Why we picked it: Local beer from DC. Brewed for DC United. Fairly cheap case cost to balance out some of the higher cost beers.
About DC Brau's The Tradition: The Tradition is a limited-release D.C. United specific beer - the only one of its kind in the DC sports world.
The special DC Brau craft beer will be a unique, one-of-a-kind brew, crafted specifically for D.C. United and its fans to enjoy. One thousand gallons of the beer will be produced and will be made available exclusively at participating D.C. United official bar partners and at the DC Brau Brewing Company.
"My motivation for making this particular beer with D.C. United came from a willingness to make an ale that all soccer fans can enjoy," said DC Brau President and Head Brewer Jeff Hancock. "United fans drink all kinds of different beer, and with this particular ale I wanted it to reach a broad spectrum of palettes from those who drink everything from light lagers to hoppy pale ales. There's a little something for everybody in this Golden Ale!"
Beer Advocate Score: 79
Style: Golden Ale
Color: Gold
ABV: 5.0%
IBU’s: 15
Hops: U.S. Fuggle, U.S. Cascade
Malts: Pale, CaraPils
Case Cost: $39
*website: http://www.dcbrau.com/our_brau.cfm?brau=18#
$39 case is 'fairly cheap?' Thanks Obama.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically crafted for DC united and its fans? Good lord - first gourd(kudos to whoever pulled that reference - made me laugh) flavored beer, now soccer?
I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I believe that we will. I believe that we will drink.
Note: Insulted soccer and threw in a political jab that could be interpreted as an insult to both parties. Winning.
Review to come later after I drink this plus 11 other beers to overcome coaching eight 9-year old girls in 'basketball'
How come we didn't have this on Sunday so we could drink it while watching United play in the MLS Cup? Oh wait....
ReplyDeleteAfter sitting in traffic on the Beltway due to a presidential motorcade (Thanks Barack Hussein Obummer!) and then finding the GW Parkway closed leading to my dad freaking out since I only got them to the airport at 3:25 instead of 3:15 for their 5:40 flight, I tore into this like I was at a Screaming Eagles tailgate.
I've had this beer many times this summer. Ironically enough it's never been at a DC United game I've been at. There I've either drank some bizarre homebrew from Vienna or else a 36 ounce can of Modello inside the crumbling pile of cement they still call home. But I do like it. Definitely light for my taste and probably better when it is 73 degrees instead of 37 but it'll do.
I would like to add that my current opinion may be clouded due to some bizarre palatte issues. About an hour ago, my mother-in-law gave my two year old some bunny grahams she found in the back of our pantry. Lucy said she didn't like them. I took a bite of one of them and it tasted like cardboard. Literally. Checked the expiration date. June 2013. I've been eating any and everything for the last hour to try to get the taste out of my mouth. I figured the beer would work but 8 ounces in and I'm still getting the aftertaste of expired bunnies. Too bad my dad and I finished Ro's pumpkin ale last night. Almost desperate enough to crack open the figgy awfulness that is the Southern Tier 2XMAS but thinking the cardboard bunny taste may be preferable. Going to be a long night.
Update. Tradition has been finished. Moved on to the Southern Tier. Still can't believe I bought a sixer of this without reading my comments from last year. So figgy and spicy. I'm not even sure this is actually beer. But in even more disturbing news, every time I take a sip, I get a shot of spices. Pretty obnoxious but then it fades away and the taste of cardboard returns. So my advice is to never doubt the expiration date on bunny grahams. Stupid free-range hippy snack crackers. Thanks Obama!
DeleteLeave any remaining 2Xmas on the porch, along with any Fig Newtons, and I will be by to pick them up shortly.
DeleteHmmm....
ReplyDeleteA beer made for a soccer team, eh?
Ok, I'm down with the concept. And I'm a DC sports fan, having grown up a local and all. So I was excited to try this one!
