Get Randallized At Frisco Grille

Tonight (Monday) Frisco Grille will be running a TBD hoppy beer through The Randallizer, a hop filter created by Dogfish Head Brewery. Nugget hops will be inside the Randallizer to add that extra hop oomph to whatever beer is chosen.

Dogfish Head Alehouse Gaithersburg Charity

On Thursday September 22nd, in conjunction with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, 15% of all Dogfish Head Alehouse (Gaithersburg MD location) sales will be donated.

Wednesday Items

-- Dogfish Head pint night/blowout at Frisco Grille tonight. Free featured pint glass with purchase of featured beer after 7 PM but he beers are already on tap if you want to sneak in early. Be sure to keep tabs on my @MDbeerspotter twitter feed for news on events like this in advance.

-- And from Mahaffey's:

As far as beer news is, we are in full swing of Oktoberfest lagers. We are going to blow away our previous record. I'm thinking about offering an Oktoberfest beer flight. Any thoughts? We'll be a little less hoppy than usual for awhile. Bear with us. Seasonality is a double-edged sword. A few new breweries making it to the beer selection in these coming weeks. Lots of new stuff.

Tonight's bomber is actually a 750 ml bottle. Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu, a honey grape concoction made from an ancient Chinese recipe. At $15, it is a rediculous steal. 12 bottles only.

Loads of fun things planned for Waynestock 9/19. Promises to be better than ever.

Editor's note -- That Jiahu is GREAT, I had some at the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, its like a honey/melon white wine, very different for a beer.

Real Time

Enjoying an Alehouse 75 at Dogfish Head Alehouse (Gaithersburg) after a trip to the awesome Gilly's in Rockville.

Update: I love how these "real time" updates keep arriving a day later. Sigh ...

Items

-- The latest Mid-Atlantic Brewing News is out!

-- This is a great tool. Social media Dogfish Head beer finder, customizable by state. The initial Maryland map looks bleak but click around, a ton of places suddenly appear.

-- McCormick & Schmick's at Pier 5 in the Inner Harbor has upped their "Magic Mondays" from 530-930 PM they're offering $3 Magic Hat beers and a new item, a $30/dozen blue crab feast.

-- DC beer's latest "happy hour" profiles "Bread & Brew" in DuPont Circle. I actually passed by this recently, was curious whats inside. Looks like a good hangout!

-- DC Beer Week's schedule of events is up, and its impressive.

Sunday, August 16
• DC Beer Week “Unity Jam” at the Rock & Roll Hotel
Rock & Roll Hotel
1353 H St NE
2 pm- 8 pm
The first annual DC Beer Week will kick-off in style celebrating two life’s greatest pleasures- music and beer! This indoor day-long event will emphasize the diversity of the DC music scene with bands displaying musical flavors such as Reggae, Dub, Funk, Folk, Rock, Blues, and Metal.
The confirmed line-up will be-
See-I
The Blackjacks
Laura Tsagaris Band
The Jeff Wells Band

There will also be a limited amount of fist come/ first serve “VIP” beer tasting tickets available for $20. Tasting tickets will consist of 10 -4 oz. pours of hard-to-find Craft Beers.
http://www.rackandrollhoteldc.com

• Unity Jam After Party at the Pug
The Pug
1234 H St NE
8:30 pm
The Pug has gained a reputation as a place “where the locals go”. Always playing great tunes on their sound system, free cheese puffs, fooseball, and an extensive selection of craft beers in cans- The Pug is sure to be a good time. Proprietor Tony T. and crew open their arms to the good beer-drinking loyalists of Washington, DC.

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Monday, August 17
• Allagash Beer Dinner with Rob Tod at Granville Moore’s
Granville Moore’s
1238 H St NE
7 pm
Come meet-and-greet with Rob Tod, President and Brewmaster of Allagash Brewing Co. at Granville Moore’s. A so-called “Gastropub with a Belgian Fetish” Granville’s Chef Teddy Folkman will be preparing 5 courses paired with 6 great beers from Allagash Brewing Co.
http://www.granvillemoores.com

• “Sausage, Cheese, and Beerliciousness” at the Big Hunt
The Big Hunt
1345 Connecticut Ave NW
Dupont Circle
7 pm
Come experience regional breweries paired with their regional cheeses and sausages. Big Hunt Beer Director Dave Coleman will be offering great beers on-tap from such world class breweries as Allagash, Bells, Brooklyn, Dogfish Head, Troegs, and Victory. Brewery representatives will be on-hand to discuss the beers and share great stories of the Craft Brewing movement.
http://www.thebighunt.net

