying Dog Wildeman Farmhouse IPA 
24. Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter 

Recap of American Craft Beer Styles 

1. Amber Ale 
2. American Pale Ale 
3. Baltic Porter 
4. Belgian IPA 
5. Belgian Strong Ale 
6. Dark Saison 
7. Dortmunder Gold 
8. English Mild 
9. Farmhouse IPA 
10. Imperial Coffee Stout 
11. India Pale Ale (5)
12. Irish Dry Stout 
13. Krystalweizen 
14. Lager 
15. Light Ale 
16. Pale Ale 
17. Porter (2)  
18. Russian Imperial Stout Barleywine 
19. Sahti 

Recap of American Craft Brewers (in alpha order)

1. Boston Beer Co, MA
2. Devil's Backbone, VA (2) 
3. Duck-Rabbit, NC 
4. DuClaw, MD 
5. Flying Dog Brewery, DE (2)
6. Great Lakes Brewing Co., OH (4)
7. Mad Fox Brewery, VA (7) 
8. New Belgium, CO 
9. Sierra Nevada, CA 
10. Sixpoint Craft Ales, NY 
11. Victory, PA 
12. Widmer Brothers Brewing, OR 
13. Yards, PA 

Recap of US States in which these American Craft Beers were brewed (in alpha order)

1. CA 
2. CO 
3. DE 
4. MA 
5. MD (2)
6. NC 
7. NY 
8. OH (4)
9. OR 
10. PA (2)
11. VA (9)

Recap of Venues (in order of patronage)

1. Casa del Foam
2. Virtue Feed and Grain
3. Mad Fox Brewpub
4. Rick's Wine & Gourmet

Quiz: Are You an American Craft Beer Champion?

Celebrating American Craft Beer Week

May 14-20

Check your American Craft Beer bona fides with this 10-question quiz from CraftBeer.com HERE

Get 80% or better to earn the title of  American Craft Beer Champion! Have you got what it takes?

Inspiration 365 Days A Year Movie

Inspiration 365 Days A Year Movie: Happiness is an inside job and is your choice. William Arthur Ward said, "Each of us will one day be judged by our standard of life, not by our standard of living; by our measure of giving, not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness, not by our seeming greatness."

H/T: UEd

More Paraprosdokian Sentences

These crack me up!

• I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.
• When chemists die, they barium.
• Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.
• I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.
• How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.
• I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.
• This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.
• I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.
• I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
• They told me I had Type-A blood, but it was a type-o.
• PMS jokes aren't funny; period.
• Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.
• We’re going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.
• I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
• Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?
• When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.
• Broken pencils are pointless.
• I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.
• What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.
• England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.
• I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.
• I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.
• All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.
• I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.
• Haunted French pancakes give me the crêpes.
• Velcro — what a rip off!
• A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.
• Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!
• The earthquake in Washington obviously was the government's fault. 

These delights are courtesy of fellow beer-lover and Facebook friend, CT

Related posts:
http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2010/09/favorite-paraprosdokian-sentences-add.html
http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/01/friday-funny-paraprosdokian-answers.html

Decision Analysis

For some "reason,"
I thought this comment was so funny
that I laughed until my sides ached.
Perhaps the reason this hit me so hard is
that the truth hurts...


I have made some bad decisions in my life, but I don't feel alone in that regard! The more dire the consequences of a bad outcome, the more important the need for decision analysis.

I try to be positive and uplifting, but sometimes the snarky dark side of my sense of humor sneaks out. H. G. Wells said, "Cynicism is humor in ill-health." Perhaps my humor just had a little headache? Or maybe that comment is just plain funny.

If the shoe fits...

Melanie Doane - "Good Gifts" Fan Project

Happy Mother's Day! 

Featuring Melanie Doane's "Good Gifts" Fan Project

Give this video your careful attention and you will be richly rewarded. The beautiful and talented Canadian singer, Melanie Doane, performs her Mother's Day tribute song, "Good Gifts," while fan-supplied photos of Moms and Motherhood scroll by. 

Melanie Doane: How could I not be a fan of a singer with a name like that, right? She could be my cousin! Look and listen, and you may become a fan, too.

