Less is never more, especially in Baltimore

Since our wedding anniversary coincides with Philly Beer Week and both of us obviously enjoy beer more than the average person, Brewslut and I used to celebrate by spending a weekend in the City of Brotherly Love. However, for the last two consecutive years we've commemorated our ongoing marital bliss by attending a rock concert. Last year, it was Iron Maiden (one of my all-time favorite bands) in Bristow, VA on the opening night of the U.S. leg of their Book of Souls tour, which you can read about here. This year, we were off to Baltimore to witness Primus and Mastodon along the pier at Inner Harbor. The 20-year-old me would converge with the older, slightly wiser 44-year-old me, in that Primus was a favorite band of my more youthful days and Mastodon was a current favorite of the last several years. Brewslut had been to see Primus with me several times, and I'm happy to report that she "gets" them. I mean, not many women do. And while she's not nearly as versed in Mastodon's catalog as myself, she was quick to agree to another music-and-beer-soaked weekend in nearby Baltimore. Without hesitation, I purchased tickets for the show and got to work on our beer itinerary for our little overnight jaunt.

I awoke pretty early on Saturday morning (around 7:30 a.m.) to make breakfast. I always like being loaded with beer-absorbing carbohydrates before we set off on a 6-hour drinking marathon. Our plan for the day was to visit a few favorites prior to the show, spend the night, and kick off Sunday by meeting some friends at the nearby brand new Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House before hitting up a few other places on our way out of the city. Oddly enough, our hotel turned out being about 4 miles from the new Guinness digs. I'd met the marketing manager of the new Guinness facility a few months prior when he visited Tröegs to talk marketing with me and take a tour of the brewery.

But more on all of this later. Trust me.

Our first stop of the day was Peabody Heights. We first visited back in August when we were down for the Dweezil Zappa show at Rams Head Live (yet another example of music and beer converging). It reminded me of old-time Baltimore, and I overheard as part of the tour rolled by that the brewery is situated in the outfield of the old Oriole Park. I'd actually recommend taking a quick detour to read about the history of the brewery, its connection with baseball, and its brewing philosophy. It's pretty interesting stuff! While the vibe of this place hearkens back to the old days, its beers are forward-thinking, flavorful, and anything but outdated. They do offer a few "classics" by way of the Old Oriole Park series, such as a Pilsner and Blonde ale. Kind of like the sink in the bathroom. And here I thought Race Street was the only brewery to have one of these blasts from the past!

"I am a vintage industrial hand sink."

History lesson aside, we really enjoyed our initial visit last August and were looking forward to our return. I was happy to see more collaborations with Goonda Beersmiths, a nano brewery started by local homebrewers that operates within the actual Peabody Heights facility. Turns out that our first two beers of the day were such collaborative efforts.

First up was Bash Bros, a double dry-hopped DIPA with loads of Citra and Mosaic. OK, they captured my attention pretty easily with that description. This is the third beer in a line inspired by the Mighty Ducks (I'm assuming this refers to the movie about a rag-tag youth hockey team starring Emilio Estevez, which I've both seen and enjoyed... you know me and underdog sports movies)! This sucker was intensely juicy with a soft mouthfeel and full-on citrusy hop nose. Given its high profile grapefruit note, it proved a great beer with which to start off the day, even though we were a few hours beyond breakfast time.

Pleeps getting in on the action at Peabody Heights.

Speaking of breakfast beers, Brewslut had been working on a pour of a concoction called  POST, a huge double-digit ABV Imperial Stout. Thick and super rich due to the five gallons of maple syrup used to brew this beast, this coffee-forward stout boasts a strong espresso bean aroma and a chocolate brownie lavishness. This was probably the closest thing I've ever had to Pizza Boy's excellent Sunny Side Up. It was a pure joy to drink, to say the least.

We ended our visit with two small 5-oz. beer pours. I decided on Stiddle Ficks, a Baltic porter with cinnamon and molasses. I could have done without the cinnamon, as the spiciness kind of detracted from the molasses and thinned it out a bit. Brewslut opted for a Kettle Sour, which was kind of a non-descript Berliner Weisse-esque ale. Unfortunately, neither were met with our enthusiasm for our first two beers.

After some fine beers at Peabody Heights, it was time to ship off to our second stop of the day. We'd been to Monument City last August, which was also our virgin visit. Last time, they were having an event called "Cask Your Vote," whereby they asked customers to vote for their favorite variation of the same beer using different adjunct ingredients and served from firkins. Since that seemed like a fun thing to do at the time, we kind of blew off the brewery's core beers. This time, we stuck with the beers on the board because, well, we had to.

What I want to be in my next life.

I noticed a rye whiskey barrel-aged version of Woodstove Imperial Stout, which sounded delicious. My inner monologue had a brief debate about whether or not to order this beer, given the fact that I'd just enjoyed two high gravity beers at Peabody Heights. It went something like this:

Sober Me: "God damn, that beer sounds awesome!"  

Future Drunk Me: "Yeah, but it's 10% and you still have two more places to go, then you have to stand for about four hours and air drum."

Sober Me: "Good point." Two seconds pass. "Fuck that noise. I'm getting it!"

And thus ended my self-imposed dilemma. As a matter of fact, I should hail Satan for deciding to order this beer, because it was FREAKING DELICIOUS! Everything I enjoyed about a BA stout was featured in this beer: a whiskey-soaked coffee/chocolate aroma; a complex malt character; a slick, viscous mouthfeel; and a smooth finish with a hint of vanilla and moderate oaky, boozy tang. This sucker had the added benefit of a hint of smoke and sweet tobacco in the finish, two characteristics I love to find in Imperial Stouts. There was also a slight spicy note courtesy of the rye, which added more depth to the complexity of this beer. Well done, Monument City!

What's on Tap at Monument City.

Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on something light and refreshing - a Gose with lime and lemon. She was digging it quite a bit, especially because it was a bit stuffy inside the tasting room. What I want to know, though, is this: Who puts lime before lemon when describing the flavor of something? To me, that's like saying, "I'm hungry for a jelly and peanut butter sandwich." Lime and Lemon just sounds so unnatural to me. Maybe they could call it Limon, although they might get a cease and desist letter from Sprite. In short, lemon lime is the preferred nomenclature.

Sorry for that little tirade. I don't want to detract from the beer, because it was, indeed, quite tasty. Gotta inject a bit of levity into the mix, right?

Two out of three Pleeps agree it's lemon lime!

We concluded our visit with a half pour of the year-round Battle IPA. This traditional American IPA features loads of late-addition Cascade, Centennial and Columbus hops for a huge floral and piney finish. This one was a bit too harsh for me, flavor-wise. I got more of a bitter, herbal character from the hops that frankly I'm not really used to anymore with all of the citrus and tropical fruit-forward hops out on the market today. I don't want to say it wasn't well-executed; it just wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Everyone has their own idea of what an IPA should taste like, and this one simply didn't overlap with what I'd consider my ideal IPA. So, no harm and no foul.

Inside Monument City

Although I enjoyed all of the breweries we visited in Baltimore, I was most excited to get back to Diamondback. When we arrived, I was stoked to see Green Machine, its house IPA on tap. Dry-hopped with Citra and Ella, this beautiful IPA is juicy and citrusy with notes of grapefruit, grass, and orange peel. It's got such a soft mouthfeel and smooth finish. Man, I love this beer and will easily go on record and say this is up there with anything from Tree House I've ever had. So, I had to order one. Full pint, of course! 

Green Machine: Holdin' on for dear life!

There were two other DIPAs on the menu. Needless to say, we had to try both, so we ordered short pours of each. The first was Less Than Supper, a soft, juicy West Coast DIPA. This struck me as a NE-style IPA due to its characteristic haze and hop character. The other was Hop Broth, an American DIPA hopped with Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado and Vic Secret. You know, all the heavy hitters for an intense hop profile. The aroma reeked of citrus and tropical fruit, melon Jolly Rancher candy, and peach. It had a nice silky smooth texture and slid down into my gullet effortlessly. I definitely preferred this over Less Than Supper, although both were enjoyable. I was glad to see they had cans of Hop Broth available, of which we happily purchased a 4-pack.

While sitting at the bar, Brewslut noticed a guy who frequents Al's of Hampden regularly. He and his female companion were chatting with another couple next to us, and I eventually heard the topic of music come up. When I chimed in, he made the connection with my wife. "I knew I knew you from somewhere!" he exclaimed. See? Brewslut's kind of famous too! Turns out he's from the Harrisburg area and, indeed, visits Al's frequently. So this all helped pass the time while we enjoyed our beers at Diamondback.

This could easily be Pleeps' family crest.

After a quick stop at a nearby record store (where I managed to pick up a rarely seen LP version of Kiss' Hot in the Shade album, among a few others), we made the short walk to Max's Taphouse. Anyone who follows craft beer knows this place. It's the Monk's of Baltimore. Their tap list is insane. Their bottle list is equally impressive. To call it a craft beer institution would not be an overstatement. I can't imagine ever visiting Baltimore without having at least one beer here. Speaking of one beer, this would be a one-and-done stop, too, as we needed to get to the show. 

Perusing the beer list, I noticed something called Tennessee Jeppe & the Thoroughbred Hillbilly, a beer credited to a brewery called Blackberry Farm. I was familiar with this brewery because someone (probably Awet or James) brought a bottle of its Classic Saison to a Team D(r)INK bottle share more than two years ago (thanks Untappd) and I remembered it being amazing. It takes a lot for me to remember any beer from memory unless it totally blows me away. So bonus points for me, who typically is unable to remember a person's name three seconds after meeting them. Based on this singular encounter with the brewery, I decided to throw caution to the wind and order a beer I knew would be pretty expensive. Turns out it's a collaboration with Evil Twin Brewing (Jeppe in the beer's name was my first hint). The beer itself is a dark, rich Imperial Stout brewed with Muddy Pond sorghum syrup and malt smoked by Allan Benton of Benton's Country Hams. As anticipated, it was quite enjoyable. Plus I was able to rack up another double digit ABV beer today (this one clocks in at 11.3%). I win.

The beer Brewslut wanted had recently kicked, so she settled on a beer named POG NOG from Decadent Ales based out of NY. Another collaboration beer (this one, with a bottle shop called Beer Noggin to commemorate its 2nd Anniversary), this DIPA is a "tropical jubilee" (their words, not mine) dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic plus additions of pineapple, orange zest, and guava. "Inspired by the islands of Hawaii," read the description. This one definitely packed quite a tropical punch, with pineapple at the forefront. It was slick and perfectly carbonated, and also quite tasty as you might imagine.

Pleeps nippin' at Brewslut's POG NOG.

Since Fells Point only monitored parking meters until 8 p.m., we decided to leave our car parked near Max's and walk the .8 miles to the venue. Plus if we wanted a post-show beer, we'd be at the right place. Without getting into too many details, the show was enjoyable and I enjoyed Mastodon a bit more than Primus, although both bands were great. Although Mastodon went on before Primus, they seemed to have played considerably longer. After the show, I briefly met Brann Dailor, Mastodon's amazing drummer, near the tour bus parking area as we exited the venue. I got in a handshake and told him I really enjoyed the show. Other people were asking for pictures, but I didn't want to be that guy. After that quick meeting, we headed back to the car and decided to retire to our hotel for the evening. It was a long day, and concerts drain me just a little more each year as I get older.

We had another full day planned for Sunday. As I mentioned earlier, we had planned to meet friends at the new Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House, then make our way to Union and Waverly (literally right across the street from each other), and maybe Brewer's Art, then finish up with a stop at EverGrain on the way home.

Well, it seems the cosmos had other plans for us on this particular evening.

