More Updates

This is what happens when I skip town for a bit ... backlog.

The 2nd Chance Saloon, newly opened in Columbia, is now blogging. Or, we hope they're blogging, its just one entry right now from January 7th.

Hair O' The Dog Wine & Spirits in far out Easton, Maryland, also has its own interesting blog. Not being a born/bred Marylandian (sp?) I don't have much affinity for parts beyond the Chesapeake and they're a bit of a hike but its still Maryland and well, they care about good beer so they'll soon be merrily indexed here.

And just so we're clear, Maryland is up there with two-piece Michigan among the oddest shaped states in the union. Any other favorite oddly shaped states worth mention?

So Yeah Dood has finally launched. Interesting, informative and thoughtful beer blog, it is.

File this under muddled and confusing: Wharf Rat is sold, but stays open, the original Fells Point property stays in the hands of the old owner, the newer property on Pratt Street stays open with the new owners. Except there was a rumor it closed and Beer Advocate noting it as "closed" added to the confusion. But now it really is closed starting January 30th, for renovation you see.

Got all that?

Beer In Baltimore's on top of things though, so keep track of all that, over there.

Blob's Park has officially opened. Here's the dates/times (and entertainment schedule):

Friday & Saturday doors open 630 PM, music from 8 PM to midnight, closes at 1 AM
Sunday doors open at 2 PM, music from 4-8 PM, closes at 10 PM

Mark your calendars, the first week of February is "IPA Week" at The Judge's Bench in downtown Ellicott City. I haven't been there in a while (or Ellicott Mills Brewing), should make my way over especially since its so close. Its a nice place, if a bit tiny, with really easy parking and 17 above average taps and a well-organized bottle list. They also do some take-home beers, kind of cool.

Greg from the Food, Wine Beer & Culture website continues to do some excellent beer exploration, hitting up Flying Dog and Brewer's Alley in Frederick, Red Brick Station in White Marsh which I need to visit at some point, Kooper's in Fells Point, and Red Star in Fells Point.

Its an interesting and versatile blog he's put together discussing home brewing, dining, cooking, wine and the like.

And this, from my friend Dan in California who passed this along -- Coors celebrates the 50th anniversary of their introducing the brewing industry and the world to the aluminum can. Environmentally friendly, replacing the old -- now collectable -- tin cans. The can is making a comeback in craft brewing, and I support the movement.

Its more portable than bottles, does a much better job of protecting the beer and its flavors from light, no longer imparts odd flavors, and can be reused and cheaply. Botters are more aesthetically pleasing and easier to display and collect and don't give off that cheap look aluminum cans do, but they're not as good for the beer.

Thanks Dan.

And finally, I'll have a discussion about downtown Ellicott City's Diamondback Tavern in an upcoming entry. They sent a nice email along which I need to respond to (as well as Dan's, actually), but I'll tease with this:

$2 tap beer, all their tap beers, all day Sunday at Diamondback. Not bad, hm?

Update: Camden Yards Beer

The Baltimore Sun's Rob Kasper comes to the rescue.

Kasper went to the ballgame today, and provided several details as to the beer scene at Camden Yards. As reported earlier, the Orioles converted an Irish pub named Bambino's (Babe "The Bambino" Ruth was born not more than a few yards from the Orioles' present-day location) into a "Bud Light Warehouse".

Ack.

Double ack: $7.50 Stella Artrois. That's a fairly standard draft beer at a special beer price. Said Kasper:

It reminded me of Heineken, not especially exciting or flawed.

Exactly.

Other finds at the Warehouse included Busch's Shock Top Belgian White. Back on Eutaw Street, Kasper ordered Frederick's Wild Goose Pale Ale (Or did he mean IPA? $6.50 at the microbrew stand).

Things turned dark as the weather soured and the Orioles' 2-0 lead evaporated.

I craved a dark beer, a Guinness. So apparently did many other fans. By the sixth inning, the taps of the Guinness stand on the first level behind home plate had gone dry. No Guinness meant gloom and an Orioles defeat.

Opening Day left me with three questions.

Has anybody else tasted the Stella?

How about the Shock Top?