Dogfish Head's Hilarious "Randall the Mini Enamel Animal" Infomercial

Via Paste Magazine's "Awesome of the Day" blog,

and with a tip o' the hat to MRP, aka SWF

PhilosFX proudly  presents...

Dogfish Head's Hilarious "Randall the Mini Enamel Animal" Infomercial

Mother’s Day

“There is in every true woman’s heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”  --Washington Irving, American writer

We all have one and only one Mother. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Keep Calm and Carry On

Original by Apalooza Design

Antipodes Map

Find the antipodal location for any map point

If you dug straight down through the center of the Earth, where would you emerge? China? Don't be so sure! Check it out and see for yourself. This website uses Google Maps to calculate the exact opposite point to any original point on the Earth's surface.

If I tunneled down straight through the Earth, I'd come out within sailing distance of Perth. Unfortunately, the hole I dug to get there would drain the ocean, making sailing quite difficult.

===============================================================

Footnote: "A n t i p o d e" is pronounced AN-ti-pode, but the plural, "A n t i p o d e s" is pronounced an-TIP-uh-dees. Now YOU don't have to learn the hard way...

Twenty-One Thousand Views

WOOOT!

 Fig 1. Days between view milestones (18, 19, 20, 21K views)

In the history of PhilosFX, it has taken as many as 78 days and as few as 11 days to gather the next 1,000 views. On seven occasions, all fairly recently, we have taken fewer than 20 days to cross the next higher 1K milestone. Discounting data from the blog's start-up phase, I drew an estimated trend line in red on Fig 1 above. The trend line has a slight downward trajectory. If the current trend continues, maybe we can get down to about 10 days per thousand views in a couple months. 

Dates when view milestones  (18, 19, 20, 21K views)  were reached

If views per day were linear, then the trend line on Fig 2 above would be a straight line inclining from left to right. The dots on the graph are uniformly higher from left to right, but they are also progressively closer together. The growth curve is exponential. 

I am not sure where any of this is going or what any of it means. For example, I have no particular goal in mind. I just write and measure and share what I observe. I'm sure there are blogs out there that garner thousands of views per day, or hour, or even per minute. Good for them! All I know is, I am learning, sharing, and having fun.

Upward and onward! 

Data-Driven vs Data-Fueled

Government Executive arrives, with the phrase "Data Driven" prominently featured on the cover.

Sadness. 

His preferred term, Data-Fueled, as in Data-Fueled Decision-Making, has yet to catch on. 

Unbowed, he approaches the soap-box yet again.

Data-Driven	vs.	Data-Fueled
- All about numbers		+ All about results
- No Child Left Behind		+ Race to the Top
- Lean Six Sigma for L6s's sake		+ Project selection and portfolio management
- National Security Personnel System (NSPS)		+ Human Capital Development
- Spyware, robocalls, privacy violations		+ Targeted ads, timely information, eHarmony
- We live in a computer simulation		+ Numbers enable transparency and auditability
- Surrender to The Borg		+ Use the Matrix

Data-Driven is about reacting to the numbers, searching through the numbers for meaning, like a prophet might sift through the entrails of a gored ox before advising his King. More ox guts, please! Piles and piles of ox guts! I cannot see the future for lack of ox guts!

Data-Fueled is about satisfying an appetite for facts, but not just objective facts. Ideas and values are still important. The Singularity is still a few years off. Data-Fueled Decision-Making is about using numbers to add meaning to our current definition of Truth.

Related posts:
http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/02/improvement-process.html
http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/04/results-reflect-values.html
http://philosfx.blogspot.com/2012/03/vft-redux.html

Each. Present. Moment.

This Popper quote appeared in a recent Keep Calm and Carry On calendar. I like it on so many levels! OK, to be more specific, I like it on exactly four levels.

1. Sir Karl Popper is not the easiest guy to read, but I am glad I slogged my way through his Philosophy of Science for Walden University's SBSF 8417. Conjectures, hypotheses, refutations, falsifiability... some of these deep thoughts made my head spin. However, this quote is relatively accessible.