When we arrived at our hotel (Extended Stay America), we attempted to check in but the attendant on duty didn't have a reservation for us. He was extremely polite and helpful, and explained that there was another Extended Stay American about three blocks away in the same hotel complex. (We were, after all, staying near BWI airport amidst a veritable maze of lodging options.) Thanking him, we left in search of our actual hotel. After a quick two-minute drive, we arrived and parked the car. The office was closed as of 11 p.m. so we had to ring the bell so the attendant could let us in.

Here's the conversation I shared with this attendant at around 12:15 a.m. as we attempted to check in to our room (after waiting for him to terminate what sounded like a personal call on his cell phone):

Me: "Hi, I'm checking in this evening. My name is Jeff Herb, spelled H-E-R-B." 

Him: "No more rooms. We're all booked up." 

Me: "I have a reservation through Priceline and paid in advance." 

Him: "You have to call Priceline."

He then proceeded to ignore us and attend to another customer who's microwave was malfunctioning. Flabbergasted (I'm kind of glad this unfortunate episode occurred, because I rarely get to utilize the word "flabbergasted" in its truest context), we exited the hotel and went to our car to try to get in touch with customer service at Priceline.

To refresh your memory, we've had a similar experience two years ago when we visited Portland, Oregon. Care to guess which hotel chain was the culprit then? That's right. Extended Stay America. Unfortunately for us, we typically book using Priceline's "Express Deal" feature, whereby you select a star rating and general area or neighborhood where you'd like to stay, and they select the hotel based on the available options. So the customer doesn't know which hotel he or she is going to get. But given the deep discounts one can achieve using this method of travel booking, it makes sense to roll the dice.

When we finally got through to Priceline's customer service, we were told that since it was after midnight, they couldn't secure another room for us. In the end, they refunded our money (and included a 20% inconvenience credit) and also gave us a 10% coupon for our next hotel reservation. I think we were too tired to argue.

So, we were basically stranded in Baltimore at 12:30 a.m., about two hours away from our house. We called a few other hotels to see if we could find a vacancy, but to no avail. Apparently, "something was going on in Baltimore" this particular weekend as our friend at Extended Stay America later told us. In the end, we decided to drive home and cut our losses. So unfortunately this chapter of the Pour Travels comes to an early conclusion.

You know, some people say "less is more," but I disagree. How can less be more? MORE is more. Yngwie knows what I'm talkin' about. Until next time...

Top 10 New Breweries Visited in 2017

Each year, we visit a lot of breweries. So, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a year-end review of some of our favorites. Here’s a list of our Top 10 “new-to-us” breweries we had the pleasure of visiting in 2017. How did we come to the final list? While we’ve utilized no specific equation in determining the final Top 10 list, we did take the following into consideration: beer quality, atmosphere, service, gut instinct, and general awesomeness. With that said, we present to you the Pour Travelers’ Top 10 New Breweries Visited in 2017 (in alphabetical order):

1. Bar Hygge/Brewery Techné – Philadelphia, PA – First visited February 2017

Philly has been known more amongst beer geeks for its never-ending list of world class beer bars. However, only in recent years has the City of Brotherly Suds started to throw down the gauntlet and really enter the ring of craft breweries. Sure, the old guard is still hanging in there, cranking out quality stuff. However, Bar Hygge/Brewery Techne is perhaps the first brewery in Philly I’ve been seriously excited about. Everything about this place is picture perfect to me. The beer is spectacular, the food is bangin’, the atmosphere is top-notch, the service was stellar. Even the coffee was excellent! Through four perfectly executed beers (an imperial coffee stout, IPA, blood orange saison, and Baltic porter), we were bowled over each time. I mean, when Brewslut deems a beer “the shit,” I know they’ve got something special. I have absolutely no gripes with this place at all (other than it’s 90 miles away from me). Favorite Beer: Low Hanging Fruit

2. Bitter Brothers – San Diego, CA – First visited June 2017

I had a chance meeting with a sales rep for Bitter Brothers at Modern Times. We had a nice chat and he gave me his business card, telling me it was good for a complimentary sampler flight. After swinging by only to find out they were closed, I was still determined to get there. In retrospect, I'm really glad we made it in for a visit, because the beers are stellar. White Peach Family Tart, a peach Berliner Weisse, was freaking amazing and without a doubt one of our favorite beers – not just sours - of the trip. All of the other beers - everything from a dry-hopped sour to juicy IPAs to a coffee porter – were enjoyable and well above average. Favorite Beer: White Peach Family Tart

3. Commonwealth – Virginia Beach, VA – First visited November 2017

Commonwealth turned out to be another one of those places where I wanted to try EVERYTHING! But even with a DD and an experienced liver, there were simply too many beers (around 20) on tap to try them all. So, we chose wisely. Standouts included Halcyon, a blond sour ale with passionfruit and apricots; Big Papi, a super juicy DIPA, and Marvoloso - bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout on nitro. They even had a wheat IPA brewed with wildflower honey and a boatload of marshmallows. What does one name such a beer? Marshmallow Eyes, of course! Big Papi was so enjoyable that I had to take home some cans for future use. I liked this place so much, I bought a shirt, which is something I reserve for only the cream of the crop breweries (one shirt purchase per trip). I have A LOT of T-shirts! Favorite Beer: Big Papi

4. Diamondback – Baltimore, MD – First visited August 2017

I'm not sure what it was, but I felt an immediate connection to this place and knew I was going to love it. My instincts were right. I had to try everything. And we did… seriously. Lucky for us, there were only 5 beers available. Going light to heavy, one by one I was blown away with the depth of character of these beers – everything from the hop profile to the mouthfeel to the aroma was on-point. I was giddy, I admit it. While all of the beers were memorable, it was Green Machine that wowed me the most. Diamondback's take on a NE-style IPA is dry-hopped with Citra and Ella for a juicy, citrus-forward flavor with a hint of ripe mango. Now what's not to love about that? Favorite Beer: Green Machine

