New Belgium Brewing Company's Welcome to Baltimore Party

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being invited to a once in a lifetime event...I know it's only beer...but only once in a lifetime do you get the chance to experience a Welcoming Party for a top 3 Craft Brewery. New Belgium was finally making it into the Baltimore region, and it was indeed a big deal.

Now I have had the good fortune to have had New Belgium beers before, but they were only while out in the part of the country they call home, Ft. Collins, Colorado. The brewery and all involved are very methodical in the choosing of times to expand the reach of the brewery...Not wantng to spread themselves too thin as some breweries have found out recently. They calculated this move with precision, taking nearly a year and a half to find the perfect distribution entity to make them successful in the region. Bond Distributing was chosen for the Baltimore region after comparing the strength of all distributors. And I thank them for putting on this big coming out party for all of us here in Baltimore.

The event was held in the very pituresque Oregon Ridge Park in North Baltimore. My fellow beer geeks and I bumped elbows with regional liquor store owners/reps as well as restaurant and bar owner/managers about what a cool thing having one of the nations most respected craft breweries finally in the area. Alot of them have not had the chance to try beers from New Belgium and were very impressed with the initial limited line-up.

After shooting the breeze with our host Matt Crow, the Head of Craft Beer, from Bond and a few of the other reps and owner Bob "Bond", We had the pleasure of chatting with the woman that leads this ship for New Belgium, CEO Kim Jordan. We talked about how NB is very enviormentally conscious and how the methods of brewing aren't that much different from traditional breweries while cutting the carbon footprint nearly in half. We also talked about the design of the NB logo and the inspiration for it. I thought it was really cool how almost the whole staff of the brewery, nearly 300 strong, ride bikes to the brewery...even in the harsh Colorado winters. We continued talking about the impact that NB will have on the local market and how careful they were in the timing of hitting this area.

We got to try a few of the brews that will be in the first push of NB to the area...Trippel,a 7.8% Belgian styled Ale, Hoptober, A 6% Golden Ale, Ranger, A 6.5% IPA, and the Flagship Fat Tire, A 5.2% Amber Ale that again was the hit of the party. These as well as 3 others, including a locally connected brew made in collaboration with the Maryland based band Clutch will be available on Monday August 22nd. Photo ops with the Beer geek crew, CEO Kim, and the "Fat Tire" bike were done, as well as signing of a NB poster to be framed in rememberence of the event.

Once again I want to Welcome the New Belgium family of beers and the "family" who makes said beers to the Region. I know you will have continued success while here. And thanks to Bond Distributing, Matt Crow, Bob "Bond", and the rest of the Bond family for bringing them to us. Cheers to Beer...Craft Beer That Is.

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June 12, 2011 - Yearly there is a poll conducted by theExaminer Online, in conjunction with American Craft Beer Week, to find out what city should voted the title of "Beer City". For the past 3 years Asheville, North Carolina has won the honor, and from what I understand about the city's beer lifestyle, deservedly so.

Although the poll is a great tool to promote the Craft beer industry, I still have a small complaint about it. Some great "Beer Cities" aren't even in the running for the distinction. There are only a select number of cities that are able to be voted on. Traditionally known cities, for Craft Beer, like Philly, NY, Denver, Portland and so on are available with some others included. I think it's about time the city in which I reside, Baltimore, gets some respect in the world of Craft Beer, and gets a chance to compete also.

Baltimore has so many choices of Breweries, Craft Beer pubs, and the such in an around the city, that it is hard to keep up with them all. Virtually any night of the week you can find a special "Beer" event going on...Firkin tappings, Tap Takeovers, Beer Socials, Mug Club events and more. We have nationally recognized bars...i.e. Brewers Art won best bar in America, and Max's Taphouse is always ranked as one of the best Craft Beer Bars in the entire world. Yearly in October, Baltimore Beer Week is a 10 day celebration promoting the beer lifestyle and rich history in Baltimore Area. With that being said, I will give a list of Bars, Gastropubs, and the such that are part of the fabric of Baltimore Beer Culture. I will also list Breweries within the city and in the surrounding area, as well as include some of the important beer peeps that continue to promote the greatness of Craft Beer in the Charm City. So next year when it's time to submit who should be in the running to become "Beer City" USA, take some time and suggest Baltimore, and see what happens

THE LIST:

Bars/Pubs/Restaurants

Max's Taphouse(Fell's Point) over 100 taps, 5 Beer Engines, 100's of Bottles

Alewife(SoHo District) 40 taps, huge bottle list

Mahaffey's Pub(Canton) 20 Taps, Hand-Pump, Big bottle list

Elliotts Pourhouse(Brewers Hill) 40 taps, decent bottle list

T-Bonz Grille(Ellicott City) 40 taps, nice bottle list

Frisco Tap Brewhouse(Columbia) 50 taps, Beer Engine, Firkins, and nice bottle list

Judges Bench Pub(Ellicott City) 17 taps, nice bottle list

Alonso's Loco Hombre(North Baltimore) 19 taps, nice bottle list

Breweries:

Flying Dog Brewing Co. - Frederick

Heavy Seas Brewing Co. - Baltimore

Duclaw Brewing Co. - Bel Air

Oliver Ales - Baltimore

Brewers Art - Baltimore

Contributors:

Beer In Baltimore - Over 3000 followers on Twitter and a well-respected member of the Baltimore Beer Community.

Baltimore Beer Guy - Over 2000 followers on Twitter and authority for Howard Co. Beer info

Stephen Jones - Brewmaster of Oliver Ales that preaches great cask beer, and so much more.

