Clipper City Update

TONS of stuff from their email, enjoy.

--- Their winter seasonal is coming soon: Winter Storm Category 5 Ale, a 'winter warmer' brewed with a lot of English malts and both US and English hops similar to an Imperial ESB in style. It is available now through February.

--- 'Ladies Night' will be on Wednesday November 4th from 6-9 PM. They'll focus on pairing beer with food and well as discussing and tasting plus whatever else is going on in that treehouse, no boys allowed. Chef Mick T. Pirate from Whiskey Island will be serving 'heavy tapas and cooking advice'. Cost is $10, plus advance registration required (410)247-7822 or email kelly@ccbeer.com

--- Brewery Tours are being offered Saturday October 3rd, 17th and 24th at 1 and 230 PM, be sure to make a reservation.

--- Other events:

* Saturday October 3rd - Indian Food & Beer Pairing at Vineyards Elite from 2-6 PM, FREE
* Fells Point Fun Festival Friday October 3rd and Saturday October 4th 11 AM - 7 PM
* Pint Night at Frisco Grille Wednesday October 7th, 7 PM free logo glass w/first Clipper City beer purchase
* Das Best Oktoberfest (Timonium) October 10th
* Tasting at Ye Old Spirit Shop (Frederick MD) October 23rd
* Tasting at State Line Liquors (Elkton MD) October 3oth

--- Baltimore Beer Week Events

10/8 Max's 5-8 PM
10/9 Kooper's Firkin Friday 5-8 PM
10/12 Mahaffey's 3-7 PM
10/12 Alonso's 5-8 PM*
10/13 Antonio's 5-8 PM
10/14 Lure's Firkin Night 5-8 PM
10/14 CC's Tavern 6-9 PM
10/15 Cat's Eye Pub 9-11 PM
10/15 Victoria Gastro Pub 530 PM
10/16 Judge's Bench 5-8 PM
10/17 Duda's 8-10 PM

Heavy Seas Food & Beer Pairings

10/13 Beer Dinner at Mother's Grille 7 PM*
10/13 Bertha's Beer & Oysters 5-7 PM*
10/15 Ryleigh's Beer & Oysters 6-8 PM*
10/15 Rowhouse Beer & Cheese 8-10 PM*
10/16 Judge's Bench Beer & Cheese 5-8 PM

Free Beer Tastings

10/9 The Perfect Pour 5-8 PM
10/16 The Wine Source 5-8 PM

* = hosted by Clipper City founder Hugh Sisson

Clipper city is also on Twitter

Clipper City Roundup

Latest findings from their recent email:

Their Heavy Seas line is expanding to bigger beers in bigger bottles in "VERY" limited batches. First up? A double IPA, they have yet to share its name or posted it to the website. Hmm...

Samples will be available at their Real Ale & BBQ festival at the Brewery on May 16th.

Speaking of the festival: 12 taps, 7 kinds of firkins, special seasonal brews, live music, Andy Nelson's BBQ w/fixings (pulled pork BBQ, smokehouse Dixie chicken, BBQ beans, carolina slaw, redskin potato salad, Memphis style ribs, more) from noon-4 PM for $49/person. Designated driver tickets available. (800)830-3976 or the website.

American Craft Beer Week Events:
May 11th -- Firkin tapping at Max's
MAy 12th -- Schooner Woodwind Sunset Cruise Annapolis
May 16th -- Real Ale & BBQ Fest

Tours available w/RSVP on Saturday May 9th, 23rd, June 6th, 20th, 27th at 1 and 2:30 PM.

