Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Travel Planner: Baltimore's Budding Beer Scene
Growing up in Maryland, you learned to associate the term "Baltimore beer" with one beverage - National Bohemian, a stale, watery lager whose customers could be taunted by Busch Light drinkers for their lack of taste. And even as the craft beer scene blossomed in other large cities in the 1990s and 2000s, it seemed a distant vision to this mass-market brew town.
But in recent years, new breweries have come to the Clipper City and have added greatly to its pedigree, offering both updated takes on classic styles and some original twists and ingredients that few others have dared to try. And after several trips to the city since late 2014 to visit family, I can recommend that even if visiting the city isn't in your vacation plans, getting a hold of some of its newest craft offerings when you're anywhere in the vicinity should be.
Coloradans likely are most familiar with two Baltimore breweries - Stillwater Artisanal, which distributes here, and Flying Dog, which left Colorado about a decade ago to relocate to Maryland in a move that shocked many in the Centennial State. Those beer makers' familiarity to locals makes it unnecessary to dwell on them at length, other than to say that Stillwater's Of Love & Regret - a saison made with chamomile, dandelion, heather and lavender - is one of the more unique takes on the farmhouse style in America and that Flying Dog's experiments with East Coast ingredients, especially in its Dead Rise Old-Bay-seasoned summer ale, offer it a wholly different personality.
More curious are some of Baltimore's local-only purveyors helping to define its scene.
The Brewer's Art, for example, mirrors Stillwater's focus on experimental Belgians (and recently collaborated with it on a Biere de Garde entitled Debutante), even if its variety of bold efforts isn't as grand. Still, its Green Peppercorn Tripel offers a wonderfully dry backbone to its sweet character, and its Birdhouse Pale Ale is a spot-on rendition of the classic American style.
Jailbreak Brewing works unusual ingredients to different effects. Its Welcome to Scoville jalapeno IPA offers intriguing flavors of pepper and cilantro without an unnecessary burst of heat, even as its B. Limey Key Lime Pale Ale overdoes the sugary sweetness and blots out the hop character. Still, its Punisher Double IPA is one of the better hop bombs coming out of Maryland.
Then there is Union Craft Brewing, a beer maker that doesn't stuff seafood and picnic ingredients down your throat so much as it holds up traditional styles in a new light. Its Duckpin Pale Ale, made with Pacific Northwest and Southern Hemisphere hops, is light-bodied but bold-flavored. And while its Anthem Golden Ale lacks in backbone, its Balt Altbier is a well-deserved Great American Beer Festival gold-medal winner for its style, crisp and smooth.
There are other worthy offerings. DuClaw Brewing stretches its wings to offer everything from a strawberry milk stout to an excellently balanced chocolate peanut butter porter. Clipper City Brewing doles out a variety of hopped creations and an excellent marzen. And RaR Brewing, located across the Chesapeake Bay, has one of the state's subtle gems in its earthy, coffee-hinted Bucktown Brown.
Baltimore won't soon be mistaken for Denver, San Diego or Portland as a beer town. But it's come a long way from the beer wasteland it used to be, and it will be worth watching the scene as it grows.
Growing up in Maryland, you learned to associate the term "Baltimore beer" with one beverage - National Bohemian, a stale, watery lager whose customers could be taunted by Busch Light drinkers for their lack of taste. And even as the craft beer scene blossomed in other large cities in the 1990s and 2000s, it seemed a distant vision to this mass-market brew town.
But in recent years, new breweries have come to the Clipper City and have added greatly to its pedigree, offering both updated takes on classic styles and some original twists and ingredients that few others have dared to try. And after several trips to the city since late 2014 to visit family, I can recommend that even if visiting the city isn't in your vacation plans, getting a hold of some of its newest craft offerings when you're anywhere in the vicinity should be.
Coloradans likely are most familiar with two Baltimore breweries - Stillwater Artisanal, which distributes here, and Flying Dog, which left Colorado about a decade ago to relocate to Maryland in a move that shocked many in the Centennial State. Those beer makers' familiarity to locals makes it unnecessary to dwell on them at length, other than to say that Stillwater's Of Love & Regret - a saison made with chamomile, dandelion, heather and lavender - is one of the more unique takes on the farmhouse style in America and that Flying Dog's experiments with East Coast ingredients, especially in its Dead Rise Old-Bay-seasoned summer ale, offer it a wholly different personality.