5. Draai Laag – Pittsburgh, PA – First visited April 2017

Pittsburgh is another city that has really brought out its A-game as of late. During a trip over Easter weekend, we visited close to a dozen new-to-us breweries. The cream of the crop? Draii Laag. Ironically, the types of beer you will never see on tap at Draii Laag are typically the kinds of beers I seek out. With that said, I was mesmerized by this place. Everything about Draii Laag was exquisite. Visiting their tasting room is definitely an elevated beer experience. Stand-out beers included Atomic Pomme, a bourbon barrel-aged American sour ale brewed with apples, and Öl (pronounced Oil), a strong ale aged in Laphroaig Scotch casks, bourbon casks, and 27-year-old rum casks. All of Draai Laag’s beers are unique and against the grain. They've really carved out a niche for themselves in this hop-dominated market. I doubt you'll ever see an IPA or run-of-the-mill styles like brown, red, or amber ales. Overall, we were both really impressed with the complexity, inventiveness, and presentation of the beers, the service, and the space itself. Favorite Beer: Öl

6. Ocelot – Dulles, VA – First visited March 2017

Dulles, VA's Ocelot makes the cut, not only for its amazing beer but also for its music theme. A colorful, psychedelic mural depicting band logos and mascots adorns the walls of the tasting room. Beers are named after song lyrics. Even the back wall housing its barrels has been dubbed "The Barrel Wall" in a sweet Pink Floyd The Wall font. The beers were off the hook and included several well-executed IPAs, an amazing coffee stout, an equally impressive maple stout, and much more. Nocturnal, a coffee stout aged on vanilla and cacao was easily one of the highlights of this particular trip. Brewslut was equally bowled over with the Megaton Maple, a maple stout. Three IPAs – Waterfalls, Juvenile Success and Jacks N Jokers also didn’t disappoint. From the vibe to the people to the beer itself, Ocelot seems to have everything dialed in. We got to visit again in June while pre-gaming for an Iron Maiden concert. I was excited to try a beer called Grunge Legdrop, a dry-hopped Simcoe IPA brewed in collaboration with our buddy Cy from Amplified Ale Works in San Diego. More tasty IPAs ensued, including Tongue Tied and Loaded Questions. Ocelot is doing some of the tastiest IPAs I've had on the East Coast. Favorite Beer: Nocturnal

7. Pro Re Nata – Crozet, VA – First visited March 2017

The next brewery made the list based on the strength of just two beers (as well as its sweet outside seating area): Crozet, Virginia’s Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery. I thought this was a peculiar name for a brewery, mostly because I had no idea what it meant. Luckily, there was a doctor and a pharm tech in our group who filled me in. Although the literal translation is "for the affair born," Pro re nata is a Latin phrase meaning "under present circumstances" or “as needed” and is commonly used in medicine or medical prescriptions. The two beers we had here were phenomenal. Cherry Coal Train – a barrel-aged cherry porter – was my highlight of the day. Aged in Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels, this supple porter featured Michigan-grown Montmorency tart cherries. The balance of this beer was amazing, with intense notes of Belgian chocolate and tart cherry followed by rich vanilla and a tinge of oak. Brewslut was equally impressed with her Beans Deep Coffee Stout. Favorite Beer: Cherry Coal Train

8. Strangeways – Richmond, VA – First visited November 2017

We’d wanted to get to Strangeways for the past few years, but somehow never managed to fit it into our travel schedule when we were nearby. They were either closed or we had time constraints. So needless to say, I was enthused that we were finally able to work a visit into our itinerary at the tail end of our Drinksgiving trip. A sampler flight featuring eleven beers and not a bad one in the lot. That says something. Beer after beer, we were impressed with the quality and flavors of each. And there were 30 different beers on tap! Everything from low ABV wheat sour ales to IPAs to a variety of barrel-aged treats were well-executed and enjoyable. Palooza – a NE-style IPA - was a standout, as were the various stouts, especially Reindeer Fuel and Virginia Peanut Butter Cup. The tart beers were also really well-done. To be honest, this place exceeded my expectations and we walked away being super impressed with Strangeways. I even bought a pink T-shirt (ok, it’s technically “raspberry”) so that should say a lot! Favorite Beer: Reindeer Fuel

9. Toolbox – Vista, CA – First visited June 2017

Every time we visit San Diego, there are a dozen or more breweries that have opened in our absence. As Pour Travelers, it is our civic duty to visit these during our West Coast excursions. I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect with a name like Toolbox. I always think of "toolbox," "toolbag," etc. as derogatory terms. Turns out this place is producing some incredibly complex sour and barrel-aged beers in the same vein as Lost Abbey, and its tap list was dominated by these types of beers. From Berliner Weisse to barrel-aged blended saisons to wild ales, Toolbox has definitely carved out a niche for themselves in the largely IPA-saturated San Diego beer scene. Its Eau d' Vine Rouge, a barrel-aged American wild ale with Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes was a highlight of the trip. Aged for up to 18 months in French oak barrels with a mixture of wild yeast strains and bacteria, this incredibly vinous beer boasted lots of ripe grape flavor and fairly sharp acidity. Favorite Beer: Eau d’ Vine Rouge

10. Vanish – Leesburg, VA – First visited June 2017

While we were driving through Leesburg, VA up to Frederick, MD, we drove right past Vanish Farmwoods Brewery. We decided to turn around and stop in for a beer. It was one of the best quick beer decisions I've ever made in my life, right up there with attending the soft opening of Lagunita's beer garden on our 10th anniversary trip eight years prior. Upon immediately setting foot inside the open tasting room area, I knew we were in for a treat. The vibe of this place was beyond cool, the beers all sounded amazing on paper, and the outdoor space was scenic and vast. What was only supposed to be a stop for a "quick one,” we liked it so much we stayed a while. In retrospect, we could have stayed all day. We sampled everything from an imperial IPA to a kettle-soured tangerine witbier to wine barrel-aged treats (icluding an unusual break of character for me – a beer called The White Wine Project, a tart, fruity ale aged in Fabbioli Pear Port barrels. But in this particular instance, they had me at "port." After we'd visited all of the breweries at the end of the weekend, we both agreed that this was our "find" of the trip. Favorite Beer: The White Wine Project

Honorable Mentions (if this was our “Top 20” list):

Attaboy – Frederick, MD – first visited June 2017

This place serves up some tasty beers amid a cool, modern tasting room with an industrial vibe. All of the beers we tried (mostly hoppy ales) well-done and enjoyable, and Attaboy was our favorite of three new breweries we visited in Frederick. 

