WTOP’s Beer of the Week: Hofbräuhaus Traunstein 1612er Zwickl

By Brennan Haselton
October 2, 2020 | 10:33 AM

WASHINGTON — Wouldn’t you like to taste this good after more than 400 years?

WTOP’s Brennan Haselton is joined by Neighborhood Restaurant Group Beer Director and Food and Wine Sommelier of the Year Greg Engert to talk about Hofbräuhaus Traunstein 1612er Zwickl for the latest edition of WTOP’s Beer of the Week.

Quick facts:

Brewery: Hofbräuhaus Traunstein, Traunstein, Bavaria, Germany
Description: A naturally cloudy pale lager featuring fresh, zesty malt and a hop bouquet
ABV: 5.3%
Greg’s pairing suggestions: German food (brats, kraut, pretzels), italian red sauce dishes and pizza, chili, turkey stew and broccoli and cheddar soup

School bus emergency? Fairfax County students have a plan to handle it

By Heather Gustafson
August 21, 2026 | 10:05 PM

This story is part of WTOP’s 2026 Back to School coverage. The wheels on the bus will soon be going round and round again in Fairfax County, Virginia, and some of its young riders are learning what to do if there’s an emergency on the way to school. The annual Safety Patrol Training Camp, hosted by Fairfax County Public Schools' Office of Transportation Services, combined hands-on exercises with classroom lessons to teach students how to keep calm during emergencies on buses. The training can feel remarkably realistic, with overturned school buses on their side or completely upside down in the middle of the county bus depot. Other buses, right side up, fill with smoke that is water-based but mimics the intensity of a bus overheating.

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