• Dogfish Head Happy Hour at Brasserie Beck
Brasserie Beck
1101 K St NW
5-7 pm
Come to one of DC finest restaurants to sample a selection of great beers from Delaware’s world-renowned Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Dogfish Head brand rep Devin Arloski will be on hand with glassware and other goodies.
http://www.beckdc.com

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Tuesday, August 18
• Rogue Oregon Oyster and Ale Festival at the Reef
The Reef
2446 18th St NW
Adams Morgan
5 pm-10 pm
Come chill and relax at the Reef and experience a taste of Oregon. Fresh, Yequina Bay Oysters from Newport, OR will be flown-in for this special event. The Reef’s Chef Connor will be preparing other delicious dishes paired with the complex, tasty beers from Newport’s Rogue Ales.
http://www.thereefdc.com

• Brooklyn Brewery Beer and Cheese Tasting with Cowgirl Creamery at Café Saint-Ex
Café Saint-Ex
1847 14th St NW
U St Corridor
7 pm
Come join in on the fun and experience the ultimate pairing to great cheese- craft beer. The folks from NY’s Brooklyn Brewery will be teaming up with one of city’s finest fromaggiers- Cowgirl Creamery- to present a vast array of flavorful beers and individualistic cheeses.
http://www.saint-ex.com

• Abita Beer Crawfish Boil at the Argonaut
The Argonaut
1433 H St NE
6 pm
Come experience a true Southern tradition- a crawfish boil. Abita Brewing Co. is the south’s most established craft brewery and a drink synonymous with the city of New Orleans. Chef Matthew Anderson of the Argonaut is known for his coastal cuisine and will be unleashing this customary communal dining experience for lucky attendees.
http://www.argonaut.typepad.com

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Wednesday, August 19
• “Hitting the Cycle” at Restaurant Marvin
Restaurant Marvin
2007 14th St NW
U St Corridor
6 pm
Join the folks at Restaurant Marvin as Beer Director Chris Surrusco will assemble an opportunity to “Hit the Cycle” of Belgian and Belgian-Style beers. Taste “Single”, “Double”, “Triple” and “Quadrupel” beers paired with delicious cuisine from Marvin’s Chef James Claudio. Attendees will have an opportunity to win two tickets to the Friday, Aug 21 Nationals vs. Brewers game.
http://www.marvindc.com

• “Belgian Beer Invades the Capitol”
Capitol Lounge
231 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Capitol Hill
5 pm
Mr. Belgium comes to Washington and he brought with him some potent, complex beers from the Mecca of brewing culture- Belgium. Come and join in on the action at one of Capitol Hill’s legendary taverns.
http://www.capitolloungedc.com

• Coney Island Freak Show at Palace Of Wonders
Palace of Wonders
1210 H St NE
9 pm
There’s always a freak show going on at the Palace of Wonders. Join founders Jeremy and Matt from Shmaltz Brewing Co. as they present there delicious beers- Coney Island Lagers and Hebrew Ales. Rumored is a surprise performance by an authentic Coney Island Freak Show legend.
http://www.palaceofwonders.com

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Thursday, August 20
• “Brew at the Zoo” at the Smithsonian National Zoo
Smithsonian National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave NW
Woodley Park
6- 9 pm
Raise your glass to conservation and join FONZ Young Professionals at the fifth annual Brew at the Zoo. Attendees will have an opportunity to sample beer from more than 35 micro and regional breweries. This annual event presents a great atmosphere to sample great beer all for a good cause.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/Brew/default.cfm

• DC Beer Week “BATZ” After-Party at Club Asylum
Club Asylum Downstairs Lounge
2471 18th St NW
Adams Morgan
9:30 pm
Come join brewers, beer lovers, and some of DC liveliest nightlife at the legendary Rock & Roll lounge- Club Asylum.
http://www.asylumdc.com

• Troegs Pint Night at the Red & the Black
The Red & The Black
1212 H St NE
7 pm
Come join Pete from Troegs Brewing Co of Harrisburg, PA and taste their award-winning beers. Authentic Troegs pint glasses will be given away throughout the duration of the evening.
http://www.redandblackbar.com

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Friday, August 21
• Washington Nationals “DC Beer Week Brewers Game”
Nationals Park
1500 South Capitol St SE
7:05 pm
Come kick-off the end of DC Beer week with America’s National pastime- Baseball. DC Beer Week attendees will receive 25% off tickets in selected areas of the ballpark. Suitably the Washington Nationals will be taking on the Milwaukee Brewers.
When visiting the Nationals website enter the promo code “Beer” to receive the discount.
http://www.nationals.com

Mahaffeys Update

I'm on their email list so occasionally I'll post some news from those emails.