Benchtop – Norfolk, VA – first visited November 2017

This place was soooo close to getting on the Top 10, but I had to give the slight edge to Commonwealth. With that said, Benchtop was easily in my Top 3 breweries of our entire Drinksgiving trip. Oaxaca Milk Stout, a low ABV Mexican mole stout, was a standout. Also, the cans of Lazy Floculation – a Mosaic and Galaxy DIPA – I bought were fantastic!

Collusion – York, PA – first visited January 2017

Variety and quality abound at York’s most impressive brewery. There is something for everyone here. Even if you don't like beer (which I’m sure you do… otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog), they had mead and cider available. Favorite Beer: What Gose Around

Cushwa – Williamsport, MD – first visited June 2017

Situated in a business park with dozens of identical suites, Cushwa caters to its locals (you can design your own crowler label on a huge chalkboard in the Tasting Room). Deuane recommended this place to us, so we changed our itinerary for the Maiden concert weekend in June and checked them out. All-around enjoyable beers and great people! Favorite Beer: Jell-o

The North – Endicott, NY – first visited May 2017

After perusing its tap list on-line, I knew I’d sniffed out a good one. We’d been in this area before, so I’m not sure how this place had eluded us for so long. Small, off-the-radar, and no-frills, this is the kind of brewery every town needs. I loved the vibe, the people, and - most importantly - the beers. Favorite beer: Black Donald

Pure Project – Miramar, CA – first visited June 2017

Pure Project boasts a clean, bright tasting room and delicate, flavorful beers with locally-sourced ingredients. What can you expect? Beers brewed with organic fruits and spices, local honey, hibiscus, and other non-traditional ingredients. We need to spend a bit more time here during our next visit.

Race Street – Clearfield, PA – first visited April 2017

Race Street’s sheer eclecticism evokes a vibe that is artistic and elegant… and at the same time scatterbrained and jumbled. But this juxtaposition is truly at the heart of this gem of a brewery situated in no-man’s land. If you find yourself in Happy Valley, make the extra 30-minute drive to Clearfield and visit Race Street. You won’t be disappointed! Favorite Beer: 10 Pound Torpedo

Resident – San Diego, CA – first visited June 2017

Resident featured all the tell-tale warning signs of a place I wasn’t going to enjoy: the patrons were noisy, TVs blared with sporting events, and they had a lot of guest taps. However, since it was our last brewery of the trip, I didn’t let it get me down. The beers I had here were some of the most memorable of the trip, including Vacation Coconut IPA and, my favorite, Walk of Shame, a blonde ale with coffee and cacao nibs. Morale of this story? Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Favorite Beer: Walk of Shame

                                                                                                                     

Tonewood – Oaklyn, NJ – first visited February 2017

Another one so close to making the Top 10, Tonewood is definitely on the rise. This place was packed with locals when we visited, and for good reason! They’re cranking out some seriously tasty beers. Chief, a soft, hazy-colored pale ale is worth seeking out. The Revolution coffee porter is also bangin’! Favorite Beer: Chief

Yorkholo – Mansfield, PA – first visited February 2017

Yorkholo has been around for about six years, yet we still weren’t able to visit until 2017. Better late than never, because we both loved this place. In typical fashion, I wanted to try everything so we opted for a full flight of all ten beers (5 hoppy and 5 dark). There were several stand-outs, including a great Scottish Wee Heavy called The Yanochik, and Rez-Head, a DIPA with citrus and peach notes. But the winner for me was Alpenglow, a dark Belgian-style ale brewed with ginger and aged on tart and sweet black cherries.

What's New in Baltimore?

Aside from our recent trip to San Diego, we hadn't had the opportunity to spend a generous amount of time in Baltimore for a few years. Given its relative close proximity to Central PA and easier access (i.e. no Schuylkill Expressway) than Philadelphia's airport, we typically tend to fly out of BWI for our vacations. We were able to swing by a new brewpub called Brewhouse No. 16 as well as Max's Taphouse the day we flew out to San Diego, but that was about it. However, this weekend commenced a month-long run of no band performances and witnessed our return to Baltimore to catch Dweezil Zappa at Rams Head Live. We'd seen Dweezil there several years ago, but hadn't returned since. Needless to say, a ton of new breweries had popped up all around the city, so we had our work cut out for us. Coincidentally, Frank Zappa (Dweezil's dad) was born in Baltimore, so it was cool to make that connection. So, let's dig in and find out what's new in Baltimore, shall we?

We kicked off the weekend at Peabody Heights. The brewery itself has an old school, blue collar vibe and seems to be situated in an industrial area. For some reason, I felt like I was in Pittsburgh during the 1970s. Not that that's a bad thing, because the Steelers were the NFL team of the 70s. However, I'm not much of a sports fan, but those who are might appreciate the connection.

Upon examining the tap list, we noticed several breweries listed. However, these weren't "guest taps," but rather various off-shoots, or "sister breweries" of Peabody Heights. With that said, Peabody Heights is a self-professed "craft beer incubator" that not only produces a variety of house beers, but contract brews for such entities as The Raven, Full Tilt, Local Option and a host of others. I found this to be a pretty cool concept. Aside from the standard offerings from Peabody Heights proper, the tasting room also featured small-batch beers from Old Oriole Park Beer (classic pre-Prohibition beer), Public Works (four beers are produced under this label, which donates a percentage of its proceeds to job training in the community), and Goonda Beersmiths (a separate nano-brewery run by two of Peabody Heights' employees).

