Sunday marked the third annual DC Beer Week Craft Beer Cruise, a three-hour Odyssey Potomac tour that featured 80 new and notable brews from more than 30 breweries worldwide, a good portion of which are from our own backyard: 3 Stars Brewing, Capitol City Brewing, Chocolate City Beer, DC Brau, District Chophouse, Port City Brewing, Mad Fox Brewing and even the forthcoming Bluejacket all had beers available for tasting. The event celebrated the official kick-off of DC Beer Week — and was a clear sign that the D.C. craft beer scene is coming into its own.

Solidarity Saison — the official beer of DC Beer Week 2012 — made its debut aboard The Odyssey; the traditional Belgian summer pour is a collaborative blend from seven local breweries and serves as the liquid mascot of this year’s craft beer celebration in the District. Find it on draft at several area bars, through this Saturday only!

If you can’t make it to a participating tap, you can still celebrate by pouring a pint from one of the other brews onboard. Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Bluejacket brewery had a presence with two of its pre-opening collaborations, the Sidewalk Saison and the plum-tinged Washington O.C. 3 Stars Brewing Co. was also offering recently unveiled (as in, last week) brews: the light Urban Farmhouse Saison and the whopping 9.6% ABV Pandemic Porter.

Other local pours worth pursuing in the name of Beer Week: the Oatmeal Stout and Summer Bock from Capital City, the Oaked Penn Quarter Porter and Public Pale Ale from DC Brau, Ellie’s Saison and Pale Lager from District Chophouse, the Single Hop Chinook and SIngle Hop El Dorado from Flying Dog, Port City’s Monumental IPA and Porter, and Mad Fox Brewing Co.’s Kölsch and Molotov Hoptail Double IPA.

As an indication of the district’s ever-growing local beer scene, this year’s cruise was fully reserved for the DC Beer Week celebration, a marked difference from last year’s event at which just half of The Odyssey’s expansive space was dedicated to local beer enthusiasts. With the recent opening of 3 Stars and the expected 2013 opening of Bluejacket, we anticipate an even bigger kick-off next year. Until then, don’t miss our picks for the best DC Beer Week events.

Photos by Elizabeth Parker; more photos on Facebook here