WASHINGTON — The craft food and beer festival, SAVOR, is back in D.C. June 1 and 2 at the National Building Museum. At the annual event, attendees can expect more than 180 beers from 90 small and independent craft breweries.
But beer won’t be the only focus.
“This is about beer and food being on equal playing field,” said Adam Dulye, executive chef for the Brewers Association.
Haute cuisine isn’t just for cabernet: The concept of pairing beer and food has become increasingly popular in recent years. Dulye said beer’s unique characteristics enhance the qualities of food in a way that wine can’t.
“Beer has this wonderful thing called carbonation that just activates things on the palate. It can create excitement; it can cleanse the palate,” Dulye said.
“It can actually have the ability of letting you leave a meal more awake, if you will, than if you finish with something really down and heavy that just makes you want to go to bed.”
Throughout the two-day event, brewers and brewery owners will be on-site to educate visitors and answer questions. The culinary team behind the menu — which features 70 items using everything from pheasant, to venison, to duck — will also be interacting with tasters.
“Anybody who comes in has a chance to ask, really any question you want, and learn about what’s going on not only in the brewing industry and from the people who are the ones driving it, but also for a snapshot as to what’s happening in American cuisine,” Dulye said.
Tickets for SAVOR are still available and can be purchased online.