American Craft Beer Week at Max's FINAL

So here's the *mostly* final list of beers on tap and featured breweries next week from Monday May 11th to Sunday May 17th

Abita Red Ale
Allagash Black
Allagash Dry Hopped Barrel Aged Mussette
Allagash Four
Allagash Interlude
Appalachian Trail Blaze
Arcadia Hop Rocket
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation
Avery Maharaja
Blue Point Hefeweizen
Blue Point Oatmeal Stout
Blue Point Old Howeling Bastard
Blue Point Rastafar Rye
Brewers Art 7 Beauties
Brewers Art Green Peppercorn Tripel
Brewers Art Ozzy (cask)
Brewers Art Sublimation
Brewers Art Tiny Tim
Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout
Cape Ann Bavarian Wheat
Cape Ann Fishermans IPA
Cape Ann Greenhorn Double IPA
Cape Ann Tea Party
Dogfish Head 120 Minute
Dogfish Head Black & Blue
Dogfish Head Burton Baton
Dogfish Head Fort
Dogfish Head Immort Ale
Dogfish Head Midas Touch
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Dogfish Head Red & White
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Flying Dog (cask) TBA
Flying Dog Dog Schwartz
Flying Dog Doggie Style (nitro)
Flying Dog Double Dog (nitro)
Flying Dog Snake Dog (nitro)
Flying Dog Gonzo (nitro)
Great Divide Belgica
Great Divide Saison
Great Divide Dunkel Weizen
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon (cask)
Heavy Seas Peg Leg w/oak chips (cask)
Heavy Seas Red Sky w/spices (cask)
Hebrew Rejewvenator w/dates
Lagunitas Bourbon Aged Cappachino Stout
Laginutas Brown Shugga 2007
Lagunitas Correction Ale
Lagunitas Gnarleywine 2007
Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
Lagunitas Imperial Stout
Lagunitas Saison
Lagunitas Maximus (cask)
Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown
Magic Hat #9 (cask)
Magic Hat Old Ale (cask)
Magic Hat Bob's First Ale (cask)
Magic Hat Belgian Blonde (cask)
Magic Hat Wacko
Olivers Cherry Blossom
Olivers Mad Monk (cask)
Olivers Oak Aged 3 Lions (cask)
Ommegang Abbey Ale
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
Ommegang Rouge
Ommegang Noel (test batch)
Otter Creek Imperial IPA
Redstone Nectar of the Hops
Sierra Nevada Brown Saison
Sierra Nevada Celebration
Smuttynose Brett & I 2007
Smuttynose Gravitation
Smuttynose Hanami
Smuttynose Imperial Stout
Smuttynose IPA
Smuttynose Maibock
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
Smuttynose Pumpkin
Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog
Smuttynose Robust Porter
Smuttynose Smhmutzig Hofen Weiss 2008
Smuttynose Shoals Pale
Smuttynose Smutt-A-Roni 2007
Smuttynose Smuttanator 2008
Smuttynose Star Island Single
Smuttynose Summer Weizen
Smuttynose Terminator G Bock 2008
Smuttynose Wheat Wine 2008
Southern Tier 422
Southern Tier Choklat
Southern Tier Gemeni
Southern Tier Iniquity
Southern Tier Cuvee Series #2
Southern Tier Jah Va
Southern Tier Uber Sun
Stone Red Wine Barrel Aged Old Guardian
Stone Vertical Epic 08/08/08
Stoudts Abbey Double
Stoudts German Kolsch
Troegs Bourbon Aged Mad Elf
Troegs Hopback (cask)
Troegs Mad Elf
Troegs Pale (cask)
Troegs Triple Rye IPA
Uinta Barleywine
Victory Rauchbier Porter
Victory Abbey 8
Weyerbacher Double Simcoe (cask)
Whitemarsh Dunkel Weisse
Whitemarsh Maibock

Monday May 11th (5-close)
Brewers Art, Clipper City, Oliver Ales, Whitemarsh Brewing, Flying Dog

Tuesday May 12th (6-11 PM)
Magic Hat, Troegs

Wednesday May 13th (5-10 PM)
Sierra Nevada, Cape Ann

Thursday May 14th (5-10 PM)
Smuttynose

Friday May 15th (5-8 PM)
Stone, Dogfish Head, Lagunitas

Saturday May 16th (TBA)
Flying Dog

Sunday May 17th (11am-close)
Southern Tier

Brickskeller Items

Down there in D.C. ...