On top of these linked features above, of the city's beer profile, there are many Beer drinkers, Brewery/Distributor Reps, and establishment owners that spend lots of time and energy supporting the fabric of what I think makes Baltimore a true "Beer City" in the USA.

CHEERS

Bond Distributing Co. - Trade Show and Open House

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being invited to a Trade Show and Open House at one of the bigger, if not the biggest beer distributors in the Baltimore region, Bond Distribution. A Rep, and beer friend from Bond invited me to come down to sample some beers, have some food, and check out new ideas and products from breweries large and small.

Once arriving I signed in and headed to the main warehouse area where everything was going on. There were the roughly 12 or so breweries there, from big boys such as Sam Adams(Boston Brewing), to the smaller Stoudts Brewing Co. from the Amish region of Adamstown, PA. Alot of the brewers offered beers most of us can get, but there were a few unique samples there to try, which will be available shortly or just became available in the region. I'm going run down a few of the highlights of the evening, as well as my thoughts on the brews I sampled.
I started at the far end of the showroom, with Flying Dog Brewing Co. . They had about half of their brews there on display and were sampling some of them also. I grabbed one I still haven't found in the area, Coffee Stout…New to the line-up, this is a very nice brew, with great toasted notes of chocolate and coffee, with some warming of alcohol, all cradled by a surprisingly light mouthfeel. This was very good start to the night. I also talked a little bit about the beers and such with @FlyingDogEric the new sales guy who is subbing for the now departed @FlyingDogCrow now @MaltyByNature , who works for Bond. .

I made my way up and down the aisle, stopping at Harpoon Brewing Co. , Stiegl from Germany, Spoetzl Brewing, Yeungling Brewing, and Leinenkugels, tasting an array of familiar brews and some brand new ones. For instance Spoetzl/Shiner is bringing out a Dortmunder style that they are presenting as a spring seasonal. It has mild flavors and a extremely light mouthfeel, make this a definite session beer, worth a look up. I finally got to try the Lord Chesterfield from Yeungling...has been in my mind to try for a long time, but never have. And I had the Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale that I've heard good things about...again a nice beer with a front forward fruity yeast tongue that has just the right aggression and finishes bitter. I also stopped by the Stoudts Brewing table to sample a beer and try the on brewery premises made artisanal cheeses and breads. I didn't realize that they had a whole self-sufficient entity involved within and around the brewery…If you get a chance to try the foods, do yourself a favor and do so you won't be sorry.
The beer that knocked my socks off though was from Tommyknocker Brewing Co. It was called HopStrike, a Rye Black IPA. I was completely impressed. Combining the "New" style of Black IPA with a hint of Rye was great...you get a crazy floral nose, then the sip brings the smokiness of the rye, while being intermingled with roasted malts and some hop bitter at the end. I cannot wait to find this around Baltimore, so I can enjoy a bigger serving.

In closing, I had a very good time, enjoyed some new beers, got a little grub on and met some new people in the business of beer, most notably the people who run Bond Distributing. Thanks Matt Crow for having me out, and thanks to the breweries who were there to share.

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Heavy Seas Brewing Co. - 15th Anniversary Celebration Party

Heavy Seas, formerly Clipper City Brewing company, was established in 1995 by Hugh Sisson after starting Marylands first brewpub, "Sissons". He expanded by obtaining the now disbranded Oxford Organic Ales, which focus was organic recipes. After slowly pushing the Clipper City brand throughout the mid-Atlantic area Hugh figured a rebranding again was in order...bringing about the now Heavy Seas Brand. It has more than 20 differnet styles organized in what they call Fleets(Clipper, Pyrate, and Mutiny).

Arriving at the brewery, I walked into a big crowd in the tasting room...roughly 50 or so folks scattered around the bar, and the keg barrels they use for places to drop your brew while you chat with fellow beer lovers...they used to have picnic tables in the tasting room but have since moved them out. The intersting part to me, as well as a cool thing is the dynamics of the group. people of all ages were there, youngsters just barely old-enough to drink as well as baby-boomers, and possibly a great amount of people in my age bracket. It's great to see that craft beer crosses all the demographics so well. Heavy Seas T-Shirts and such were along the back wall as usual, with a new design of the Anniversary Ale label being a popular choice among the attendees.
That said label has the traditional representation of the Skull/Crossbones, but this time it has an Elvis hairdo with mutten-chops...Called "Thank You, Thank You Very Much", fitting the Elvis phrase and thanking drinkers of their brews.

After looking around a little I went to the bar and asked for the newest brew at the place, a Double IPA of 8% ABV, named "Thank You, Thank You Very Much"...It was a very nice congratulatory beer, that I actually would like to see become one of the newest beers added to the fleet. Chris Farley, the brewery manager was pouring from behind the bar, and was a busy guy, so I didn't get a chance to chat with him too long as I would usually. They had the mainstays on tap and Peg Leg Stout in a firkin, along with one of my fav's, Winter Storm .
I grabbed another sample of the anniversary brew and walked back to the brewery, were there was another 30 or so people hanging out drinking and talking about various things. I walked around a little finished my beer, and got myself a Winter Storm, getting ready to look for Hugh. I walked towards the mash tun and the fermentors and there he was...chatting about the history of the brewery and the future as well.

After listening to a few question, I figured I'd ask one also. I got Mr. Sisson's attention and asked him if he thought of doing any collaborations in the future? He said, and i loosely quote, It would have to be a good idea and an original concept/style. He went on to say that he was in London recently and was impressed with Fuller's ESB, and since being back home, he has tried to make a connection with no reply yet. I got a second question in while talking to him...Would you think of opening another restaurant/brewpub again? He was very sure he would not personally open another restaurant, but didn't totally poo-poo the idea of a restaurant branded "Heavy Seas" or sponsored to some extent by the brewery, which I thought was interesting.