2. This quote presupposes that we can be the makers of our fate. I like that. I like the concept of free will. I'd like to imagine that I have some choice, some say in how my life turns out. I understand life is stochastic, and random good and bad things happen outside my control. Still, the alternative idea that all outcomes are predetermined strikes me as such a defeatist outlook. We can be the makers of our fate. Yes!

3. Popper also says that before we can shape our destiny, we must first stop pretending to know it. In his words, "...cease to pose as its prophets." 

I have certainly enjoyed exercising my skills as a planner:

• working through detailed branches and sequels in course of action analysis, or 
• setting up if-then-else contingency tables for decision analysis, or 
• using the Critical Path Method in project management, or 
• forecasting results of an improved process in Continuous Process Improvement, or
• conducting a "murder board" to test the resiliency of a combat OPLAN, or
• mapping out the timeline for the attainment of my terminal degree.

Plans are useful and good and they certainly have their place. That said, Popper is correct when he points out that we err when we place too much faith in the plans. I have posed as the prophet of my own fate, haven't you?

4. Finally, Popper says, essentially, "Live in the moment." 

• Use lessons learned from the past to avoid mistakes. 
• Connect today's actions to long-range goals. 
• But do not linger in history or trust planned outcomes. 
• Rather, live in each moment: the present is all we have. 

The best way to shape our future? Stop pontificating! Instead, be fully awake and aware in Each. Present. Moment.

Lost Biker of the Apocalypse

Randall "Tex" Cobb is Leonard Smalls,the Biker of the Apocalypse
in Joel Coen's "Raising Arizona" (USA,1987).

The Lost Biker of the Apocalypse was portrayed by one Randall "Tex" Cobb in arguably his finest acting role--if you don't count his pretending to be a professional boxer.

Raising Arizona was released in 1987, five years after Tex infamously challenged Larry Holmes for the Heavyweight Boxing Crown in what has been dubbed "The Most One-sided Heavyweight Title Fight In History."

Let's just say that old "Tex" earned credit for his willingness to take a punishing beat-down, round after bloody round. It was so bad, Howard Cosell quit broadcasting and walked off. However, Tex went the distance, and not only lived to tell the tale, but after the fight quipped that Cosell's walk-off was the best thing the loquacious announcer had ever done for the sport of boxing.

Tex went on to create his iconic motorcycle-riding hellblazer, The Lost Rider of the Apocalypse..

Ironic bit of foreshadowing, isn't it, that some 20 years later ol' Nick Cage mimicked his Lost Biker nemesis in the Ghost Rider movies?

Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider (2007)

Flames and skulls and flaming skulls....

H/T: MCG

May the Fourth Be With You!

In honor of Star Wars Day (May the 4th) I bring you news of astronomical amazingness!  On tap in May, 2012: four cosmic calendar confabulations:

First of all, the annual Star Wars Day

Then, the largest Full moon of the year, Super Moon:

"Supermoon" is the nickname for a full moon that coincides with the moon's arrival at perigee — the point in its orbit that brings it closest to Earth for the month. Perigees occur because the moon's orbit around Earth is ... an ellipse.  ... When the moon is in its full phase and at perigee, it can appear much brighter and slightly larger than the average full moon. Scientists call this event a "perigee moon." 

Next, the Meteor Shower From Halley's Comet :

At the same time as the supermoon, the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower is expected to hit its peak, though the bright moonlight is likely to wash out much of the "shooting star" display.  ... The Eta Aquarids occur between late April and early May when the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris left behind by the famed Halley's comet during its 76-year trek through our solar system. The meteor shower ... will be at its best during the overnight hours between Saturday and Sunday. Since this coincides with the bright full moon, only the brightest fireballs will be visible. NASA scientists predict between 40 and 60 meteors will be seen per hour.

Finally, the first Solar Eclipse of 2012:

"A unique annular solar eclipse occurs on May 20 for lucky observers in a path from Eureka, California, to Lubbock, Texas," astronomer Nancy Neal Jones said in a NASA video. "The rest of the United States will see a partial solar eclipse." ... An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is in its new phase but is too far from Earth to completely block the sun. Instead, it leaves a ring (or annulus) of the sun.

