Where were you when you had your first beer from Lithuania? How about Zambia? OK, if you've ever had one at all, we're betting your answer is: at the Brickskeller.
While online rumors are rampant that the Brickskeller could be closing as early as Dec. 18, Dave Alexender -- who owns the place with his wife Diane -- tells us that sounds awfully soon. "Nothing happens 'til it actually happens," he said.
Diane Alexander, whose parents and grandparents opened the West End's famed tavern in 1957, told TBD.com that although "nothing is definite right now," the spot isn't likely to be open next year.
The Alexanders also own Chinatown's RFD, and Diane Alexander told TBD that elements of their historic pub may be incorporated into that spot, which currently carries about 30 beers on tap.
But the Brickskeller is famed for carrying hundreds (they say more than 1,000) bottles from countries ranging from Belgium to Guatemala to Vietnam. The dark, two-story venue includes a cozy basement, plenty of fries (with dipping sauces -- that's important) and cans of decades-old beers on display along narrow shelves.
So is there hope that the Brickskeller will live on in one form or another? Dave Alexander sounds optimistic. "We have very stubborn Washingtonians who don't want to see the Brickskeller disappear.... And we're very stubborn ourselves," he told us.
In October, Washington City Paper had reported that the Alexanders were trying to unload the bar, as well as the attached Brickskeller Inn. There's some speculation that the entire building might become a boutique hotel.
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