one that was currently available. The Brickskeller also first presented real ale in cask. The Brickskeller also had more than 50 aged beers, and four varieties of mead ("honey wine"). Another first was a beer cocktail menu featuring numerous beer cocktails including "Maui Mouthwash", which contains Malibu Caribbean White Rum with Coconut, fruit juice, blue curacao, vodka and golden lager, and Smack & Tan. The Brickskeller served standard American pub food, including spicy chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, chicken tenders, and burgers. In the 1980s, the Brickskeller introduced buffalo meat burgers (buffalo burgers) and buffalo pizza, both dishes that quickly developed a following among the bar's patrons. Other menu items included spinach and artichoke dip, pierogies, spiced shrimp, salad, and sandwiches. The staff called the kitchen a "submarine kitchen", putting out an average of over 650 dinners a night. The Brickskeller was open for lunch on weekdays, and opened at 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. In the 1970's it became a popular gathering spot for beer can collectors. A customer could ask that the can be opened from the bottom, enhancing its value as a collector's item. Atmosphere The Brickskeller had a rustic saloon motif. On the lower level, old barrels were made into bar stools. Upstairs was where they held beer tastings and occasionally other special occasions The Brickskeller added televisions upstairs in 2003, so it could show March Madness and other sports events. The Brickskeller seated 450 on both floors. The Brickskeller was popular among the 25-34 age crowds, being so close to the Georgetown, George Washington University, and American University. Politicians, Capitol Hill aides, diplomats, local university students, DC residents, and tourists were regular customers at The Brick. Over the years celebrities like Quentin Tarantino, Jerry Seinfeld, members of Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Brooke Shields, and Jim Morrison visited. Of course it was, and despite closing long ago still is, considered a Mecca for beer aficionados. It was quite common to be able to walk through the dining room and hear half a dozen languages being spoken. Fathers would bring sons in to show them where they drank while in college and look to see if their names were still scratched into the ship room wall, which they often were. The spy,Aldrich Ames,met with his Soviet counterparts in a dark corner of the dining room. Events The Brickskeller frequently hosted beer tastings and sponsored other