View from my barstool at Peabody Heights.

While they didn't offer a set "sampler flight," they did have 5oz. pours available for $2 or $3, depending on the beer. So we each put together our own customized flight. Here's the run-down on everything we sampled (all are Peabody Heights unless otherwise noted):

• Flick - DIPA double dry-hopped with Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson Sauvin. I liked enough to purchase a 4-pack of pounder cans to go. 
• Knuckle-Buster IPA (Public Works) - malt-forward traditional IPA. 
• Trap Trap Trap Trap Trap Trap (Goonda Beersmiths) - DIPA brewed in collaboration with Wet City featuring gooseberries and black limes as well as El Dorado and Kohatu hops.
• Sleeping with the Fishes - Imperial stout brewed with coffee, chocolate and fish peppers.
• Cranberry Beret - Hefeweizen with cranberries. Nice Prince reference!
• Mr. Trash Wheel's Lost Python - session IPA hopped with Citra, Motueka and Mosaic.
• Mocha Obscuro - Imperial stout; winning homebrew recipe from the brewery's first-ever homebrew contest. 

Cute little samples!

Although I was enjoying a great conversation with the bartender, who turned out to be a fellow drummer, about Zappa and music in general, things were about to turn sour. Much to our dismay, a flock of "Woo Girls" were starting to file into the brewery for what was apparently some kind of birthday party. You know what I'm talking about when I use the term "Woo Girl," folks. These women parade themselves about town and participate in obnoxious birthday gatherings typically featuring an over-enthusiastic, self-absorbed young lady wearing a tiara or a sash, or - even worse - BOTH, in public. Unless you're the Queen of England or you've just been crowned Miss America (and don't even get me started on that charade), under no circumstances should a women EVER be seen in public wearing a fucking bedazzled headpiece! I could hear Brewslut's eyes rattle as they rolled back loosely into her skull, and the expression on her face had turned to a slightly annoyed grimace. That was our cue to start packing it in. I grabbed my 4-pack of Flick, paid our tab, thanked the bartender for a nice chat, and with that, we headed off to the next brewery.

Monument City Brewing Co.

We stumbled on a pretty cool event at our next stop, Monument City. They were holding something called "Cask Your Ballot," whereby customers purchased a ticket for $8 and received samples of five different cask-conditioned variations of an ale. Customers were then asked to cast their votes for their favorite of the lot. Pretty cool concept! For this particular venture, Monument City featured five different variations of its 51 Rye Ale with various additional ingredients such as fruit, spices, hops, etc. The base beer (an IPA) takes its name from the percentage of rye malt used in the mash (51%, obviously). The resulting beer combines the earthy spice of rye malt with citrus hop notes.

That's some sweet cooperage right there!

Here's the run-down of all five beers included with the ticket:

• Peaches & El Dorado
• Grapefruit & Honey
• Orange & Rosemary
• Strawberry & Basil
• Blackberry & Ginger

Obviously, these are all pretty self-explanatory. Brewslut and I both cast our vote for the Orange & Rosemary version, which we felt was the most refreshing and had the nicest aroma of the lot. While the orange character was subtle, the rosemary was really pronounced both in the flavor and aroma. I almost voted for the Peaches & El Dorado version, but ultimately the rosemary won me over.

Cask your ballot!

We finished up our visit by sharing a full pour of Among the Pines, a DIPA brewed with five hop varieties for an earthy, pine resin-esque flavor. However, it was perhaps a bit too malty for my particular taste, albeit still enjoyable while sitting outside on the ramp up to the entrance. I'm usually one to sit inside (as we did during our cask tasting), but the weather was so pleasant that we decided to enjoy the fresh air.

Outside at Monument City.

Across town in Fells Point, we returned to Max's Taphouse, one of the premier craft beer bars in the country. It's the Toronado of Baltimore... when in town, you gotta stop in for at least one beer. This place has a long-established reputation for its impressive, well-curated tap selection. Even veteran, somewhat jaded beer drinkers such as ourselves should have no trouble finding at least a dozen or so beers on tap worthy of imbibing on any given occasion. After careful consideration, I decided on Union Craft's Duckpin Pale Ale, which was dry-hopped with Citra and Nelson and dispensed via beer engine. Not too shabby. I'm also not sure why I chose this, because we were planning to stop at Union the following day. I suppose I was craving something cask conditioned. Brewslut opted for Burley Oak's Bay Breeze J.R.E.A.M. (so many acronyms!), a sour ale with lactose conditioned on cranberries and pineapple. This was tart, fruity, and super-refreshing. For some reason, Burley Oak is a brewery that has eluded thus far. After trying this beer, I believe a visit in the near future is in order. Not sure where Berlin, MD is, so I'll need to consult my trusty BeerMapping.com and plan accordingly. 

Next, I spotted a gin barrel-aged Grisette from Portland, ME's Oxbow Brewing called Moon Rocks. I've recently become infatuated with gin barrel-aged beers since our trip to the other (or should I say left coast) Portland last summer. We'd been to Oxbow a few times and they make solid stuff, so I went for it. This was pretty enjoyable, although I still feel that the gin botanicals work better with hoppier beers, or sweeter beers such as a Belgian Tripel. Still, this was a nice dry, bubbly saison with hints of juniper and coriander. The wife decided on Pacific Ocean Blue, a gose from a brewery called The Libertine. This sucker was quite pungent and cheesy, like a cave-aged feet fungus. Perhaps that's a bit too evocative (i.e. nasty). We weren't familiar with this particular brewery, but a quick Google search revealed that it is situated in central California and specializes in barrel-aged wild ales using unusual yeast strains. Well, this beer definitely utilized an unusual yeast strain! It was overall a bit too cheesy for my personal tastes, but I think Brewslut liked it. Hungarian Beaver Cheese, perchance? Not as such.