After the Q/A session, i moved on, heading back to get one more sample of Winter Storm. While at the bar I bumped into a few people I know from the Baltimore Beer Network, we chatted a bit and went our seperate ways. All in all, a very enjoyable evening celebrating a very good brewery. I will say it again if you live within 3 or so hours or are visiting the area, it is definitely worth a tour and visit to the sampling room for part of an afternoon

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Beer Bloggers Conference 2010 Saturday(Day 2) Review

On Saturday, I got a little late start getting to the Beer Bloggers Conference so I missed the first sessions on Blogging and Technology. It was supposedly a tutorial on how to get the best out of intermingling all aspects of social media together to work seemlessly.

I arrived a few minutes before the session on "Craft Beer and Women", to get set up for the days events. Once the well-respected panel of Sebbi @ChocolateStout, Tamre GirlsPintOut, and Julia Brewers Association got down to business, there were no holds barred. While the panel wasn't being demeaning in my opinion, there was an female attendee that didn't appreciate the tone and style of what the ladies had to say or suggest. It actually became such a heated exchange I had to add to the list of comments that were being thrown back and forth. It was a wild session, leaving me wondering if this really helped the cause for the ladies or to some extent hurt it. During all of this the ladies did give out "Do's" & "Don'ts" to attract more females to your blog, again informative. At the end all of the ladies that attended got together for a group photo to mark the occassion.

With 2:30 coming they closed up the ladies session and we moved on to one of the events I was looking forward to the most for the conference...Greg Koch @StoneGreg from Stone Brewing Co. I had met him a little over a month early back home in Baltimore for the Stone Total Tap Tower Takeover event. He discussed "Why Bloggers are important to Craft Brewers and the Craft Beer movement". It was a really informative session, starting out talking about the three-tier-system and then onto a number of other topics. He took questions from the bloggers and thanked us for our support. I videoed the whole session and the video is located just below.

Stone Greg BBC10 from BeerCruiser on Vimeo.

The next event was "Speed Blogging"...Just like speed dating but with breweries coming to each table, letting you try some of the beers they brought and explaining about the brewery itself. There were 12 breweries representing, from all over the country...From Deschutes & Rogue in Oregon to Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland and Dogfish Head from Delaware. There was some very good beer to be tried too. Some were rarities or one offs that I won't taste again, while there was one that was a vintage from 2006. I had a few favs, but won't come right out and say what they were.

Boulder Brewing Co. was the next stop for the day. I got there a little bit before the rest of the bloggers due to me having a rental car. I went in and looked around took some pics, and chatted with the staff about all things beer. At 7pm we went on a tour of the brewery. Again, I gained some very good info on the behind the scenes things involving the beer industry.

So with this review I am finished for the weekend. There is a session for 3 or so hours on Sunday but, I am staying at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, about an hour away from the Conference, so not the most easiest trip through the mountains to get there. I will post more info I deem important along with some photos down the line. Thanks BBC10 for a great conference and all the fun and information you provided. I also thank the new friends met during the weekend, for conversation and feedback presented.


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Beer Bloggers Conference 2010 Friday(Day 1) Review

On Friday started the inaugural Beer Bloggers Conference in Boulder and I couldn't have been more pumped...Another great Craft Beer town and a chance to learn a few things to make my site better.

First thing I did when arriving at the conference location was to register, get ID'd, grab some swag, and get our credntials for the weekend. After doing those things, I sat at the bar and had a beer, while watching the fellow bloggers shuffle in and go through the same routine I did.

Once 2pm arrived, we were able to find a seat in the conference room, and get down to business. First up was Allan Wright, from Zephyr Adventures and The BBC 2010 organizer. He told us about some basic rules for the conference, and the host facility. Next up was the Chief Blogger for the event, Alshley V. Routson a.k.a. The Beer Wench , She welcomed us to the event and expressed the similarities along with the differences between wine blogging and Beer blogging. Her rant was informative and motivational, as well as being down to earth and personable at the same time.

The main speakers at the event started with Julia Herz, from the Brewers Association. She talked about how us Beer Bloggers are furthering the revolution of craft beer. She gave us alot of figures, but also reinforced about how it was important to make a plan and stick with it. Her best quote was "Plan your work, Work your plan".

Draft Magazine's Jessica Daynor was up next with "Where Print and Blogs Collide" a decent little dity about how to gain respect from your readers and how to expand from one media to others. Also gave a basic refresher on how to properly write and the reason for doing it right.

Dustin Woodward, an expert of SEO(Search Engine Optimizations) critiqued five blogs live. He explained what the sites were doing well in regards to attracting web-traffic and what they weren't doing so well...Very informative and techy. If you do your own site building, this part would been a very important part of the conference.

The science of Beer and Food Pairing , was a more laid-back session. It was started with people dropping buckets of Avery Brewing Co. beers at our tables to sample and try to match with different food styles to gain a better understanding of how the two work together. The only downfall of this presentation was that there wasn't any food to actually interact with the beers to get the whole purpose of the session.

Once we finished at the formal conference we had buses waiting for us to take us to the Oskar Blues Brewing Co. Brewery in Longmont, CO. When we arrived we were greeted by the OBB staff and Chad Melis. We were given free rein of two of the brews...Old Chub, and Dales Pale Ale. The food was good also, pulled pork, mac & cheese, Chicken wings, Soups and salads. There were brewery tours for those who wanted to partake, and ot the Tap Room next door there was merchandise to buy, along with a number of beers from the Brewery, and one special dry hopped from a frikin.

