This Week in Geek 2012/07/30

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars.

Longer Term

• Beer - August is Virginia Craft Beer Month! - All of Virginia - through the end of August
• I'm always glad to have an excuse to put more beer and brewery-related events on the weekly list. With the Craft Beer month, I now have an excuse to keep you all up to date on the local brewery events that are usually too geeky. Of course, I also have the excuse when Maryland's Craft Beer Week comes back around in May, during the October and June Northern Virginia Brewfests, and if/when DC has another craft beer festival.

If you're willing to travel, Harrisonburg has the Capital Alehouse
with over 50 beers on tap. (image by David Blaikie)

• Convention - Shore Leave - Hunt Valley, MD - Friday through Sunday
• Shore Leave is primarily a media convention, with guests including Kate Mulgrew, LeVar Burton, Jonathon Young, and Jane Wiedlin. However, there are also nearly thirty authors and a handful of science guests attending as well. The programming is equally varied: science programming, children's events, workshops, and a masquerade.
• Lego - BrickFair: Lego Fan Festival - Chantilly, VA - Saturday and Sunday
• The name says it all. Head over to the Dulles Expo Center with your camera and bricks this weekend and start making stuff! Just don't forget to pick up a few brick separators so you're not wearing out your teeth and nails trying to rip apart the tiny pieces.

Wednesday

• Beer - Mad Fox Tap Takeover at Smoke & Barrel - Washington, DC - 5:00PM
• Witbier, Dubbel, and Pils, oh my! (Yes, that should be read with George Takei's inflection). Whether you're kicking off the Virginia Craft Beer month or just trying to get through the mid-week, Mad Fox is here to help. Smoke & Barrel looks like a damn near perfect bar, but that could be my love of craft beer, bourbon and bbq talking.
• More Beer - Brew Day #1 with the NoVA Makers - Reston, VA - 7:00PM
• I love homebrewing, so I understand exactly how intimidating it can be to get started. If you're not the type to spend hours on youtube and online tutorials or walk into an unfamiliar store and ask for help, brewing with others makes trying the hobby much easier. Join on Meetup to introduce yourself and RSVP.

I know some of you have collections that rival most game stores.
Share the love! (image by Mike)

 

Saturday

• Gaming - Grand Gaming Melee with AARGGH - Arlington, VA - 10:30AM to 4:30PM
• This weekend, if you're looking for a place to hang out and game, the Alexandria-Arlington Regional Gaming Group is hosting a potluck gaming melee. With over 37 people attending, it looks like it'll be a pretty good crowd. Event has to be cleaned up and gone from the library auditorium by 5, so head over early so you don't miss out.
• Movie - Spaceballs Anniversary showing at AFI Silver - Silver Spring, MD - 5:30PM
• Ok, it's official, everything came out in 1987. So here's yet another 25th anniversary. Reading the description and watching the theatrical trailer, I'm realizing that about 80% of my lame middle-school humor was just non-stop repetition of this movie. As always, AFI has gives us younger generations a chance to see the movies we've always loved on the big screen for the first time.

Did we miss something? If you have an event you’d like to promote that isn’t on this list, leave a comment or email us. Other weekly reoccurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours). For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.