Firemans #4 Blonde Ale, Brewed by Real Ale Brewing Company, Blanco, Texas

This very nice beer pours out very golden and very clear. Definitely looks very blonde when poured from the bottle, with a lot of bubbles but not much head. I had never heard of the brewery before, Real Ale...and it is definitely very local. I bought it at a gas station close to the airport on a beer run.

I thought it was lightly sweet and almost caramel like, which reminds me of Fat Tire. But in color it is a lot lighter. I will give it an A- because I was pleasantly surprised and because it has a lot more flavor and taste than I would think based on how light it looks in the class.

365 Everyday Value Cola All Natural Soda, Whole Foods Market

I bought this can of pop at the Whole Foods Market by George Washington University, a very busy location I guess because of all the students. I wanted something sweet and picked this, which I had tried before.

Its flatter than Coke and I can't decide if it is like Mexican Coke, which would slightly make sense since it is made with cane sugar, B-.

Brooklyn Lager, the Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, New York

A few weeks a go I had the Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Lager, which used to be a go to beer for me a few years ago, but I guess I got a little bored with it. But as I am sure you already, their lager is pretty great as are all their beers. I also used to live kind of a close walk to the brewery and enjoyed taking the tour there for the free and cheap beer (but it also burned me out on brewery tours since they are all the same).

I had always remembered the beer as being very piney, and it was very piney but I forgot how almost minty it was. I had not had one in a while and was surprised to find it light and very pleasant and refreshing. A!

Before I finish I wanted to point out that I had the beer during a loooong lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, which is a very nice old bar by the White House. It is classy but not too stuffy and a traditional D.C. bar and restaurant, but it also gets tourists (but not to the point of being obnoxious).

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Old Ebbitt is just a great place...the kind of place where the waiters and bartenders provide real professional service and treat their jobs as the important professions that they really are.