All in all, it was a pleasurably experience to say the least. I met some new friends, matched faces to twitter/blog handles and learned a good amount. The rest of the weekend should be just as informative and entertaining as today, if not even better. Looking forward to the Speed blogging segment, which we get five minutes with a brewery to taste and comment about the beers served then the breweries rotate to the next table. Also Saturday brings a PubCrawl on Pearl St. in Boulder, plus another brewery tour at Boulder Brewing Co.

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Baltimore Beer Week 2010 Friday(Day 9), Saturday(Day 10) & Sunday(Day 11) Review

This is the final update for Baltimore Beer Week 2010...Friday(10/15), Saturday(10/16), and Sunday(10/17).

Friday was an uneventful day for me, I did a little solo pub crawl around Fells Point starting at Bertha's Mussels. I looked through the schedule and knew they were having Stoudt's Oktoberfest as a special, I like Oktoberfests and the Stoudt's is one of the better ones out there. I also went there for the free pint glass give-away with purchase(I collect glasses).

After hanging out at Berthas roughly 30 minutes I decided to hit my next stop...Duda's Tavern. They had a Flying Fish Oktoberfest beer on special also. I haven't seen many if any Flying fish on tap around town so I wanted to get there to try one while it was around. Not as good as the Stoudt's Oktoberfest but an okay beer. Again hung there for about 20 minutes and rolled out to my next place...This time headed to Alexanders Tavern.

It was the start of the Flying Dog 3 day Indoor Block party, where they were gonna have all kinds of Flying Dog Beers for $3.00 a pint with free glassware...Kegs would be continuously switched as they were kick for the 3 day event.

Once I got there though, it was so busy...elbow to elbow...not my kind of good time. I like bars with atmosphere(Alexanders does), but when it is overcrowded I don't have fun...So I did an about-face and walked across the street to Max's Taphouse for the East Coast vs. West Coast event...I was sooo looking forward to trying the Brooklyn Brewing - Detonation Ale from the Brewmaster's Series...So when I got there I did indeed ask for it.

It was not a disappointment at...Citrus hop to the "enth" degree for the nose, strong alcohol character with a decent balance of malt and hops for the taste, with a sweet full body throughout. A very good brew from Mr. Oliver and co. This too was the only brew I had at this bar, before hitting my last stop for the night....

Right around the corner from home is this "new" bar with nice a granite bartop, hardwood floors, a projection TV along with numerous other flat-screens...I think I've been here before, oh well yes I have....It is the gorgeous new "Alonsoville" upstairs bar at Alonsos Restaurant.

At Alonso's they were having an Oskar Blues  Brews & Bar-B-Que event. Live Blues, Brews & and a menu of Bar-B-Que foods. They had alot of Oskars beers on tap(the whole line-up) with a special firkin of Dale's Pale Ale Dry Hopped and Old Double Bagger Barleywine. I new a fellow blogger was there hanging out also, so that made another reason for me to check it out. I walked in and sat next to Brad from BeerInBaltimore, said hello to the owner Steve, and was introduce to a rep from Legends distributing here in Baltimore. He shat the poop for about an hour about beer the Beer Bloggers Conference I'm going to in a few weeks out in Boulder, Co. I had the excellent barleywine and got a few Oskars can beaded necklaces. Good conversation and good beers...can't go wrong with that combo.

On Saturday October 16th, it was time for the long waited for event at Pratt St. Ale House for the Seventh annual "Chesapeake Real Ale Festival". 40 Firkins of specialty brews from around the world...Brewdog, Devils Backbone, Evolution, JW Lees are just a sample of the brews that were here for us to try as much as we wanted. I tried about half of the available brews with Devils Backbone - Sorachi Ace hop infused "Kung Pow" Pale and Pratt Streets very own Oliver Ales - Freddy's Revenge(A Nightmare On Pratt St.) Pumpkin Seasonal, standing out to me as the most original and best tasting. I tried a brewery from Pearl Island, Ny new to me called Defiant Brewing. They offered a Belgian Witte that was okay but nothing to write about unfortunately. I also got a chance to try Nebraska Brewing Co. for the first time...They offered an IPA. It was okay as well, hop was dull with no real pop. One othe unique brewery that was there and actually had a above average brew was Barrier Brewing Co. from Oceanside, NY. Their offering was called Bulkhead Red, and it was nice an malty sweet with a good amout of floral hop presence. I will be checking them out in the future.

I was very pleased with what Mr. Stephen Jones Brewmaster of Oliver Ales put together.  All in all, I was completely impressed with the overall experience, from the beers to the food, and the atmosphere.

So Sunday October 17th came and the grand finale for Baltimore Beer Week 2010 arrived with the inaugural Baltimore Beer Festival at Canton Waterfront Park. Anticipated this event due to the tremendous amount of vendors showing up, the great location, and the showing of the Ravens/patriots Football game on a Big LCD screen.