For example, on tap for the first time is Dogfish Head's Worldwide Stout. I've had that sucker, it's pure alcohol, but they say it won't last so if you dig the WWS, head down there. Mad Elf is done for the season, although he's saved a keg for "Christmas in June".

Tonight's bomber is Southern Tier Choklat, one of Summer of Beer Steve's favorites. Their "Old School Beer" featured tomorrow will be Colt 45.

On Sunday they open at 3 PM --- "Go Ravens".

For the uninitiated, Mahaffey's is a corner pub in Canton with a great beer rep. As a bonus they actually post the beer list online so there's no guessing when you arrive. As we all know, Baltimore Beer Guy appreciates such establishments.

And whats not to love about a place carrying DuPont's Avec Les Bons Vouex, Allagash's Grand Cru and Southern Tier's Krampus?

Miscellaneous

Tom Cizauskas at Yours For Good Fermentables (and fellow C.R.A.B.B.) writes prolific on mild ales. I confess ignorance, but this was an education and gives intrigue to a potential visit to Oliver's/The Wharf Rat. These beers are right up their wheelhouse.

Also more Baltimore Beer Week talk (see here, here) and the Sun's "winter beer tasting" featuring an all-star cast of local beer folks to be published at an unknown date and time.

Greg at Food, Wine, Beer, Culture had a nice night at Max's recently.

HowChow reviews Frisco Grille, probably my top beer hangout.

But it's also fun if you're a neophyte who wants to taste a few beers before you order your pint. Frisco Grille has no pretentions. You can sample and explore.

Ram's Head Tavern has a blog. I'll add that to the links soon.

Finally, an interesting profile of Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione and by extension the entire craft beer industry at the New Yorker. Gives yourself a few minutes to work through this, it's The New Yorker after all (via Kasper on Tap).

Dogfish Head Oktoberfest Beer Dinner

This is being held at the Gaithersburg, Md. Dogfish Head Alehouse (as well as the Falls Church Virginia location).

Details: October 27th (VA) & 28th (MD), starting at 7 p.m.for $50 (tax and tip included)

The Food:

Perogies w/Shelter Pale Ale

Spinach salad with warm bacon dressing w/Midas Touch

German sauerkraut soup with German dark bread w/Theobroma

Sauerbraten with spaetzle, red cabbage and green beans w/Indian Brown Ale

Apple strudel and ice cream w/Punkin Ale

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA Tasting

Courtesy of the fine folks at Dogfish Head who actually sent me a bottle of this (as well as a Palo Santo Marron and a DVD about the Palo Santo Marron and some stickers) a few months back. The cool thing is that it has been aged a little over a year, smoothing out the flavor profile just a bit.

And like the Palo, I'll be simultaneously tasting with my good friend Steve from "Summer of Beer". My bottle is dated 6/10/2007, his a 10/10/2007.

Poured into a Dogfish Head logo snifter purchased at the Milton, DE brewery facility. Initial pour, rapidly dissipating, bright yellow head. Slightly cloudy amber color. Unusual aroma, not very pungent surprisingly. Sort of got a root vegetable smell/earthy. No hop aroma that I'm aware of.

Sweet, fruity flavor, like passion fruit maybe. Only mild bitterness. Definitely not what I expected. A lot of people have called this a sweet beer, and I agree with them.

Steve just said something really interesting, and after a few sips I think he's dead on about this:

Steve (9:59:22 PM): the finish is really strange

Steve (9:59:25 PM): like sugary something

Steve (9:59:34 PM): like burnt marshmallows

Steve (9:59:41 PM): like when you set the mallow on fire

Steve (9:59:49 PM): and then you taste that carmelized burnt outside part

I wonder when the 21% alcohol starts to kick in?

Still getting lots of sweetness, starting to get a bit sticky now. Some kind of fruit in there, haven't quite nailed down but its refreshing. Definitely not like any beer I've ever had before.