However, this beer for me ended up being much like soccer for me. Specifically, much like the world cup. Maybe every four years or so I'll convince myself that it's worth trying again. Worth giving it another shot. Convinced that maybe, just maybe THIS time, I'll understand why people are passionate about it. But...after my first sip, I realize that...well...it's just boring. It doesn't do anything for me. I guess I'm much more of a football beer kinda guy.
So in summary, I won't be ordering another one of these beers.
Not for at least another four years anyway.
I attended McDonough and graduated in 85
DeleteCouldn't agree more. This kind of tasted like a draft beer at a bar that doesn't clean their tap lines too often.
DeleteMcDonough! How about that...
DeleteYou've got me by a few, I graduated in '93, but great to drink beer with an alum!
Wow the first sip and I was instantly transported to tailgating at a soccer game at RFK. It tastes like something you would definitely find in the lots at RFK. Just so you know, I like my beer darker just like my women. So as I describe this beer like a women I met in the lot at RFK, I would definitely hold hands, put my arm around her to look down her soccer shirt and much to my dismay there is nothing interesting to get me to even attempt a hug. Just like this beer, after 2 sips I was done and moved on to something (or someone) else.
ReplyDeleteIs it wrong that I'm eagerly awaiting the first beer you really like?
DeleteOr a woman who gets past the hug?
Deleteso I asked my Dad to taste this beer; he said it tastes like you had a left over beers from a tailgate with Cousin Dave
DeleteSitting here catching up on emails from the day with my glass beside me. This beer is now about 3/4 gone and I didn't even notice that I was drinking it. 'Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the tip of the cap to local DC brews. I think we could easily have a week of local DC, MD, and NoVa. In fact, drinking this from a Camden Fest glass from, well, a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI think Tradition is wee crafted, actually has taste, but as mentioned, is too light for me. Probably just fine during the summer months at any number of sporting events.
"Just one please"
Much like RFK stadium, this beer must go!
ReplyDelete'bout right.
Deleteagreed
DeleteAt least there are no raccoons in there... at least as far as we know.
DeleteMeh...I probably wouldn't order this at a bar, but would drink it if I was handed one. I'm definitely more likely to drink this in the warmer weather.
ReplyDeleteMeh, it's OK, but I wouldn't order it or buy it. Makes me want to drink a few and play FIFA shots
ReplyDeleteBS
Unlike others, im blaming George Bush for this ish. I already knew I was going to hate this beer. DC Brau is a decent brewery (matter a fact, I'm juiced up off their Corruption IPA right now, about 7% ABV tasty, relatively cheap, and hits the spot) but when I saw the DC United logo, I'm like oh shit a beer to appeal to the sports loving masses. I took the first sip, and yep, a beer to appeal to the sports loving masses. Granted I would pick this over a $9 Coors at the stadium, but it was uninspiring, boring, and basic. Just a step above typical mass market beers. D+
ReplyDeleteIm especially grateful I had it thru 24 DOB instead of overpaying at the stadium or picking up a 6 of this. Word!
Well....reminds me of fizzy yellow water we see from the big boys here in the U.S....I guess the brewer really was trying to appeal to the masses with this one. "...with this particular ale I wanted it to reach a broad spectrum of palettes from those who drink everything from light lagers to hoppy pale ales..." Light lagers ehh??? Dare I say..."pass me a Bud, its cheaper."?
ReplyDeleteTradition is a great name for this beer because it tasted like so many other "golden ales" I've had over the years. Could have been made by Anheuser Busch. Not a bad beer but nothing special, and at a game or bonfire, I'm sure I could drink a few more. But for $39 a case, I'd opt for something more exotic.
ReplyDeleteThis beer is boring.
ReplyDeleteSetting a high bar with that post Ms W
Deletevery descriptive
DeleteI was so uninterested to give any other description. What I should have said was - I'd rather take a WGB!
DeleteWhen I picked this beer for the 24 DoB I admittedly did not have high hopes for it. But...with it being a DC beer, limited release, and made for DC United...I thought why not. The low ABV made me think before trying that this would be a light beer and/or a session beer. I haven't been high on past DC Brau beers I've tried either, so this guy was coming in as an underdog.