Finally, is it anti-American to drink beer in the comfort of a stadium pub, rather than sitting outside and sipping brews in the cold weather.

Dispiriting to say the least. Sorry, Rob.

To answer the questions:

1)Yes, several times. It's a respectable import distributed nationwide. A college friend of mine from Northern California took a liking to Stella but I always felt it was a fairly undistinguished beer. It's good in an emergency when there's nothing else on tap except bud/miller generics, less acceptable when more inventive options are available.

2)No on the Shock Top, but the liquor store nearby carries it. I didn't realize it was a Busch product. This must be their toes-in-the-water attempt to compete with Coors' Blue Moon. Best of luck to them, I suppose.

3)Absolutely not, at least when the weather turns. It's anti-American for baseball to be played in such gloomy weather if you ask me. My experiences at Petco Park and Wrigley Field attest to the value of some mid-game liquid refreshments.

Don't spent an entire game at the stadium pub, but an inning's pit-stop (or two) is a fun part of the experience. Wrigley doesn't have its own pub, but fill-ups before and after the game at the bars literally just steps away from the entrance are a rite for any of-age Wrigley visitor.

Unlike other games, baseball is just as much about the crowds and atmosphere as the timeless game on the field. Or maybe that's the Cub fan in me talking (hey, any team can have a bad century).

What's In Your Fridge?

Since Baltimore Beer Guy is new and has maybe one reader, it's doubtful anyone will reply to this query. We press on, however, since content is king.

What's in your fridge?

It's an ever-changing situation in my fridge as the supply is occasionally drained and the assets liquefied. At present are 1-3 bottles of the following:

La Fin Du Monde (Unibroue/Quebec)
Hop Wallop (Victory Brewing Co./PA)
Hoegaarden (Belgium)
Blue Moon (Coors/CO)
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (Dogfish Head/DE)
Troegs Nugget Nectar Ale (Troegs/PA)
Green Flash West Coast IPA (Green Flash/CA)
Stone Ruination IPA (Stone Brewing Co./CA)
Guinness Extra Stout (Guinness/Ireland)

There's nothing particularly special about this group of beers other than they are all quality brews. What I do find interesting is the variety within the group. In a single sitting we can go from Belgian Wit styled beers to massively hopped West Coast IPA's and a fantastic East Coast IPA to the classic Irish stout and then a finely crafted golden ale. These beers span the states and the world.

Thanks to the creativity and craftsmanship of brewers through history and into today our society has developed a taste for quality beers and an amazing variety of them. In turn, this demand has created a fairly efficient market and marketplace that makes their collective nationwide and worldwide availability possible. But a market will always live and die with the consumer, so my message in closing is to consume!

Buy locally, but also buy globally. Try new beers (do your research so the names at the store aren't overwhelming) and keep that market alive so everyone can continue to enjoy this unique time in the history of beer consumption.

(Image: Stuart Whitmore/MorgueFile.com)

Some Basics

At present, this blog will have a fairly open format. What that means is that the focus will be on beer, but I may wander from time-to-time (see snowballs entry below).

Personally, I conduct most of my business west of the city. As much as I like downtown, it's a bit of a hike. Most of what is known to me is in the Ellicott/Columbia area. We can still discuss establishments around town and around the state (and even D.C., Pennsylvania, etc.), but I won't always hit them up immediately if at all. And, I have a bias towards avoiding crowds (except at sporting events). Don't ask. The more relaxed the place, the more positively I tend to respond to it.

In that same spirit, I tend to respond more positively to variety when it comes to beer. I have my favorite styles, but nothing is more damning to a beer nut than a row of taps with 90% Bud/Miller/Coors. Throw us a bone. A Sam Adams or Yuengling or Blue Moon is nice, but go crazy and throw in 2-3 unique pours if you can afford it. Same with your bottles.

Finally, it's a given that anything involving food/beer/wine will have an air of snobbery. I am not immune to this. Not everyone is in the same place when it comes to beer. I'll do my best to moderate such tones and make this place as accessible as possible to any and all people who enjoy beer and are willing to look beyond the stuff marketed to us on football Sundays.