Flying Dog/Wild Goose Tuesday May 26th, format to be announced but they'll have the brewer on-stage presenting a selection from both brands.

Stoudts (w/Carol Stoudt) Thursday May 28th, tasting offered at a "very special" price and with news about new areas the brewery is entering.

In honor of all thats going on and only while SAVOR etc. is going on, the Brick will be offering "a rare beer list of sample portions of some of our rarest and scarcest beers. 21 year old Thomas Hardy Ale is just a hint of the samplings".

Lupulin Reunulin Friday May 29th at RFD back room (!!!!!!!) Tomme Arthur (Port/Lost Abbey), Vinnie Vilurzo (Russian River), Adam Avery (Avery), Rob Tod (Allagash), Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head).

"Every year this tasting lineup is the most astonishing and highest quality selection of beers presented in the city" Tickets go on sale online this week and will sell out.

Stone Brewing Monday June 1 at Brickskeller with Greg Koch.

Doors open at 6 PM, events sometime around 7 PM.

Monday Open Forum

Feel free to discuss the week/weekend that was (City Paper Brew Fest?) and the week that will be (Kentucky Derby!)

Pimlico Microbrew and Wine Fest

Just saw a commercial, Pimlico Microbrew and Wine Fest this Saturday, $20 for tasters of all beers at Pimlico.

Thats Kentucky Derby day.

Miscellaneous

-- Tonight (Tuesday) is Max's weekly Beer Social night starting at 6 PM. This week they'll feature a cask from York Brewery (England) called Oakham Attila at 4.3% ABV. New drafts this week can be found at the bottom of this post.

Future Beer Social events include:

April 21st Dieu Du Ciel Equinoxe Du Printemps (maple scotch ale) and Dieu Du Ciel Solstice D Hiver (barleywine)

April 28th De Hoevebrowers, a "new little brewery in East Flanders Belgium", featuring Toria (blonde) and Kekelaring (brown ale).

-- The Brewer's Art now has the much-anticipated Charm City Sour Cherry on tap as well as the Green Peppercorn Tripel. I thought the Sour Cherry wasn't as good as last year but I'll be back to try it again soon. The Green Peppercorn Tripel, on the other hand, was spectacular, vastly superior to their bottled version and absolutely lively and delicious. Do not miss either.

-- Wednesday is Stoudt's meet the brewery night at The Judges Bench from 7-9 PM.

-- Wednesday is also pint night featuring Virginia's Starr Hill brewing (with brewmaster Mark Thompson) at Frisco Grille.

-- Thursday is beer bottle night at Mahaffey's, $3 for most 12 oz bottles. Their bomber this week is Avery's Collaboration Not Litigation. Oddly, they'll be featuring a mead on tap this week. Finally, on Saturday will be Mahaffey's anniversary party, with a free catered buffet from 7-9 PM.

-- Thursday night at 8 PM is the nationwide one night only theatre event called Beer Wars. It is only being show in six Maryland theatres, I'll be at the Snowden Square one. Be sure to check it out, tickets are $15 and there's a hosted panel afterwards with several major brewers broadcast live from Hollywood. The movie's theme is about the ongoing battle between craft brewers and the major breweries while obviously providing some more general content about the brewers, the industry and whatnot.

-- Local Clipper City Brewing Co. just released its beloved Belgian-style saison ale, "Red Sky At Night". I'll have to pick up some bottles before its all gone. Anyone know if they plan to put it on tap?

-- American Craft Beer Week will be May 11-17 this year. This is an awesome nationwide event with local flavor.

Some of the goings-on:

May 11th-17th: Max's Craft Beer Week, weeklong selection of GREAT taps, approximately 80 throughout the week. More info as it comes in but there's a preliminary list at the bottom of this email. Do not miss this.

May 11th: Clipper City taps several firkins at Max's including Loose Cannon (great!), Peg Leg and Red Sky at Night

May 16th: Clipper City's Real Ale & BBQ Fest at Clipper City noon-4 PM, $49/ticket

-- Clipper City is hosting a home brew competition. Anything goes, so long as the beer is above 7% ABV in keeping with their Heavy Seas line, and they'll favor those which are big and assertive. Entries must be submitted between June 8th and June 19th, winner announced July 3rd.