My father and I got there right at 11am when they were supposed to be letting in the VIP ticket holders. They weren't really ready for us but let us in anyway...we quickly hit the VIP tent area where they had a few beers that were only available to us...The Judges Bench sponsored the VIP area and exclusively served up Southern Tier Brewing DIPA - Unearthly, Uniboue - Terrible and Boulder Beer - Never Summer Ale(Firkin). After getting some brews we walked around to see what else there was to offer. All kinds of breweries were here, along with many reputable food establishments. Nicks Fish House was where we chose to grab our grub...A combo of Half a Crabby Grilled-Cheese & half of a Real Beef Steak sub. Both were great and i would definitely recommend going down to south Baltimore to get them both. We continued to go to booth after booth getting beers before we stood in the area near the big TV to watch the football game. Basically after we got watching the game we mellowed out with the drinking...one here one there...and at half-time we headed home. This week was "Re-diculous" in so many ways...Great events, great beers, great friends old and new, along with great supporters and venues. If this is the way it's gonna be for each Baltimore Beer Week we only have the sky as the ceiling. Standout events for me other than Opening Tap, during the week were the Heavy Seas Urban Pyrate Cruise...Flying Dog event at Alonso's Restaurants' new upstairs bar "Alonsoville"...Dogfish Head event at Alewife with Sam Calagione...Chesapeake Real Ale fest at Pratt Street Ale House with Oliver Ales.

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Baltimore Beer Week 2010 Tuesday(Day 6) & Thursday(Day 8) Review

Making the turn and going down the backstretch of Baltimore Beer Week 2010, i continued my tour of the events in town, by stopping by Ryleighs Oyster Bar & Restaurant for the Leinenkugels Platetoberfest event(small plates and a Leinenkugels beer, keep the pint glass)...They tapped the brand new Oktoberfest seasonal from the Wisconsin brewery. I had one and it was pretty good, malty sweet that hangs nicely til a light bitter finishes it off. All in all it was an ok first stop on the way to Little Havana for the B.A.R.C.S. animal shelter Home Brew Competition.

Once at Little Havana, I paid the $3.00 fee for the unlimited sipping cup of the brews and started-a-tasting...I wish i had brought my notepad to keep a better track of what i drank and which ones I like to make a better vote than i did.

There were about 20 or so different beers that ranged from an IPA to Stouts to a basic Red ale. The beers weren't to bad, better that what I have tried on my own so far. I voted for the Breakfast in America, and Pantyhose brews...I wish I could remember exactly what they were in more detail, but i do remember i did go and get a second sample from both.

Lastly that night I headed down to Alewife to have a little food and to get a glass of the Crispin Artisanal Ciders firkin of aged in White Zin Barrels Cider called "Porthos". They also tapped a fresh-hopped firkin of Victory Beer - Hop Devil.

I ordered the cider along with an order of Duck-fat fries and the Cubano sandwich. The cider was great. I had it at home once and enjoyed it, but the wine barrel aging adds an even more elaborate palate to give your taste buds a workout. I could go on and on about the Cubano...Pork loin, Virginia Ham, Swiss cheese and a Re-diculously good mojo dressing...all the ingredients meld perfectly and the roll was toasted just right to seal in the flavors. The little spinach salad that was a side to the sandwich was basic in presentation but the Warm Bacon dressing was awesome...i could have eaten a whole salad of just the spinach and dressing been happy also.

On Wednesday, I decided to take the day off to recoup and get ready for the rest of the week ahead.

So, Thursday comes and I already knew where I was gonna be before the week started...Alewife...This night was on the radar because Craft Beer Icon Sam Calagione of  DogFish Head was going to make an appearance. I got there about an hour before Sam was supposed to be there, found a spot at the Bar(completely surprised), and ordered the Victory - Hop Devil in the Firkin left over from last night. The Dogfish Head beers along with six specialty brews from Boulder Brewing co. weren't available til 7pm, so i hung out an talked to a friend(Scott) while waiting.

When the man of the evening arrived he was followed in with an entourage like a rock star. He came up to the bar ordered some beers for his friends and started mingling with the guests. I didn't waste time getting over to him.

I asked him to sign a bottle of 120 minute IPA, along with getting a picture with him. I also asked him if he was going to the Beer Bloggers Conference, he quickly told me that he was staying at home to watch the kids while his wife would be there. After the quick convo I let him get back to mingling with the others there. I stayed for one pour from the DFH taps...Palo Santo, had it many times before and love it.

Headed to Metropolitan Coffeehouse and Wine Bar in Federal Hill to meet up with Tom from Evolution craft Brewing but he must have moved on to his next destination. Hopefully I meet up with him before the end of Baltimore Beer Week.

Well, 3 more days ahead of us, maybe I'll meet up with some of you either at Pratt Street Ale House for the Real Cask Ales festival on Saturday or the Inauguaral Baltimore Beer Festival at the waterfront in Canton, on Sunday... I will be out and about tonight also just don't know where I'm heading yet.

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Baltimore Beer Week 2010 Sunday(Day 4) & Monday(Day 5) Review

Continuing on my crusade through the Baltimore Beer Week 2010 events, on Sunday I woke knowing that the Ravens were playing Denver, and I was gonna plant myself in front of my TV and relax a little. I also had a few tasks to accomplish for the day.

First was the Stillwater Artisanal Ales Special Release Brew that had a very limited number of bottles made. It was at Max's Taphouse at 10:00am which coincided with the date 10.10.10. I got to Fells Point at about a quarter til 10 and there was a line already waiting of about 20 people. I got in line and waited til they opened the door...the only thing is, the way we were waiting(from the corner-front door extending north on Broadway) was incorrect. They opened the door near the old Club 723 entrance...so the people who had been waiting for a while were now doing an about-face and were at the end of the line. Funny to the newly arrived and angering to the ones who'd been there a while. Nevertheless, we got in(me 6-7 in the door), paid our monies and had a chance to talk to Brian Strumke, the creator of the fine ales. Fairly docile, in and out...I picked up the Rare-Beer 101 Series "Requisite" an Imperialistic Stout(numbered 70 of the 101 made). Rumour has it that some of the beer got wasted accidentally during packaging, so only 60 total made it out alive. I also got the Autumnal, a German/Belgium intermingled farmhouse ale. I am torn between opening the Requisite to try it, or not opening it because of its rareness...only time will tell.

