A magical evening at the Brickskeller

By Tommy Brooks of Eugene, Oregon. Tommy is a University of Oregon law student and the brewmaster of the U of O Law School Beeristers. [Editor's note: On rare occasions, we upgrade brilliant comments to full posts. In honor of Oregon Beer Week, this is one of those rare times.]

Almost two years ago I had an opportunity to move to Washington, D.C. The shift from Left to East coast was troubling enough, but I soon began to settle in. One aspect of my new life that never settled, however, was the serious lack of frothy goodness at the local watering holes. I searched far and wide, but nearly every package store owner pointed me to Sam Adams or Newcastle when I asked where they kept the craft brews.

Furthermore, I discovered that the entire town was divided along party lines (shocking, I know). There were some bars and restaurants you just don’t go to when you’re in the minority party. And the few bars where the parties did mingle felt just plain stiff and everyone talked only to those sitting at their own table.

But there was this one magical moment – at the Brickskeller (which boasts the largest beer menu in DC, even if everything on the menu is not always available). While joining some friends for a beer, word got out that a group of Oregonians was in the house. Before we knew it, someone treated us to a magnum of Hair of the Dog. For that one evening, there was no talk of politics or policy or anything else of a divisive nature. Only talk of beer and of Oregon. Again, it was magical.

That moment aside, DC wasn’t the place for me. I high-tailed it back to Oregon so that I could live that moment every day. My first act was to join the Beeristers, a beer club at the U of O Law School (and probably the only school-sanctioned beer club in the country). Our goal is not just to promoted Oregon’s brewing industry and the art of homebrew, it’s to erase the divide created by all politics.

Sure, rural and urban folk have good qualities that go beyond beer appreciation, but there’s something to this. If a good Oregon beer can unite a small part of DC for an evening, then I don’t see why it can’t unite our entire state.