-- Clipper City is also having a beer dinner at Sotto Sopro in Mt. Vernon on April 30th. On May 7th they'll have a beer dinner at The Melting Pot in Gaithersburg. On May 11th they'll be part of a Meet The Brewery event at Max's. On May 23rd they'll participate in the Kayak, Tunes and Brews event at the Wisp Ski Resort in western Maryland. And on May 30th they'll be at the Maryland Brewer's Spring Fest.

-- Reminder, City Paper's Brew Fest is April 25th in Fells Point.

-- The Brewer's Association just released its annual top 50 craft breweries list (by sales) and Maryland's own Flying Dog checks in at No. 30. Congratulations to Flying Dog! They also check in at No. 41 overall in the United States once you factor in the mega breweries.

-- Max's new drafts this week are: Abita Purple Haze, Allagash Black, Allagash Curieux, Cazeau Tournay Black, Cazeau Tournay Blonde, Contreras Valeir Blonde, Contreras Valeir Divers, Dogfish Head Black & Blue, Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Dogfish Head Midas Touch, Dominion Spring Buck, Ommegang Rouge, Peroni, Redstone Black Raspberry Nectar, Redstone Sunshine Nectar, Rogue Dead Guy, Southern Tier 422, Southern Tier Unearthly, Southern Tier Uber Sun, Stone Pale Ale, Stone Russian Imperial Stout, Whitemarsh Station Bitter

-- Max's anticipated drafts for Craft Beer Week: Allagash Four, Allagash Interlude, Allagash Black, Allagash Dry Hopped Barrel Aged Mussette, Avery Collaboration Not Litigation, Avery Maharajah, Cape Ann Eclipse, Cape Ann Green Horn Double IPA, Cape Ann Tea Party, Dogfish Head 120 Minute, World Wide Stout, Black & Blue, Red & White, Fort, Midas Touch, Burton Baton and Palo Santo Marron, Ommegang Rouge, Redstone Nectar of the Hops, Southern Tier Chocolate, Southern Tier Gemeni, Southern Tier Jah Va, Southern Tier Oaked Unearthly, Troegs Mad Elf, Uinta Barleywine, Victory Abbey 8, Victory Rauchbier Porter and casks of Magic Hat #9, Magic Hat Old Ale, Magic Hat Bob's First Ale, Heavy Seas Red Sky w/spices, Heavy Seas Peg Leg w/oak chips.

-- I'll be back with another miscellaneous email soon, but wanted to get these items out tonight.

Brewer's Alley American Whiskey and Lowcountry BBQ Tasting Event

Brewer’s Alley, in Partnership with Frederick Reads Presents America Whiskey and Lowcountry BBQ Tasting

Thursday April 9, 5-8 PM
Tickets $29/person

An evening of over a dozen Bourbons and American Whiskeys paired with a special Barbeque menu, and a Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout created by our Brewmaster Tom Flores!

Menu Items:

Smoked and Grilled Beef Short Ribs with Sesame Sauce
Barbeque Duck Confit
Braised Pulled Pork on Brioche Toast
Grilled Chicken Breast with Carolina Style Barbeque Sauce
Sweet and Spicy Thai Chili Barbeque Shrimp
Honey-Bourbon Grilled Atlantic Salmon
Raisin Bread Pudding with Jack Daniel’s Sauce

Featured Bourbons and American Whiskeys:

Woodford Reserve, Evan William's Single Barrel Vintage, Elijah Craig 12 Year Old, Elijah Craig 18 Year Old Single Barrel, Sam Houston Very Small Batch, Jefferson's Very Small Batch, Jefferson's Very Small Batch Reserve, Henry McKenna Single Barrel, Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Whiskey, Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey, Old Forester, and, Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey, Gentlemen Jack, Jack Daniels Single Barrel

(301)631-0089

Frederick Reads has very quickly become a beloved event in Frederick, as the community joins together to enjoy the work of a selected author. This year's selected author, Clyde Edgerton, features the sights, sounds and tastes of the South, and we are thrilled by the tremendous response from our partners in the community. Brewer's Alley has supported Frederick Reads from its earliest days, and this "Taste of the South" event is one that will get everyone into the spirit of this wonderful novelist.