Another good offering from Steve, who seems to have a good grasp of this beer tonight:

Steve (10:02:59 PM): i hate to use the term for so many beers but maybe it's like an orange marmalade

Steve (10:03:13 PM): certain hops really give off that sorta sweet orange flavor

After a while this tastes distinctly Dogfish Head. It's interesting how certain brewers have a trademark flavor no matter how differing the styles they brew. If I'm blindfolded and trying a bunch of beers and you try to sneak anything Stone or Sam Adams in front of me for example, I'll know. Same thing with Dogfish Head, it seems.

Its hard to describe the specific uniform taste, but it never fails to reveal itself.

Anyway, this is nice, much less harsh than I would have expected. If not for the ridiculously potent alcohol level (21%), I'd probably say this is a beer you could repeat in a single sitting and many times over the months. That's an unusual thing given my mixed relationship with several other DFH offerings (although the 60 and 90 minute IPA's are tremendous and are good early and often).

Many thanks to Sonia at Dogfish Head who sent all these fine DFH offerings to me. It's been tremendous fun. Now if you don't mind, I have a few more ounces of this DFH 120 Minute IPA to enjoy.

(Image: newyorkbrew.com)

Dogfish Head: More Tours

From the inbox:

Since the spring, we've added even more fermentation tanks (more beer available for you!), a super-fantastic HVAC/humidity control system (happy co-workers!), and completely re-vamped tour program (happy visitors!).

We'd love it if you came to check out the brewery and all the new stuff. Our spruced-up Tasting Room now has regular sampling hours and we now offer lots 'o tours throughout the week! The tours are free, but we do ask that you make a reservation to reserve your spot (and please wear closed-toe shoes) - we want to keep the tour groups small enough so you can hear what we're saying over the din of the brewery.

Speaking as a tour veteran, its quite difficult at times to hear the tour host. I realize I've yet to write about the visit to the brewery and brewery restaurant, but it's coming don't worry.

Catching Up

So I've been away for a while, obviously.

Hopefully I'll get around to discussing the California trip and its implications for what I think about Maryland's beer situation. In the meantime I will soon discuss my trips to the Flying Dog (formerly of Colorado) brewery and the Dogfish Head brewery and restaurant in Delaware. Interesting trips, both.

Parallel Blog Tasting: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

For laughs I traded tasting thoughts over AIM tonight with friend and fellow beer blogger Steve at Summer of Beer. Be sure to visit this link to get the rundown on our real time thoughts on a specially crafted beer from Delaware's Dogfish Head Brewery called Palo Santo Marron. It is a "brown ale" aged on Palo Santo wood.

Also: my review at Beer Advocate, as well as Summer of Beer's.

Not bad, overall. A unique tasting experience both trading thoughts with Steve and enjoying the unusual beer aged in the incredibly dense Palo Santo wood from Paraguay. Check out these YouTube videos for more on this crazy experiment.

Brew Review: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

This puppy is a classic. Not that I've sampled many, but this is easily the best east coast IPA I've consumed. Today's sampling was a 12oz bottle served in a standard pint.

It was caramel-amber in color, with a fluffy head and a wonderful hop aroma. With something like wine the nose does a lot of the tasting, but you can get away with a more mouth-driven flavor experience with beers. That said, this beer just smells good.

There's not much to detail about the flavor: it's a delicious, consistent IPA that is one of the standard-bearers for what a well crafted IPA should look like, smell like and taste. To me it's got sort of a slightly creamy consistency, just a little more thick than your standard IPA.

DFH's "minute" series of IPA's are well-respected, with the 120 Minute IPA a fairly expensive and sometimes hard to find option. I've yet to try it so your word is as good as mine when it comes to the 120. However, and mind you this is just my opinion and it might change: I like the 60 minute more than its well-respected kin the 90 Minute IPA. Both are worthy of repeat purchases.

Regardless, DFH's IPA's are hard to dislike. As a bonus, the original brewhouse is in Delaware (Milton/Rehoboth Beach), only a modest drive from most areas of Maryland. Dogfish Head actually has a handful of brewery/restaurants, one of which is located in Gaithersburg (closer to D.C. than Baltimore, although I'm not finding anything online about the G-Burg location, did it close?). They seem to have decent national distribution, although Summer of Beer Steve has had some difficulty locating bottles in California. It's a cinch finding them in Maryland, and they even distributed down in the craft beer averse Florida panhandle where I used to live.

Although I poured a bottle today, the Mangia nearby has the 60 Minute IPA on tap, so be sure to hit that up if you're looking for a fresher pour.

This IPA is well-respected at BeerAdvocate, with a 4.07/A- average rating. Summer of Beer Steve didn't enjoy his first go-round with DFH, but later came around after a second tasting.

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)