Capping off a great month for skywatchers and space fans, there are plenty of planets to view at night in May. Venus and Mercury will shine together on May 31, with Mars and Saturn visible at night all month long.


Share your awesome photos and stories.

Burgeoning Brewing Scene in Our Nation's Capitol

UPDATED VERSION IS HERE

Version 9, as of May 3, 2012

This is a great time to be a craft beer fan in the Nation's Capitol! Here's my list of breweries and brewpubs in a 100-mile radius of the Capitol Building. Have you heard of all the breweries, brew-pubs, and tied houses below? Have you been to a few to sample the wares?

>> Comment below about any new discoveries or to share your impressions! <<

Here is a summary of changes from the previous version, published Dec 3, 2011:

·         Total venues up to 142 from 126.

·         Added 16 breweries.

·         Updated 12 breweries.

·         Processed 39 comments.

·         These contributors were helpful: BeerMe.com, Keith Chamberlain (10); On Tap Online, Dan Brown (9); Chuck Triplett (6); bob (3); Martin Morse Wooster (2); All We Can Eat (1); ARL Now, Dan Brown (1); DC Beer, Dan Brown (1); deathblossom (1); John, Chuck (1); J.T. Thomas (1); Mike Horkan (1); Tammy Tuck (1); and Unknown (1).

While I am mainly interested in LOCAL brewers, the list includes some categorized exceptions:

·         Non-locally owned chains are included separately for completeness.

·         I have a short list of tied houses which are retail outlets for particular brewers with no on-site brewing.

·         I also show a list of breweries and brewpubs that are not open but coming soon.

·         I added a select group of current and future breweries and brewpubs outside the arbitrary 100-mile radius and worth a road trip.

·         Finally, I even included former breweries and brewpubs (both local and non-locally owned) for reasons of nostalgia.

>> Questions or updates are welcome in the Comments section. <<

Note: some brands you can buy are brewed by contract. One cannot visit the Stillwater Artisanal Brewery, for example, because Stillwater beers are currently brewed using facilities at DOG Brewing. "Currently Open" means a physical place you can go and visit, like DOG Brewing. Look for Stillwater under "Coming Soon."

A. CURRENTLY OPEN BREWERIES AND BREW-PUBS (LOCAL)

·         3 Stars Brewery, Washington, DC

·         Barley and Hops Grill and Microbrewery, Frederick

·         Battlefield Brewing at The Pub, Fredericksburg, VA

·         Baying Hound Aleworks, Rockville, MD

·         Blue & Gray Brewing Co, Fredericksburg

·         Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery, Frederick

·         Brewer's Art, Baltimore

·         Burley Oak Brewing Co., Berlin, MD

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington  (now brews for all Cap City locations)

·         Chocolate City Brewing Co.,  Washington, DC

·         Coastal Brewing Dover, DE (Old Dominion and Fordham brands)

·         Corcoran Brewing Co., Waterford, VA

·         DC Brau, Washington, DC

·         DOG Brewing Co, Westminster, MD (DOG and Stillwater Artisanal brands)

·         Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE

·         Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats, Rehoboth, DE

·         DuClaw Brewing Company, Bel Air

·         DuClaw Brewing Company, Bowie

·         DuClaw Brewing Company, Hanover

·         Ellicott Mills Brewing Company, Ellicott City

·         Evolution Craft Brewing Co., Delmar, DE

·         Flying Dog Brewing Regional Brewery, Frederick (Corporate HQ in Denver)

·         Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store, Hyattsville

·         Growler's of Gaithersburg

·         Heavy Seas Beers, Baltimore (Clipper, Pyrate, and Mutiny lines)