The Moon ROCKS, man!

Brewslut finished up at Max's while I ducked out to visit a nearby record store called Soundgarden. One can never have too many records, right? Well, in my household, it depends on who you ask. I enjoy the hunt as much as the catch, and I was thrilled to find three Zappa LPs in excellent condition, two of which were only five bucks each. Score! I picked up a couple other random, less expensive titles as well. Meanwhile, one of my many Rush buddies, Wayne, had joined on as our third wheel, meeting me at the record store before we headed over to Rams Head Live for the concert.

I could write an entire separate blog just about the concert, but we'll leave that for another time. All I'll say is that it was fantastic! However, I must express my extreme disappointment regarding the beer selection at Rams Head Live. The last time we saw a show there (coincidentally, it was also Dweezil), they boasted a selection of beers from Fordham & Dominion, a Baltimore-based brewery. Unfortunately, Rams Head has since been bought by Live Nation and thus downgraded their beer selection to AB/In-Bev swill such as Goose Island, Shock Top, and Stella. Not surprising in this day and age of constant brewery sell-outs. Even more disappointing was the fact that the bottle selection was the same as the limited tap offerings. I could only shake my head in disgust and return to my place on the floor to wait for the show to begin. Sadly, I broke down and bought a $10 plastic cup of Goose Island for myself and Brewslut, but not without a stiff middle finger pointed in the general direction of Rams Head. Fuck you, indeed!

After the show, we convened across the street at Leinenkugel's Beer Garden for one last beer of the evening. Although the tap selection was a bit more diverse than Rams Head, it was still lacking local craft beer. After a minute or so, I finally settled on a pint of Cold Brew Coffee Lager from Saranac and we occupied the outside beer garden area for a while to chat about the show and Rush, but also to share childhood and family stories with our relatively new friend, Wayne. But all too soon the evening was over and we had to retire to our hotel for some much-needed sleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Since check-out time at our hotel was 11 a.m., we arrived at our next destination about half an hour early. Diamondback Brewing's tasting room is situated is a large commercial building that appeared to the campus of a sizable child daycare facility. Parking our car, both Brewslut and I were quite perplexed. We wandered around the parking lot for a bit, trying several doors that all seemed to be locked. We even tried walking around the side of the building (the wrong side, as we'd soon find out), only to be greeted by a "NO TRESPASSING" sign. Defeated, we returned to the car and noticed an establishment across the street called Barracudas Locust Point Tavern. Sweet! "Sounds like they might have beer," I thought. I was correct. They also had a restroom, which I was in dire need of visiting.

We we arrived, the inside was pretty empty; most folks were enjoying brunch on the patio. I asked our server about Diamondback, and she set us straight. But we still had about fifteen minutes or so to kill before Diamondback opened for the day, so why not have a beer? Sadly, Barracudas didn't have any draft beer available, but they did have a decent selection of local craft brews. We were able to find two beer that we'd never had before from two breweries we'd never tried before. Score! This was a pleasant surprise, as I thought I'd have to order a DFH 60 Minute or Bell's Two Hearted... not that there's anything wrong with that. I just wanted something local.

Enter Beyond the Realm of Light, a DIPA from Baltimore's own Oliver Brewing brewed in collaboration with the band Summoner and Magnetic Eye Records as part of the "Long Live Rock & Roll Series" Upon further investigation, I was surprised to learn that this brewery had been around since 1993! I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect, but man, this was a solid DIPA! Brewed and heavily dry-hopped with an assortment of exotic hops including Southern Cross, Ella, Galaxy, Pacific Gem, and Motueka, this heavy-hitter concealed its 9% ABV masterfully and boasted a rich, yet well-carbonated body and plenty of juicy hop goodness. I was all-around impressed with this offering.

Beyond the Realm of Light DIPA.

Equally impressed with her selection, Brewslut selected Nanticoke Nectar IPA from RaR Brewing out of Cambridge, MD. Its flagship beer, this IPA boasts a sweet English malt backbone with citrus hops that segue into a more assertive grapefruit and piney flavor. This was a great introduction to both of these breweries, and I look forward to trying other offerings from each in the future. I also need to check out Magnetic Eye Records in more depth, because my first glance at its website revealed some amazing album cover art that, if matches the music, will be right up my alley!

Back across the street at the daycare center, we finally unearthed the entrance Diamondback. I knew we were getting close when I saw this:

And then this:

I'm not sure what it was, but I felt an immediate connection to this place and knew I was going to love it. My instincts were right. Starting off on the lighter side of the spectrum, I began with Omar, a creamy, juicy American pale ale brewed with flaked and malted oats, and dry-hopped with El Dorado. Already off to a good start. Loved it! Brewslut ordered an 8oz. pour of Lens Crafter, an IPA hopped with Melba and Vic Secret featuring notes of pineapple, passion fruit, and grapefruit. Both beers were stellar.

My vantage point at Diamondback.

For my next beer, I decided on a full pour of Green Machine, which I'd had back in June at Max's before we our flight to San Diego. This beer Diamondback's version of a NE-style IPA. Dry-hopped with Citra and Ella for a juicy, citrus-forward flavor with a hint of ripe mango. Now what's not to love about that? Green Machine is an all-around stellar beer!  

The Green Machine. Kids my age will remember.

By this point, I wanted to try everything else. Dirty Vegas was up next, an IPA hopped with Topaz and Mandarina Bavaria. Upon further research, I found that Diamondback brewed this beer in honor of one of its biggest fans, some guy named Bruce who is a legend at Max's for being the first person to taste 2,500 different beers. Pretty sweet! This IPA finishes dry with citrus, apricot, and grassy notes. Finally, we ended with Cold Taxi, a dry-hopped lager, because why not? This Zwickelbier, or unfiltered lager, boasts a crisp mouthfeel, smooth texture, and what Diamondback calls "immense crushability." Dry-hopping with Ella and Vic Secret unveils plenty of tropical flair without a lot of bitterness.