More curious are some of Baltimore's local-only purveyors helping to define its scene.
The Brewer's Art, for example, mirrors Stillwater's focus on experimental Belgians (and recently collaborated with it on a Biere de Garde entitled Debutante), even if its variety of bold efforts isn't as grand. Still, its Green Peppercorn Tripel offers a wonderfully dry backbone to its sweet character, and its Birdhouse Pale Ale is a spot-on rendition of the classic American style.Jailbreak Brewing works unusual ingredients to different effects. Its Welcome to Scoville jalapeno IPA offers intriguing flavors of pepper and cilantro without an unnecessary burst of heat, even as its B. Limey Key Lime Pale Ale overdoes the sugary sweetness and blots out the hop character. Still, its Punisher Double IPA is one of the better hop bombs coming out of Maryland.
Then there is Union Craft Brewing, a beer maker that doesn't stuff seafood and picnic ingredients down your throat so much as it holds up traditional styles in a new light. Its Duckpin Pale Ale, made with Pacific Northwest and Southern Hemisphere hops, is light-bodied but bold-flavored. And while its Anthem Golden Ale lacks in backbone, its Balt Altbier is a well-deserved Great American Beer Festival gold-medal winner for its style, crisp and smooth.
There are other worthy offerings. DuClaw Brewing stretches its wings to offer everything from a strawberry milk stout to an excellently balanced chocolate peanut butter porter. Clipper City Brewing doles out a variety of hopped creations and an excellent marzen. And RaR Brewing, located across the Chesapeake Bay, has one of the state's subtle gems in its earthy, coffee-hinted Bucktown Brown.
Baltimore won't soon be mistaken for Denver, San Diego or Portland as a beer town. But it's come a long way from the beer wasteland it used to be, and it will be worth watching the scene as it grows.
Labels: Baltimore breweries, Clipper City Brewing, DuClaw Brewing, Flying Dog, Jailbreak Brewing, RaR Brewing, Stillwater Brewing, The Brewer's Art, Union Craft Brewing
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The Mid-Atlantic Beer Trail
Eight days traveling from Washington D.C. to Valley Forge, Pa. does not give a complete picture of the Mid-Atlantic beer scene, I realize. But it at least can give one an idea of what the area's beer taste is like when one happens to be, say, traveling the nation's historical trail.
Start, for example, in Washington D.C. There are many places to drink in the nation's capital, but there may not be any quite as unique as Granville Moore's. Set in what appears to be a burnt-out tenement house on the east side of the city (see picture), the location actually hosts a Belgian-beer-specialty gastropub with a great selection of mussels. But what made it stand out was the fact that its only domestic beers were local and rare.
Chief among them - and the toast of the entire trip the Beer Geekette and I took about a month ago - was Stillwater Brewing's Of Love and Regret. The small Baltimore brewery's Belgian saison was overflowing with lavender and heather, but it was done so heavily with floral overtones that it actually transcended any style and literally became a mouthful of a joyous field on a spring day. Yes, that sounds ridiculous - but if you can get your hands on the beer, you actually may agree.
One of the other joys that could be found at local bars or liquor stores was the Espresso Stout, from Old Dominion Brewing of Delaware, a slightly burnt but artfully balanced big-bodied bruiser. And for pure hops goodness, DC Brau's Corruption IPA brought an astringent grassy taste that mellowed and improved pleasantly as you got used to it.
In Pennsylvania - where we wandered from Gettysburg to Amish Country to Valley Forge - we chose to avoid Victory Brewing beers, opting instead for things not available in Colorado. And there was still plenty to enjoy.
Troegs Brewing of Hershey offers a Hop Back Amber Ale with a semi-grassy, semi-bitter aromatic hop taste that compliments and jazzes up its solid malt backbone very well. The same brewery's Pale Ale was decidedly unchallenging in comparison.