Members of the Frederick Reads Committee will be on-hand to share details about Edgerton's visit to Frederick and his free appearances around town. They will also have several of Edgerton's books available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these books will benefit Frederick Reads.

Miscellaneous

--- Its just an idea right now, but potentially a place on Light Street called The Reserve could end up being a beer hangout.

It's going to be a bar/restaurant called The Reserve, and will feature upscale pub food, outdoor seating and occasionally some low-key live music, according to co-owner Andrew Dunlap.

He wants The Reserve to have a good wine list and a great selection of beers on tap.

--- Oliver's/The Wharf Rat on Pratt Street is now the Pratt Street Ale House, having finally re-opened. New website, logo, apparently tons of TV's inside now, but still serving the classic English-style ales (via three handpumps). I tried going in there once before the renovation, but couldn't get through the doors. Didn't help it was a few hours before a Ravens game.

The original Oliver's is still in operation over in Fell's Point.

--- Not sure I've mentioned this before on here and if so, thats pure negligence, but Baltimore Beer Week will debut this year, from October 8th through the 18th, marked by the Brewers Association of Maryland Oktoberfest (1oth) and the Society for Preservation of Beer in Wood (SPBW) Chesapeake Real Ale Festival (17th).

There's a website with not much else up right now where you can email them to get on the mailing list. I tried that when I first saw the website but got a bounceback email. Tried again today, hopefully that's resolved now.

Hopefully establishments in the entire state can get involved, I'd love to be witness to the great wealth of beer resources here putting a great event together. Be sure to notify your favorite beer bars and establishments about this event and nudge them to get involved.

--- DuClaw's "Colossus" will be available in stores and their four locations on April 1st. It is a 21.92% ABV brewed in 2006, aged and allowed to mature, best stored at cool temperatures. They'll put the beasts in 1L swing-top bottles, signed by DuClaw's brewmaster Jim Wagner.

We're Near Festival Season

The major spring events as I stare at my massive backlog of emails:

April 4th -- Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Fest in Timonium

April 25th -- City Paper Beer Fest in Fells Point/Baltimore

May 30th -- SAVOR

May 30th -- Maryland Brewer's Springfest in Frederick

First Annual Clipper City Real Ale and BBQ Fest

May 16th at the Clipper City brewery facility near BWI Airport.

"Try all you can taste from seven different cask conditioned "real ales" poured directly from the firkin, along with BBQ chicken, ribs and pulled pork w/all the fixins. Beer by Clipper City, BBQ by Andy Nelson (killer!)"

Throw in some live music and a souvenir take home glass. Noon-5 PM, $49/person, limit 250. Booking info at the website or call (800)830-3976

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Enjoy the spirit of the day, responsibly of course. It'll be amateur hour out there at most places unfortunately, but there should be some good beer flowing at the usual great beer stops like Max's, Mahaffey's (owner Wayne is a classic) and Frisco Grille.

I'm not a huge fan of the Irish beers (Guinness, Smithwick's, Harp, etc.) but they should be on tap almost anywhere today. I will say Baltimore quietly has a ton of Irish bars and establishments, you can basically throw a dart at a list full of names and probably be quite satisfied wherever you land.

Let us know where you went if you went out.

Off to Max's Belgian Beer Fest

Doors open at 11 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Free Belgian buffet Friday AM.

I know several of the regulars at Frisco Grille will be there in the AM. This really is one of the beer events of the year in the U.S. Max's will be hopping but its fun and lively and some great beer is available all three days. I advise going for taster glasses the entire way, as chalices will limit just how much you can "try" unless there's something you just absolutely love or are ordering bottles.