Magic... Under Where? No... up HERE!!!

Overall, we loved the beers and vibe at Diamondback, and Megan proved to be a kick-ass "beer slinger," as they call her. We had a nice conversation with her and another customer about lots of stuff, but mostly beer. It's these types of conversations that keep us traveling around the country in the name of beer. I picked up a 4-pack of Green Machine and Megan was kind enough to throw in a few bonus cans of Two Lights and a Right, a Belgian-style IPA with blackberries. Can't wait to share these with Team D(r)INK in a few weeks! Sadly, after finishing Cold Taxi it was off to the next spot.

By the time we arrived The Brewer's Art, our free breakfast had long worn off and the pangs of hunger began to unfold. It's brunch time, kiddies! And we were in the right spot. We had been to The Brewer's Art on just one other occasion, many years back (before my blog days) when Brewslut and I spent a weekend in Baltimore. Back there, there wasn't much in the form of local craft breweries save for Pratt St. Ale House (a brewpub that still exists) and The Brewer's Art. There were some great beer bars like Max's, but breweries were scarce back then.

On tap at The Brewer's Art.

I decided to go light, so I gravitated to Choptank'd, a 4.2% ABV table saison. Light and refreshing, it complemented by brunch nicely. Brewslut, on the other hand, dove right in and ordered a pour of Zombie Buffalo, a Belgian brown ale aged in Buffalo Trace barrels. You can't get much farther apart on the beer spectrum than with these two disparate beers. For brunch, we enjoyed sharing a rye soft pretzel with "everything" spice, sweet potato brioche French toast with bourbon peach maple syrup, smoked fish hash, and local peach coffee cake. Not bad for $20 per person.

I'm sorry, but you've been Choptank'd.

After our delicious brunch, it was time to move on to our next stop. Things were hoppin' at Union Craft when we arrived. Lots of folks sat outside enjoying the weather, while many people also occupied the tasting room inside. We decided that this would be a one-and-done stop for us since we went a little overboard at Diamondback. Hey, it happens. So we went inside and got in line.

Waitin' for beer.

Union was in the midst of celebrating its 5th anniversary, so for my solitary beer, I had to go with the 5th Anniversary S.M.A.S.H. (there's that acronym again... you remember what it stands for, kiddies?) Pale Ale. This particular variation features Marris Otter malt and Chinook hops for hints of spicy grapefruit rind and pine supported with a rich, nutty malt backbone. The wife settled on the nostalgically named Fraggle Rock, a strawberry rhubarb gose that was pretty damn delicious. The color of the beer even reminded me of a Muppet. This proved to be a refreshing summertime thirst quencher.

Baltimore loves its Big Wheels.

No sooner did we sit down on a bench inside the tasting room when we bumped into our beer friends from back in PA, Brian and Alexis, who had just been across the street at the brewery we'd be heading to shortly (more on that in a bit). They joined us on the bench and we exchanged some chit-chat about both topics: music and beer. I mean, what else is there?

Chalk totem poles at Union.

By the time we'd arrived at Waverly (literally right across the street from Union), I already knew that my companion would be driving home. I was feeling the third sheet begin to wrap around my weathered noggin. Besides, I'd have over an hour to recover in the car ride back to PA. So we settled on one beer each during our visit to Waverly. Inside the tasting room, it was kind of a rag-tag setup, with a variety of seating options including a sweet red vintage wrap-around sofa in the back room. As much as I wanted to sit there, we left it for a larger party, which coincidentally emerged a few minutes after we'd arrived. According to its website, nearly every inch of the tasting room is made using recycled or reclaimed materials. You can read about this in more detail here. The walls were also adorned with some pretty cool, colorful local pop art. The Star Wars fanboy in me thought this particular one showcased some serious bad-assery:

Hey look... we're At-At Waverly Brewing Co.!

Based on the recommendation of Brian and Alexis, I chose Shelfies the Beer, a hazy NE-style pale ale hopped with Azacca, Citra and Columbus. While I give the nod to Diamondback's Omar, this beer was still very enjoyable. To be honest, I was kind of confused by the name of this beer, but some research revealed that Shelfies the Show is a beer review team based out of Baltimore, and this beer is a collaboration with these dudes. Brewslut opted for Local Oyster Stout, a collaboration with The Local Oyster. This roasty stout features the shells and meat of real Maryland oysters. Nicely done!

I'm great at taking Shelfies.

All in all, it was a productive overnight jaunt to nearby Baltimore. We discovered several great new breweries, saw an amazing concert, got to hang with a few friends, and I even was able to add to my record collection! 

Back in PA, I suppose this segment can serve as an epilogue of sorts. Of course, every trip down this way seems to end at Pizza Boy. We had both been wanting to try the brand new LegenDAIRY variation, the OJ (White Bronco) version. Man, these lactose milk sugar milkshake whatever-you-want-to-call-them IPAs are awesome! Brewslut and I loved the last one they did called LemonDAIRY, and this new orange version was equally impressive. All I can say is, "Keep 'em coming, Al and Terry!"

We also sampled the brand new Brewery Pilsner, a straight-up traditional German-style Pilsner. This is pretty spot-on for the style. I've often said there's something artfully simple about a pilsner. You can't hide behind anything. It's just barley, hops, yeast and water. Anyone can chuck 10 different hops into a lackluster base beer, or throw something into a barrel for 6 months and see what sticks. But to brew an exemplary is a monumental achievement. I will definitely re-visit this one next time. We also had a few snips of another newbie called Whatever Forever, blonde ale with Brett... lots and lots of Brett! This sucker had a bone dry finish with a huge smack of Bretty barnyard funk. Conversely, Super Tight is a crushable 3.2% ABV dry-hopped golden ale with a big citrus and grape-like aroma. There's always lots of stuff brewing at Pizza Boy, and I'm glad I've been able to visit more often these days.

So that's what's new in Baltimore, folks. Until next time...