Sly Fox Brewing of Phoenixville (suburban Philadelphia) kicked out a 113-IBU Route 113 IPA that was the most bitter - but still enjoyable - offering of the excursion.
And the winner of the historical-trip beer tasting was, appropriately enough, the George Washington's Tavern Porter from Yards Brewing of Philadelphia. A thick, dark and strong English porter brewed from our first president's actual recipe, it had a sticky, tastily burnt feel that left a very satisfying fullness.
The only real unevenness came at Appalachian Brewing, a Harrisburg-headquartered brewpub company with five locations, including one just off the historic battlefield in Gettysburg. While it did malted beers well - its Celtic Knot Irish Red and Jolly Scot Scottish Ale were the fullest tastes of an impressive eight-beer, 40-total-ounce tasting tray - it fell down with other standards like a light-bodied Hoppy Trails India Pale Ale and awkwardly medicinal Water Gap Wheat Ale.
So, there is life outside of Victory and Flying Dog in the mid-Atlantic brewing scene. You just have to know how to find the right beer to go with the thoroughly historic setting.
Eight days traveling from Washington D.C. to Valley Forge, Pa. does not give a complete picture of the Mid-Atlantic beer scene, I realize. But it at least can give one an idea of what the area's beer taste is like when one happens to be, say, traveling the nation's historical trail.
Start, for example, in Washington D.C. There are many places to drink in the nation's capital, but there may not be any quite as unique as Granville Moore's. Set in what appears to be a burnt-out tenement house on the east side of the city (see picture), the location actually hosts a Belgian-beer-specialty gastropub with a great selection of mussels. But what made it stand out was the fact that its only domestic beers were local and rare.
Chief among them - and the toast of the entire trip the Beer Geekette and I took about a month ago - was Stillwater Brewing's Of Love and Regret. The small Baltimore brewery's Belgian saison was overflowing with lavender and heather, but it was done so heavily with floral overtones that it actually transcended any style and literally became a mouthful of a joyous field on a spring day. Yes, that sounds ridiculous - but if you can get your hands on the beer, you actually may agree.
One of the other joys that could be found at local bars or liquor stores was the Espresso Stout, from Old Dominion Brewing of Delaware, a slightly burnt but artfully balanced big-bodied bruiser. And for pure hops goodness, DC Brau's Corruption IPA brought an astringent grassy taste that mellowed and improved pleasantly as you got used to it.
In Pennsylvania - where we wandered from Gettysburg to Amish Country to Valley Forge - we chose to avoid Victory Brewing beers, opting instead for things not available in Colorado. And there was still plenty to enjoy.
Troegs Brewing of Hershey offers a Hop Back Amber Ale with a semi-grassy, semi-bitter aromatic hop taste that compliments and jazzes up its solid malt backbone very well. The same brewery's Pale Ale was decidedly unchallenging in comparison.
Sly Fox Brewing of Phoenixville (suburban Philadelphia) kicked out a 113-IBU Route 113 IPA that was the most bitter - but still enjoyable - offering of the excursion.
And the winner of the historical-trip beer tasting was, appropriately enough, the George Washington's Tavern Porter from Yards Brewing of Philadelphia. A thick, dark and strong English porter brewed from our first president's actual recipe, it had a sticky, tastily burnt feel that left a very satisfying fullness.
The only real unevenness came at Appalachian Brewing, a Harrisburg-headquartered brewpub company with five locations, including one just off the historic battlefield in Gettysburg. While it did malted beers well - its Celtic Knot Irish Red and Jolly Scot Scottish Ale were the fullest tastes of an impressive eight-beer, 40-total-ounce tasting tray - it fell down with other standards like a light-bodied Hoppy Trails India Pale Ale and awkwardly medicinal Water Gap Wheat Ale.
So, there is life outside of Victory and Flying Dog in the mid-Atlantic brewing scene. You just have to know how to find the right beer to go with the thoroughly historic setting.
Labels: Appalachian Brewing, Mid-Atlantic beers, Old Dominion Brewing, Sly Fox Brewing, Stillwater Brewing, Troegs Brewing, Yards Brewing