The tap list is available online, with the bottle list printed on the beer lists at the event. I've done a decent amount of homework, enough to know almost everything there is special or close to it, while marking a good 20 or so beers most desired. The tap list is very heavy with Belgian Dark/BSDA's, tons of winter/Christmas beers among those, spicy and potent.

Personally I've always favored pale malts and yeast/hops for flavor, so the Belgian Pales, Tripels and Saisons are much higher on my list, maybe mixing in a malty Dubbel somewhere. Oh and Belgium's famous, puckery, fierce lambics, fruit beers and Flanders style ales. So much to choose from!

As always be safe if you make your way there, man is not equipped to handle so much potent brew, and I'll certainly be pacing myself, however frustrating that is at least the fest runs several days, enough to derive immense enjoyment even if I can't try everything I've targeted.

Whatever "reporting" is to be had, I'll try and provide. Basically: lots and lots of people drinking great beer, shoulder-to-shoulder, for three days straight.

Update: Pretty darn cool, was able to procure a bar seat at opening and meet some regulars from Beer Advocate's Mid-Atlantic forums. I'll post what I drank on another entry maybe, add my one picture I took and whatever other details come to mind. Doubt I'll go back Saturday, was able to hit a LOT of what I had targeted and its been a week of solid drinking, the body needs a rest. Sunday sounds tempting though.

Feel free to comment with your experience. Today wasn't too bad until right around when I was leaving at 2 PM when things started getting more crowded. Saturday is likely to be a zoo though, good luck if you're going.

The Beer Events Are Coming! The Beer Events Are Coming!

Winter will be around on and off for another 1-2 months, but I can see the future and I see many exciting beer events rapidly heading our way. Hopefully warm weather comes with them.

SAVOR in D.C., this week's Belgian Beer Fest at Max's, Fells Point's beer fest, and many, many others. More details as I assemble everything.

Figgy Pudding Fun Run = Free Guinness

Yeh, this is weird. Yeh, our town is weird. But its cool. We've got night of the Elvises (Elvi?). We've got that weird pirate gathering downtown. And we've got Figgy Pudding fun runs through Fells Point.

The 2nd Annual Great Fells Point Figgy Pudding 5k Run takes you through historic Fells Point, along the promenade and down the paved streets lined with some of the oldest buildings and best views in Baltimore. Runners receive a Figgy Pudding Funrun tee shirt and a free pint of Guiness at Slainte Irish Pub. Afterwards, stick around for the Fells Point Olde Tyme Christmas activities!

Hey, free beer. In a former life I was a runner, and then I found beer. Maybe its time I once again merge the two?

Events and Happenings

At The Perfect Pour in Columbia, they'll have beer tastings this Friday and Saturday. On Friday from 5-8 PM Ken from Legends will offer up a variety of products including Oskar Blues' Dale's Pale Ale and Lagunitas' We Are Only In It For The Money. On Saturday from 3-7 PM Magic Hat will be offered, as well as Japan's Hitachino Expresso Stout, Victory's Storm King and Tommyknocker's Imperial Nut Brown.

Like everyone else these days, they're also offering a tote bag ($1.99) that will make you feel all green inside. As a bonus if you bring it back to refill you can save 10% off purchases of 6 bottles or more of 750ml and 22 oz bottles of beer. Something to consider.

Tonight (12/11) at the great Max's in downtown Baltimore/Fell's Point from 5 PM-til they'll have a Stone Brewery Blowout Event. There may be other offerings but for now, the lineup includes the Pale Ale, IPA, Ruination DIPA, Smoked Porter, Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, Old Guardian, Imperial Stout, 10th Anniversary, 11th Anniversary and 12th Anniversary.

Next Tuesday (11/16) will be Max's famed "Winter Social" with a ton of wintery taps and bottles, too many to list but a rough list can be seen here. It starts at 6 PM and goes until whenever. I'm a huge fan of wintery beers (unlike the Oktoberfest/fall offerings). They're a ton of Belgian Darks or Winter Warmers, delicious and spicy, but very high in alcohol so be mindful.

