Captain Silver

Originally Posted by Captain Silver

Many of us on football days sit down and enjoy the game with a cold beer. Many of the breweries we know owe a debt of gratitude to Dave Alexander. Dave once held the Guinness Book of World Records for having the widest variety of beers at one location, the Brickskeller in Washington, DC. Dave passed away yesterday.

Dave, in fact, helped Stone, Dogfish, Sierra Nevada, and countless other breweries; many of the microbreweries today would not be as prevalent were it not for Dave's staunch war against macro breweries, introducing beer lovers through his numerous beer tastings over three decades.

He went on to open another location called RFD with his wife and business partner, Diane. Between the two restaurants, they brought untold happiness and knowledge of beer to the world.

Dave was a staunch Washington Redskins fan all his life. Though we were close friends, our Beltway rivalry never ended. He was not a fan of the Baltimore Ravens at all. Back in the heyday of Ray Lewis and company, he went to a game at M&T stadium. He said to me, "Even though I hate your team, that stadium experience was off the chain. It reminded me of what the Redskins used to be like in RFK Stadium during the Joe Gibbs and Hogs era."

I cannot begin to tell you what the world lost yesterday. One of the funniest and most adventure-filled lives I have ever known. Dave's stories ranged from Chris Robinson of the Black Crows thinking his bar was the best ever or Pink Floyd using his back room during their stay in DC for private drinking and chilling out. He even guitar teched for Kiss when their guy fell ill on short notice when they played DC, as Dave was also an accomplished musician.

Dave and Diane sold their bars and moved to Nashville, where they retired, and he wrote music and performed locally. So, when next you drink a real beer while watching the Ravens, raise a glass to the memory on my friend who played a small part in bringing us out of the dark ages of the major brands to the variety we all enjoy today.

You may notice my avatar has always been the gargoyle holding a beer, which is the logo from Stone Brewery; Dave introduced me to Greg Koch, owner of Stone, long ago. I hung out with Greg, and even visited his brewery in Escondido with VIP credentials because of Dave, and it became one of my favorite beers - Arrogant Bastard, so there is no way I can ever log into RSR and not think of my dear friend Dave.

Farewell Dave.



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