ReplyDeleteAfter drinking half of it, I think I was spot on in my prediction. It is definitely a session beer, but if I had to choose between this and WGB (World's Greatest Beer AKA Miller Lite), I would save the extra money and buy a case of WGB. It's not horrible, but it's forgetful. Nothing special here...much like most of DC sports...
Grade 7 out of 10, C-
I mostly had trouble with the initial odor. I detected a hint of sulphur. It went down easy from there with a little sweet tart finish, but overall... it performs much more like the 2013 DC United. My palate is also jacked due to a nasty little cold that I will assume came from the birthday party I attended last week along with Bill, who seems to also be maligned. Glad to have tried it, though! As it is my first post... thanks to the organizers for bringing so many of us together!
ReplyDeleteEhh ..... C-
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was cool that its the DC United beer...but was terribly disappointed in this one. All I could think about was this beer would be must better served if it were in a red solo cup while I was playing flip cup! Wouldn't order this one.
ReplyDeleteSolo cup = nailed it.
DeleteThis beer is just there. Its nothing special, just there. I've never been a big fan of DC Brau beers and i dont think this one will change my mind. Giving it a C because it wasn't horrible but wasn't great either.
ReplyDeleteDrinkable but not remarkable. My son said it was kind of like Coors - maybe the can makes it seem too common - dunno. I think you could drink a bunch of these at the game, tailgating or eating crabs, but not one you would take the time to savor. If my choice was Coors or this would definitely want this - but I'm looking forward to the other 22.
ReplyDeleteAfter three hours and 40 miles stuck in traffic today, this did little to raise my spirits. I once had a waiter seriously try to dissuade me from having a DC Brau beer. I did not listen and paid the price with a very mediocre beer. I want to like a DC brewery but its difficult to do that with at least two different brews that cannot deliver.
ReplyDeletePalatable yet underwhelming, much like DC's season this year.
ReplyDeleteTrying to avoid a day two let down, but it's hard with this pedestrian beer. At least it's a rare beer that would be hard to get locally....errr scratch that. Hey, nothing better than taking shots at the beer selection when you're one of the organizers. Kidding aside, it was ok, but in going to chose day 1 over day 2 - check minus.
ReplyDeleteWhen the best thing about the beer is the DC United home schedule on the side of the can, you know you've got an average beer packaged with some above-average marketing.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of both DC Brau (whose Corruption, like others have mentioned, is a very nice product) and DC United (and soccer in general). I've enjoyed RFK tailgates, I own some United gear, and I don't mind occasionally settling for a few "drinkable" (read: unremarkable) beers if the setting demands it. But DCB's homage to DCU recalls the team's recent lackluster years of average play in an average venue - the weight of low expectations, the curse of the lowest common denominator.
The Tradition is not a bad beer - it just isn't a very good, special, or memorable beer. This beer does a good job of being middling, and that may be OK when the parking lot is hot and the beer is cold (and ideally, in this case, free). However, it's not something I would choose in most cases and not something I would buy - and certainly not at $39/case!
Forgettable, like United's play since Marco Etcheverry left. Not too offensive, but does nothing well. Maybe good for when you're ten beers deep or if you're playing beer pong. C.
ReplyDeleteComing up next the Washington Mystics beer. I actually liked this one. Made me wish I was going to a tailgate and not waking up for work in a few hours.
ReplyDeleteMystics jokes always get a chuckle out of me.
DeleteEhh... I'm not going to tout this beer, but if I am tailgating or drinking just to get drunk it'll do the trick.
ReplyDeleteMeh...quite drinkable but generally unremarkable. Matt and I drank this one together and our ladies both really liked it (a testament to the quality of this beer). Nothing bad but nothing good either...a step up from our DC sport franchises.
ReplyDeleteGlad I tasted it, but will never go for a second.
Better than most beers that I tailgate with, but don't think that "it's better than a Coors Light" is too high of a bar to pass. Will keep in mind for next summer as a better tailgating alternative
ReplyDeleteTastes like the Heineken Beers I've been trying to get rid of since my 40th birthday.
