The Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument. The White House. The Capitol Building. These and other stellar places reside in the District of Columbia. But there is a bar in Washington D.C. that has earned a place among our national treasures – The Brickskeller – that could be the Smithsonian Institute of Beer.

To enter this world, first you must go down under. Not for a Coopers Ale (Australia) but under a small hotel and enter a cellar – or meet a seller – of the largest beer selection in the United States. The Brickskeller is located under ground. A long bar with tables in small rooms on the left flank endless cooler doors with hundreds of rows of lagers, ales, stouts and ciders.

Once you’ve taken a bar stool – which you literally cannot do because they are bolted to the ground – you will be handed a beer list that would make James Michener proud and a proofreader crazy. Over 1,000 beers are listed on the menu. They have every beer and continent represented from Abbaye des Rocs (Belgium) to Zywiec (Poland).

You can have a Gem (England) of a beer, but you might want to be in the Bink (Belgium). You can study a He’Brew (California) or lower a Boon (Belgium) or cherish a Cherish (Belgium).

You can quickly down an Arriba (San Salvador), or pull from a Magic Hat (Vermont), or Hop Back (England) and have a Smuttynose (New Hampshire). But don’t drink too many or you may face a Strongarm (England) which would make you the Black Sheep (England). Then you’ll have to reach for the Hair of the Dog (Oregon).

Once in a Blue Moon (Colorado) – Enough already! – I’ll choose my own beer. But it is best to ask the staff of beer experts behind the bar. They can match a beer to your particular craving, recommend some offerings from a particular region, or offer a continuum from light to heavy depending upon your wants. Plus they seem to know instantly where the beer is located in the beer coolers, which is no small feat.

Guinness (Ireland) Book of World Records sited The Brickskeller as having the most variety of beers commercially available in the world. The number at the time: 1,072.

As one would expect, the Brickskeller is decorated in vintage beer paraphernalia with displays of nostalgic old beer cans. The menu is very beer friendly, with Chicken Wings (New York), Buffalo Stew (South Dakota), Philly Cheese Steaks (Pennsylvania) – Stop it! and a number of Burgers heading up the fare. The bar is open for lunch on Monday though Friday, but does not open on weekends until 6 pm. The kitchen stays open until 1 am on weekdays and 2 am on weekends.

Parking is always tough in D.C. and particularly difficult in this neighborhood so take public transportation or a taxi. You may want to stay a while because when they hand you the beer menu at The Brickskeller, you’ve got the whole world in your hands. – D. M.