After the purchases I went home to settle in to watch the Ravens and enjoy some relaxation on the couch.

Later, after the Ravens pummeled the Bronco's, I got ready to head down to Fells Point once more for the Urban Pyrates Heavy Seas Brewing Cruise the Inner Harbor. My father and I got down there just before 6pm and there were a few people waiting...The ship "Fearless" was a little late in it's arrival, but all was well because I got to chat with @Phil_From_Md., maker of Hoplates(chocolate infused with Hops) and Beer In Baltimore about beer and things from this week. Once the Ship arrived we borded, put on our Pyrate garb, and finally got to drinking. Heavy Seas beer on the ship were Loose Cannon, Small Craft Warning, Marzen, and Pale Ale. Dad went first and regularly to Marzen, and I went with Loose Cannon most of the night. We did get some extra samples of DIPA and Great'er Pumpkin from our wench. Chris Farley, brewery manager and a cool cast of Pyrates were there to make the cruise around the harbor a very entertaining and enjoyable experience...we shot water cannons towards tourists at Harborplace, yelled "Aargh" at other people on boats, did the Limbo and ran a conga-line. Completely worth the time and would recommend Urban Pirates to anybody planning an event.

On Monday, I originally was gonna take the day off, but two things prevented me from doing so...but when i tweeted that i was in fact staying in, @Plank10 called me a "slacker". I also got wind of a very big deal going on over at Alonso's Restaurant, so adding them together and Alonso's being very close, I went.

Boy was I glad i did...Flying Dog's Matt Crow was in the house, along with the owner Steve. The "Big Deal" was that local radio station 98 Rock was there doing the Monday night Ravens Playlist or tonight they called it "Bitch-Session" in honor of Flying Dog...This time the Ravens that were there to play whatever they wanted were Jarret Johnson, Todd Heap and the Big Deal - Joe Flacco. As I understand it Joe Flacco doesn't do many of the publicity events, so this was a big deal for the fans.

Ravens being there was great, and it added to the great bar I was at, along with the brews available. I started with a Doggie Style Pale Ale from the firkin, which is a classic. Second I had a Ragin' Bitch...A mellow but still aggressive IPA, great bitterness with a sweet malt body. Finally, while talking to @Scott_Cover, we talked about something we heard of, Half Ragin' Bitch and Half Dogtoberfest...making a Bitch-Fest...so I got one. It wasn't bad, so I finished that and rolled out.

All said, another couple of good nights out and about during the Baltimore Beer Week 2010...Six more days to go.

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Baltimore Beer Week Friday(Day 2) & Saturday(Day 3) Quick Review

Well, day 2 of Baltimore Beer Week 2010 started off for me with a mild head ache that i really couldn't shake until i had my first beer of the day.
That first beer was at a small craft beer & sports bar in the heart of Brewer's Hill...Elliotts Pour House

It's a cozy, sports friendly bar with a number of TV's, pool table, ping pong table, a digital jukebox, and a 20 Craft Beers tower that was salvaged from the old Crabby Dicks in Fells Point. Selection was good...anything from Abita - Purple Haze, SmuttyNose - Old Brown Dog, to Northcoast - Schrimshaw Pilsner & Boulder Brewing - Sweaty Betty. I had a Blue Point Brewing - Hoptical Illusion, and one of my fav's Evolution Primal Pale Ale. The crowd for the BBW2010 was a little thin, but that could have been because the few events they have scheduled start after this weekend. One specific event I know of is a version of the sweet 16 tournament, but with beers. They have carefully thought out the bracketing and have every beer on tap for you to taste and vote on, narrowing down the field til they get a champion. This event starts on Wednesday October 13th, right after happy hour at 7pm.
Overall, Mike the bartender was knowledgable of what he served and was very friendly and personable. If you want a good Craft Beer bar that feels like a neighborhood sports bar, without elbow to elbow crowding, this is a good choice. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Second on the night was an ol' standard, Max's Taphouse, in Fells point...If you don't know about Max's, you've been under a rock for 20 years...This is, and I don't exaggerate, one of the best Beer Bars in the country, and simply the best in the region.
We sat down, at the surprisingly open end of the bar. It was Evolution Craft Brewery Big Ass Draft Night...32oz drafts for $6...It included Menangerie #3 which is a RE-diculous brew. I got my father a Brooklyn lager, a good intro beer for a craft beer newbie. I had a Victory Brewing - Hop Devil, I know, not that unique but was in the mood. We also had a plate of Grrek nachos, which were okay, and a set Guinness wings that were, dare i say it again RE-diculous. My only complaint that night was the bartender(won't say his name), was a ASS. Yes it was crowded, so a girl trying to get any bartenders attention was having trouble. After a few minutes i raised my hand to get our bartenders attention, and did...When he got to her, he started to correct me for assisting her stating "I would have seen her, I don't need your help"...Arrogance is ugly, and this guy was the elephant man. Just because you work for a great bar, don't act like an ass to your customers.

