Wednesdays: Organic Beer Happy Hour in Shirlington

My immediate reaction to reading about Busboys & Poets' organic beer happy hour was, "How have I not heard about this yet???":

If you want to sample organic ale without the high price tag, Busboys and Poets in Shirlington hosts its Organic Beer Happy Hour every Wednesday. You can try Wolaver's Organic, Peak Organic, Stone Mill Pale Ale and (for those concerned with drinking locally) Baltimore's Clipper City ales.

The happy hour got started last December when Silver Spring-based author Christopher Mark O'Brien arrived for a talk about his book, "Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World." The talk was followed by a signing and organic beer tasting, which garnered such a positive response that Busboys has been running the weekly happy hour ever since -- and they don't sell these beers otherwise, so the only time you can get them is at the happy hour. Unfortunately for city mice, there are no plans for the event to migrate to the D.C. location.

$4 beers (bottles). Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m. Busboys and Poets, 4251 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington. 703-379-9756.

I'd recommend all of those beers except Stone Mill, which I'm neutral on. It's organic but is brewed by Anheuser-Busch and shipped in from California. Read more about sustainable beer options here.

Cross-posted from The Green Miles

Next Week: ACE Organic Beer Tasting

I've been volunteering with Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment for several years now, and my favorite event of the year is coming up next week! We're hosting our 2nd Annual Organic Beer Tasting on Thursday September 20th at 7pm at Potomac Overlook Regional Park.

You'll be able to sample around half a dozen varieties of Wolaver's, which has generously agreed to donate the beer for the tasting. You can find Wolaver's for sale in local Whole Foods and My Organic Markets. Organic beer is surprisingly hard to come by in Arlington bars, but you can get several varieties at Lost Dog Cafe. In addition, Sam Smith Organic Lager is available at Tallula's EatBar.

The Organic Beer Tasting will also feature a special guest host, Chris O'Brien, author of Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World. Chris also writes one of my favorite blogs, Beer Activist.

Tickets are $25 for ACE members, $30 for nonmembers. You can reserve your spot online here.

Review: ACE Organic Wine Tasting

I went into this year's Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment Organic Wine Tasting as a skeptic. Why? Because I'd attended last year's Organic Wine Tasting, and honestly, I wasn't all that impressed by any of the wines.

But this year, my reaction was almost the opposite -- all of them were at least decent and several were excellent. We tasted three whites, three reds, and a dessert wine. My favorite was the Meditrina, a mix of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

The tasting was presented by The Curious Grape, a great wine and cheese shop in Shirlington. You don't have to be some kind of a wealthy connoisseur to enjoy it. I'm no wine expert and I'm definitely a bargain shopper, so I appreciate that they have clear descriptions of the wines and a wide range of prices, from high-end to good values. And even if you don't buy anything, they're usually giving out free tastes, so it's worth stopping by.

To Do: 1) Tuck shirt in 2) See art 3) Sip organic wine

Friday night at 7:30pm, the Arlington Arts Center will host the 2nd Annual Organic Wine Tasting to benefit Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment! The Curious Grape will be presenting the wines, paired with organic cheese and chocolate.

It'll be a double feature of sorts -- you can get an up-close look at the newly-renovated Arts Center and sample some world-class organic wines, which can be really hard to find.

Proceeds from the event will benefit ACE, an organization shamelessly touted here because I'm a longtime board member and an even longer-time volunteer. ACE relies heavily on donations from our supporters to fund our environmental events, educational programs, and outreach efforts like the Green Living Challenge. Every contribution counts!

You can reserve your tickets online now. Hope to see you there!