Bar Review: Wonderland Ballroom, Washington, D.C.

I have been to this bar three times and both times I have found it to be what the situation called for. The Wonderland Ballroom is located in Colombia Heights in Washington, D.C. and seems to skew towards a younger hipsterish crowd, which is fine. They have outdoor seating and every time I have been there I have found a seat, though the inside is not especially big. It has a dive bar atmosphere, though one that has not come about naturally since they are not that old.

They have a good beer selection and each time I have been there a bunch of empty Delirium Tremens bottles were sitting on the bar. Which makes me wonder, is that for show?

I will go ahead and give these folks a B.

Cerveza Imperial, Brewed by Bebidas Florida, Costa Rica, Central America

While in New York City last fall I came a cross a familiar sight when I poked into the Museo del Barrio, a very cool and hip museum dedicated to celebrating Latinos in the U.S. They happen to have a neat cafeteria that serves beer! That is a trend I have noticed elsewhere, the Smithsonian museums and in particular the National Museum of the American Indian also serve beer. Their cafeteria is also pretty awesome and serves a lot of stuff (i.e., Latin American beer and Latin inspired food), but as expected is expensive.

That could and should be a different blog post. What I saw in NYC was...Imperial! The main Costa Rican beer I drank for two years and three months while I was living down there. Like a lot of Latin American beers it is pretty light and insubstantial and like a lot of those beers tourists love it (Corona, ugh).

I guess folks love the logo and it is pretty good though it has a little of the National Socialist aesthetic when you look at it closely. But the beer itself is just okay and after more than two years of little choice for a beer enthusiast like myself it started to taste less than okay and I would avoid it when possible.

But it is light, crisp, and refreshing on a hot day. To be very authentic you must drink it by pouring it into an ice filled glass, as is the custom in the C.R. They do that for all their beers (though they don't really produce that many, especially when compared to their neighbors on the isthmus). I always considered the practice a tacit admission that their beers don't really taste that great so there is no need to try and preserve the taste.

In Costa Rica it is available in bottles, cans, and tall boys. You can also find it on tap in certain bars in San Jose, the capital city. Also, in the Costa Rican Pizza Huts. But it almost always came out skunky, smelling of rotten eggs.

I have also seen this beer at a liquor store in Boston, near the Jamaica Plain area. Because I grew tired of this beer I will give it an admittedly prejudiced C. But...now that I am back in the States I will order this beer for nostalgic reasons.

Cerveza Golden Light, Brewed by Industrias La Constancia, El Salvador, Central America

During the summer of 2010 I had the privilege of passing through some of our southern neighbors and during that time I was able to try a few new beers. Golden Light comes out of El Salvador, a small country with a surprising amount of beers. Heck, in the capitol city of San Salvador I was able to find some beer on tap pretty easily...that is often a challenge in the places I have seen in Central America.

I tried this particular beer at a restaurant in a smaller town, it was served nice and cold in a wide mug. In the U.S. I never buy a light beer, but when I'm out and about on a trip I am very open minded. This beer got the job done and cooled me down on a warm day...crisp and refreshing but not particularly noteworthy. A decent B.

Beer! Everywhere!

Hello! This is the third post in our new, hopefully fun, blog dedicated to beers in all their delicious and enjoyable varieties. I will just go by "Beer B." and my co-author will go by the nom de guerre "Punjab."

I think you will find that we each have a different perspective but will both strive to be open minded. No beer will be too cheap or (possibly) too expensive for our palates!

We will always be open to suggestions and feedback so please let us know what you think!