On the third day was the annual Das Best Oktoberfest with the usual corral of Beer-Bellys, Maryland Micro-brews and contest of craziness. There was a little bit of eveything for everyone. Spices, cheese non-profits and even a electrolosys company was there promoting or selling there wares. A few breweries you might not see or get to that often, because of the location of size.  Franklin's Brewery,  Barley and Hops Brewpub, Johanssons Dining House & Brewery were some of the unique small breweries that were nice to get a few sips from. VIP hour was calm and friendly, but after noon it got crazy..Most of the breweries had the regular brews on tap, with some carrying new or unique beers offering sometimes for the first time this year. I had many beers, and all in all the fest was great for quality. My favorites were is this order:

1. Oliver Ales - High Tea
2. Heavy Seas - Winter Storm Cask
3. Barley and Hops - DIPA Double Deuce

Finally, I went to the grand opening of Alonso's restaurant, upstairs bar "Alonsoville". Steve, did a hell of a job turning an empty cavern of an arean into a beautiful bar, with a marble bar-top, exposed brick, hardwood floors, LCD tv's galore, and a Projector system for wathing the Ravens games. It was Evolution Craft Brewing night and the Owner Tom, Brewer Geoff, and Toms brother Bo were there to chat with fans of the brewery. I bumped into a few fellow beer dudes while there and met a few more. I had the Haymaker(conditioned in cask) and it was yummy. They also had Jacques Au Lantern pumpkin ale flowing through a real pumpkin into your glass. All in all so far so good this Baltimore Beer Week 2010, 8 more days to go.

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Baltimore Beer Week Opening Tap ceremony - Baltimore Museum Of Industry

Well, last night was the first night of Baltimore Beer Week 2010, and I was at the "Opening Tap" ceremony at the Museum of Industry in south Baltimore. Here's a little write up of the things that went down while there.

Walking into the museum was interesting, as i had never been there before and didn't know what to expect. In the main door, to the left sign in and pick up my tasting glass along with a BBW passport to use throughout the weekend. Go into the main show floor where there was a nice buffet style spread furnished by Mother's Bar in Federal Hill(salad, meatballs, and pasta). After the buffet there were Brewery after Brewery offering up the beers to the waiting masses. I will try to mention all of the Breweries that were there: Flying Dog, Leinenkugels, Red Brick Station, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, Evolution, Dogfish Head, Duclaw, Spaten, Stella Artois, Oliver ales, Samuel Adams, Saranac & Heavy Seas(Flagship Sponsor).

I walked around for a while trying as much of the harder to find brews that were there. After the beers I settled in front of the "Tapping Table" so I could get a good view of the ceremony. At about 7pm they started it...A squire read from a scroll, bringing up to stage the orginizers and founders before the Firkin Tapper Duff Goldman, was brought up. He said a few lines, then proceeded with one swing to drive the tap without any trouble. After that we all got to try the Heavy Seas firkin that was finished with hops that were grown near Mount Airy Md. and also had Wye Oak tree chips involved in it's creation. It was very tasty and was completely enjoyable.

Once the tap was finished, i walked around and talked to some of the fellow beer people I know before heading to a few more opening night events around town.




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Stone Brewing Co. Total Tap Tower Takeover Tour at ALEWIFE

I was so looking forward to this event when i heard of it about three weeks earlier. Imagine 40 taps of ultra-rare, exclusive, collaboration brews ready for you to enjoy for as long as they last that night...Wow! Greg Koch of the before mentioned Stone Brewing Co., was on hand also to celebrate in his handywork.

I got there roughly 10 minutes after the doors opened to VIP's and the line was already fairly long, but not a big deal...got to talk to a few guys while in line about what we were looking forward to trying first. For me it was the Vertical Epic Ales, specifically the 07.07.07 aged in red wine barrels, some of the Double Dry Hopped brews also.

Once in I found a place near the middle of this gorgeous new gastropub/bar, to camp out and mingle with some of the people I already knew, as well as maybe meet some new friends. I got the 07.07.07 that I talked about and believe me it was true to it's name "Epic". A nice nose that completely speaks of a red wine grape through and through...a light dryness and a lingering tartness flow throughout the 4oz. sample. This was the first taste tonight and made a re-diculous impression of how the night would flow.

While tasting the first beer Mr. Greg Koch came over and started talking about beer and what-not. He was a really down to earth and friendly guy that was completely approachable. He gave me and a couple of new friends some suggestions on what he would try from the list. I gladly went with his ideas of the collaborations, bourbon aged, and the verticals throughout the remainder of the evening.

All in all it was a very satisfying night, with some great people, sharing great beers from an original in the Craft Beer industry. I am so glad I was able to be at this once in a lifetime event, and I hope there would be similar events in the future.

I had a total of 11 of these rare brews while I was there and enjoyed all of them...Specifically the Vertical 07.07.07 Red-Wine, DDH IPA, DDH Ruination, 9th Anniversary Ale and the Smoked Porter with Chipotle were the stand outs for me, although having the chance to try any of these was a treat.

Here are the beers I tried:

1. 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale aged in Red Wine Barrels
2. Imperial Russian Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels(2008)
3. 9th Anniversary Ale
4. DDH 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA(Double Dry)
5. Old Guardian Barley Wine aged in Bourbon Barrels(2006)
6. Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers
7. Imperial Russin Stout 10th Anniversary GKOs Mad Man Mix
8. 21st Amendment/Firestone Walker/Stone El Camino (Un)Real  Black Ale
9. Ballast Point/Kelsey McNair/Stone San Diego County Session Ale
10. DDH Stone IPA
11. DDH Ruination IPA




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So Far, So Good, So Let's Drink More...A review of the Reviews

I've been drinking beer for a long time and have been into craft beer since the early 2000's. But, it wasn't until a suggestion from the wife that I thought of expressing my enjoyment to others via a blog.
I started in the beginning of March of this year, with my first review being Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot Ale Barley Wine. Since then I have reviewed an additional 129 brews of all types, some great, some good, and a few that weren't that good.
I have had fun doing the reviews, as I hope those of you who have looked at them appreciated the content. I plan on continuing, with the future plans of a more elaborate and polished site towards the beginning of the year.
So hang in there for the duration, and don't forget to comment on the reviews if you feel compelled to do so. I do try to reply to the comments as soon as I can.
With this post I am going to break down how I grade the beer I review. I am also going to give some stats on the reviews so far.