ReplyDeleteI guess my unrefined palette enjoys boring beer. I liked it. Though I question the freshness of the beer when it includes a soccer schedule that started in March 2014. Seems like a beer that should be served at FedUp field, a la old World Cup beer, than at a beer store. You'd think for $39 a case you'd get something that was canned less than a year ago.
ReplyDeleteAfter coaching nine 9-yr olds for an hour, it was enjoyable. Still can't get over $39 though. Its stunning to me. Like Lagunitas beers are $39 a case and those are high ABV and dont' have a beer advocate score in the 70s. Was this price based on it being a vintage brew? Kinda like a collectible.
Oh yeah - this rating - straight Check.
DeleteLove DC Brau since they first brought back beer into DC. Nice to see an easy beer from these guys. Nothing to write home about. Could make this my new go to beer for when I want something light.
ReplyDeleteSo my favorite local brewery and my favorite sports team collaborate on a beer? I was going to love this beer no matter what it tasted like. It is what it is - a tailgate beer for people who like beer. It's nothing particularly innovate or challenging. It's an easy-drinking beer on a hot summer day in Lot 8.
ReplyDeleteAlso, perfectly timed to have this beer on December 2nd when the first reading of the stadium act passed. Buzzard Point here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brew in a can, not my favorite. Golden ale, not my favorite. Soccer, not my favorite.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this could a good brew for stadium drinking, if reasonably priced. I'd say $2 a can is a reasonable price for this brew.
Beer number 2, DC Brau: The Tradition. Believe it or not, this was my first experience with this beer. I think it has more to do with my tendency to gravitate toward IPAs, stouts, and porters than any thing else. Overall it was good. Not my go to beer, but one I wouldn't pass on if offered. Can definitely see this as a good refreshing beer on a hot day.
ReplyDeleteI got a six pack of this beer at DC Brau when it first came out - I'm a sucker for a limited release and an excuse to visit a local brewery. But, after trying one or 2 and giving some away, I still have one in my fridge because it just didn't enjoy it. I get that it's meant for more of a mass appeal, but there is something about it that just don't like. I tried to be open minded it about it tonight, but it still didn't do anything for me.
ReplyDeleteOlé, Olé, Olé... OK. This beer is OK. It's just OK.
ReplyDeleteAs a avid DC United supporter, I can say this is probably the best beer you can buy at RFK. For whatever that is worth.
Serving recommendation: Best in Lot 8 on a 90 degree day surrounded by black-and -red clad fanatics and with an occasional outburst of drums, chanting and singing.
Other than that, I'll usually pass. Rating: 5/10 (the can was worth 2 of those points)
Catching up a bit here. I didn't have high expectations for this beer. Was expecting something along the lines of a Bud, but I actually liked it much more than expected. Not sure what I was tasting, but I found it to be an enjoyable, easy drinking beer. I don't see it ending up in my top 20, but not bad overall.
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake of having this with dinner. At least I can pad my Untappd with a limited release brew.
ReplyDeleteNothing special and easily mistakable for an AB product. Perhaps they should consider a NASCAR branding tie-in.
ReplyDeleteWhat's soccer? Not a bad beer... I prefer their corruption ipa
ReplyDeleteHad this beer late - enjoyed out on the golf course today. First thing that came to mind was going to the USA vs Honduras game at RFK in like 99-00 timeframe. I took the middle row out of my parents minivan, and we threw down. This would have been a good beer for that day (think we were drinking that old red label Miller beer, whatever happened to that?) - getting housed outside at a soccer game. For 39 a case though? I'll pass. Cool concept, sweet can. All you soccer haters can suck dick.
ReplyDeleteNot too bad. Generally the more overwhelming an ale taste, the less I like it. And this one is not overwhelming at all. If I had to drink an ale this would be near the top of the list.
ReplyDeleteDC Brau Tradition...not a fan. It tasted like something that'd be served at a bar but still a step about the domestic drafts. The flavor definitely isn't watered down. Matter-of-fact, a little dilution would've done it some good.
ReplyDelete