·         Holy Brew, Leesburg, VA

·         Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE

·         Legend Brewing Company, Richmond

·         Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA

·         MacDowell Brew Kitchen, Leesburg

·         Mad Fox Brewery, Falls Church

·         Port City Brewing, Alexandria

·         Pratt Street Alehouse, Baltimore

·         Red Brick Station, White Marsh, MD

·         South Street Brewing, Charlottesville

·         Starr Hill Brewing Company, Crozet, VA

·         Sweetwater Tavern, Centreville

·         Sweetwater Tavern, Falls Church

·         Sweetwater Tavern, Sterling

·         Vintage 50 Restaurant and Brew Lounge, Leesburg

B. CURRENTLY OPEN BREW-PUBS (LOCALLY AVAILABLE BUT NOT LOCALLY OWNED)

·         Chophouse & Brewery, District, Washington, DC

·         Gordon Biersch, McLean

·         Gordon Biersch, Rockville

·         Gordon Biersch, Washington, DC

·         Hops Grill & Brewery, Alexandria

·         Rock Bottom, Arlington

·         Rock Bottom, Bethesda

C. TIED HOUSES (FRESH, LOCALLY MADE BEER NOT BREWED ON SITE)

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, New York Ave

·         Dogfish Head Ale House, Fairfax

·         Dogfish Head Ale House, Falls Church

·         Dogfish Head Ale House, Gaithersburg

·         DuClaw  Brewing Company, BWI Airport, Southwest Terminal

·         Fire Station 1, Silver Spring (outlet for Red Brick Station)

·         Gordon Biersch, Dulles International Airport (IAD-Terminal D, Gate D14)

·         Gordon Biersch, Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA-North Pier)

·         Lee's Retreat, Fredericksburg (outlet for Blue & Gray)

·         Old Dominion Brewhouse, Hyattsville (Outlet for Coastal's Old Dominion line)

·         Old Dominion Brewhouse, Washington, DC (Outlet for Coastal's Old Dominion line)

·         Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse, Columbia, Maryland (outlet for DOG)

·         Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse, Federal Hill, Baltimore (outlet for DOG)

·         Ram's Head Roadhouse, Annapolis (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

·         Ram's Head Shore House, Stevensville (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

·         Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

·         Ram's Head Tavern, Savage (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

D. COMING SOON (LOCAL)

·         Adroit Theory Brewing Company, Sterling, VA (2012 or 2013)

·         Beltway Brewing, a brewery for hire, coming to Loudon County in late 2012

·         Bluejacket, aka NRG's Brewery and Restaurant at the Yards

·         Cabinet Artisianal Brewhouse, Alexandria

·         Hellbender Brewing Company, DC

·         Logan Shaw Brewing Company,  Washington, DC (will brew Logan Shaw and Wild Goose brands)

·         Low Brau DC

·         Robert Portner Brewhouse and Beergarden, Alexandria, VA (Portner's great-great-grandchildren plan a revival as a brewery incubator. Coming in 2012).

·         Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Baltimore (currently contract brewing at DOG)

·         Washingtonian's Brewing Co., Washington, DC

E. CURRENTLY OPEN (ROAD TRIP!)

·         Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

·         Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

·         Eastern Shore Brewing, St Michaels, MD

·         Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond

·         Mad Hop Brews, Ellicott City, MD

·         Monacracy Brewing, Frederick, MD

·         River Company Brewery, Radford, VA

·         Ruddy Duck, Solomons Island, MD

·         St George Brewing Company, Hampton

·         The Flying Barrel BOP and Homebrew Shop, Frederick, MD

·         Williamsburg Brewing Co., Williamsburg

·         Wolf Hills Brewing Company, Abingdon, VA

F. COMING SOON (FUTURE ROAD TRIP!)

·         Bedford Alehouse, Bedford (near Roanoke)

·         Charm City Brewing, Baltimore

·         Milkhouse Brewery, Mt Airy, MD

·         The Raven, Baltimore

·         Union Craft Brewing, Baltimore

G. FONDLY REMEMBERED LOCAL BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS (Chronological)

·         Consumer Brewery (1896-1904, became Arlington Brewery)

·         Robert Portner's Tivoli Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA (Closed in 1916--possibly being revived?)