I break down the review this way:

Sight - 15 points

How does it pour?
Color of body.
Head size, retentention and color.
Overall feel for the attractiveness of it.

Aroma - 15 points

Initial inhale strength...what pops?
Essence of the smell
Second, deep inhale...what else comes through, if anything?

Taste - 40 points

Most important part of the review.
What flavors come through?
Are the flavors comparable to the nose?
Is there a balance of the flavors?

Overall - 30 points

How does it make you feel?
Mouthfee & Aftertaste?
Would you drink it again?
Any other thoughts or comments.

Add together the points and divide by 10 to get the final score.

Stats as of now:

A. Most reviewed type of beer - India Pale Ale 28 of 130 or 21.5%
B. Highest rated beers:
1. Evolution Craft Brewing - Lot #3 IPA - 9.4
1. Abita Brewing Co. - Jackamo IPA - 9.4
2. The Brewers Art - Resurrection Ale - 9.2
2. Stone Brewing - Oaked Arrogant Bastard - 9.2
3. Lagunitas Brewing Co. - Hop Stoopid Ale - 9.1
C. Lowest rated beer:
130. Starr Hill Brewery - Dark Star Stout - 5.0
129. RJ Rockers - Son Of A Peach Hefeweizens - 5.7

Thanks and Happy Drinking



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Drink with The Wench Presents BeerBlogger Interview Series - Beer Cruiser

Thanks to Ashley V. Routson...AKA The Beer Wench for interviewing me for the famous Beer Blogger interview series. The questions were quick, painless and also fun and informative. I did realize Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione
is wrong...

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"Brew at the Zoo" Brewfest Quick thoughts and observations

Coming back from the Maryland Zoo's "Brew at the Zoo" brewfest this Memorial Day weekend, I figured I post some observations I noticed while there.

First, the collection of Microbrewers in attendance was of quality brewers such as Stone, Ommegang, Magic Hat, and Dogfish Head, and a favorite of mine Oliver Ales. But it also didn't include such notable local Baltimore area brewers, and one of my overall favorites Heavy Seas(Clipper City) and Duclaw. They did make their way to a different fest in Frederick, Md though. It's ashame, and no offense to the Springfest, but alot of the proceeds to the Brew at the Zoo go directly to the Zoo(which is in need of the funding), so I think they deserved a representation from those two breweries specifically.

When arriving to the fest, we were quickly throught the gates to get our glass and age verification. After that the walk started with a kids play zone and some retail dealers selling fake pandora beads and personalized wooden barrels for home brewing(they were both overpriced). Up the hill were food stands, and more food retail dealers with sauces and such. Finally we headed down to the tasting area.

At the tasting area we skipped through the breweries and tried one type from each of them. Most of the beers there have already been tried and even reviewed by myself. I was a little disappointed with most of the offerings with regards to selection not quality. I would expect these breweries to bring at least one each of a unique or harder to find beer to the public to try out. Don't get me wrong, a few did bring some specials:

Oliver Breweries Ltd.(Baltimore, Maryland) - "Iron Man IPA" - Which I'm gonna get a Growler of this week to review. This is a fresh brew that was finished just a week before the fest.

Evolution Craft Brewing(DelMar, Delaware) - "Summer Session" - This I have tried at the brewery, and reviewed. Good choice because they made it in limited quantity and it wasn't getting bottled for regional distribution.

Ommegang(Cooperstown,NY) - "RARE VOS Amber Ale" - I haven't heard of this one nor have I seen it anywhere in the region, so it was a good addition as well as a good beer.

We went through the 12 or so breweries in attendance then proceeded to the "Grilled Cheese Co." a new upstart "idea"...BCT - Bacon Cheese and Tomato(was so, so) & Crabby Melt - Crab meat and cheese(so so also). Nice niche concept but i don't think it will survive. I could an do make better Grilled Cheeses at home.

After some grub went back for a second round of brew and to cast my votes for best of fest. I gladly added six of my eight vote tickets to Evolution Craft Brewery booth. All of the beers are top quality, but the "Summer Session" is worth the drive to Delmar, Delaware. Light, refreshing, with citrus and rye popping through. If you can check it out, it is worth the drive.

I also put two votes in for Stone Brewing Co. - "Oak-Aged Arrogant Bastard" & Dogfish Head -"Aprihop".

The crowd was very docile and polite...not a total surprise, but with (unlimited)drinking, you never know what to expect. After the second tour of the beer booths we went out to see the animals of the zoo. Also a nice experience as always.

So all in all, it was a good fest. Great weather, good brews and good people.

Score: 9.2/10

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ALTON BROWN'S Good Eats Episode on Brewing Beer

EVOLUTION CRAFT BREWING COMPANY TOUR

Evolution Craft Brewery tour was fun very informative. Had many samples and bought a growler of the brand new Incredible Summer Ale called: "Summer Session". It is in very limited releaseand should run out before the end of May...So get down to Delmar, on the Maryland/Delaware boarder and get some before you miss out. Get Joe to show you around, you won't be diseppointed.

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Heavy Seas Brewery Tour - Interesting and Entertaining

The Beer Nut gives us 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die