·         Arlington Brewery (1904-1920)

·         Olde Heurich Brewing Company (1872-1956)

·         Queen City Brewing Company, Cumberland, MD (1901–1976)

·         National Brewing Company (National Bohemian) (1885-1978)

·         British Brewing Co., Glen Burnie (1988-1992), sold to form Oxford Brewing

·         Potomac River Brewing Co., Chantilly, VA (1993-1998)

·         Brimstone Brewing Company, Baltimore, then Frederick (1994-1998)

·         Blue-N-Gold Brewery, Arlington (1996-1998)

·         Virginia Brewing Co (Bought by Founders in 2000)

·         Sisson's Restaurant and Brewery (1979-2002) sold brewing equip to Mountaineer

·         Founders Restaurant & Brewing Co, Alexandria (Closed 2002)

·         Virginia Native Brewing Co., Alexandria  (1998-2003).

·         Baltimore Brewing Co., aka DeGroen's (1989-2004)

·         Bardo Brewing (Closed 2004)

·         Rock Creek Brewing, Richmond (1996?-2005?)

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, Baltimore (Closed 2007)

·         DuClaw  Brewing Company, Fells Point, Baltimore (Closed in 2009)

·         Fordham Brewing Co (Bought 2009 by Coastal Brewing)

·         Frederick Brewing (Bought by an Ohio brewery that itself was bought by Flying Dog in 2009)

·         Old Dominion Brewing Co (Bought 2009 by Coastal Brewing)

·         Oxford Brewing Co., Linthicum  (1992-1998, then part of Clipper City 1998-2009)

·         Wild Goose Brewery (Cambridge > Frederick > Flying Dog > Closed 2010 and sold recipes to Logan Shaw)

·         Clipper City (reorganized in 2010 as Heavy Seas Beers)

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, Massachusetts Ave (Closed Jul 2011--possibly reopening in Union Station?)

·         Shenandoah Brewing Company, Alexandria  (Closed June 2011)

H. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN NON-LOCALLY OWNED BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS (Chrono)

·         Dock Street Brewing (1994-1997)

·         John Harvard's Brew House, Washington, DC (1997 - 2006)

I. ONCE ROAD-TRIPPABLE BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS NOW CLOSED (Chronological)

·         Globe Brewing Company (Arrow Beer) (1748-1963)

·         Chesapeake Bay Brewing Co., Virginia Beach (1982?-1989?)

·         Globe Brewing (Key Hwy) (1994-1996)

·         Calhoun's, Harrisonburg, VA (Closed 2011)

·         Mountaineer Brewing Co., Martinsburg, WV (Closed Apr 2011)

·         Shooting Creek Farm Brewery, Floyd, VA‎ (Closed May 2011)

J. DYNAMIC REGIONAL HOME-BREWING AND BEER APPRECIATION CLUBS

·         Baltibrew

·         Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP)

·         Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society (CRABS)

·         Cross Street Irregulars (CSI)

·         DC Homebrewers

·         Frederick's Original Ale Makers (FOAM)

·         Fredericksburg Area Brewing and Tasting Society (FABTS)

·         Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders  (FBI)

·         Goddard Zymurnauts

·         Libation Association

·         Maryland Ale & Lager Technicians (MALT)

·         Midnight Homebrewers' League

·         Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW)

·         The Killer Ales

·         The Wort Hogs, Herndon

·         Wootown Brewers, Northern Maryland

By this count, there are (40) currently open local breweries and brew-pubs within 100 miles of the Capitol, plus an additional (24) non-local brew-pub chains and "tied house" brewery outlets with no brewing on premises.  Added to these establishments, we have (10) more breweries and brew-pubs coming soon to this area. Lots of choice, and more on the way!

Going slightly further afield, I highlight (17) current and future breweries that are not far outside the arbitrary 100-mile radius and well worth a road trip.  And because brewing, like any other business, follows a lifecycle, I list (35) breweries or brewpubs no longer in operation, gone but not forgotten.

And while we're at it, let's not forget to highlight the amateur brewers who meet, greet, and compete in (16) local home-brew clubs.

In all, this list highlights (142) past, present and future fresh beer outlets, each an important part of the lively and growing beer scene in the National Capitol Region. Today's brewers are enhancing and extending the American brewing tradition from our Nation's frothy founding to its foam-filled future.

Hoist a pint in support of the burgeoning brewing scene in our Nation's Capitol!  Cheers!

Rock on, DC-Area Brewers!  We're thirsty!