UPDATE

If you're like me, the Ravens bug has bitten you -- hard. Anyway, I overlooked an email from the Greene Turtle in Columbia. They'll have Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco as a guest on Jason Brown's radio program at that location from 6-8 PM next Tuesday (12/16). The Turtle isn't craft beer heaven, but the Columbia location has Brewers Art's Resurrection on the last I checked, so that might be a delicious option.

Mind you, Flacco doesn't seem to have much of a personality but I think the show is part of the sports radio thing with Anita Marks that I've found to be decent listening whenever I'm in the car. They recommend getting there early as seats fill up fast. Happy hour is 3-7 PM, $1 off domestic drafts, hopefully that includes Resurrection.

Flying Dog American Homebrewer's Association Rally

Interesting event today (Saturday November 8th):

Entrance is free for current American Homebrewer Association (AHA) members, $33 for non-members and renewing members that becomes a subscription to the AHA (normally $38).

The event will be at the Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland.

Entrance to the event includes these opportunities:
• $33 One-Year Membership to the AHA (reg. $38)
• VIP Brewery Tour
• Meet the Flying Dog "Brew Crew"
• Nineteen house beers on tap including Wild Dog, Brewer's Reserve and K9 Cruiser (seasonal)
• Chance to win great door prizes from the AHA and Flying Dog Brewery

The AHA membership is actually pretty cool as it grants you a subscription (every other month) to Zymurgy magazine and some great discounts at breweries and pubs. My friend Steve at Summer of Beer is a member and has taken great advantage of various discounts in his beer travels. This reminds me I should look into what kind of discounts AHA members get in Maryland (feel free to email me or comment below with further details and insight, I'm not a member ...).

Be sure to check out Baltimore Beer Guy's assortment of custom beer maps at right (example: Maryland beer & brewers including several in Frederick). Also see my Frederick entries tag, my Flying Dog tag, and let me know any details about the beer at Firestone's in downtown Frederick. It is rumored to be associated with the Firestone family of tire and later beer fame in California and advertises a strong beer selection.

This Week's Events

At The Perfect Pour in Columbia there will be a pair of beer tastings as usual. On Friday from 5-8 pm Lee from Stone Brewing with pour their various offerings including the IPA, Pale Ale, Ruination and more. On Saturday from 3-7 pm Suzanne from Washburn Wine Co. will offer an array of beers from Germany and Belgium.

They also mention that their fall seasonals are dwindling as they make room for an increasing number of winter seasonals. Among the new arrivals are: Brooklyn Winter, Southern Tier Old Man Winter, Scaldis Noel, Wild Goose Snow Goose, Anderson Winter Solstice, De Ranke Pere Noel, Clipper City '08 Below Decks, Corsendonk Christmas, Innstadt Wintersud, Sam Smith's Winter Welcome, Mikkeller Santa's Helper and Troeg's Mad Eld Ridgeway Mad Elf.

It's almost a little late for this, but Clipper City Brewing will be part of a "meet the brewery" night at the newly reopened Metropolitan Coffeehouse in Federal Hill from 6-9 tonight (TH).

As a reminder, DuClaw will release it's "Devil's Milk" barleywine, their best-selling seasonal, next week on Wednesday (Nov. 12) and Thursday (Nov. 13) nights.

Also tonight (Th Nov. 6) is "Flying Dog" night at Max's in Fell's Point. They'll have 9 Flying Dog beers on tap including the new Wild Dog in bottles. They will also hold a vertical tasting of the Gonzo Imperial Porter. For whatever reason I haven't found Flying Dog on tap at many places in the state of Maryland so hopefully this is a signal of better things to come.

Alright I'm off, but more updates to come as I stumble across them, my inbox is pretty flooded this week and I've barely been able to respond to and read a lot of what's been sent to me. I'll hack some of that down later and share the goodies with all of you.

This Week's Events

In downtown on Saturday at the Wharf Rat on Pratt Street is the aforementioned Chesapeake Real Ale Festival.

At The Perfect Pour in Columbia there will be a pair of beer tastings. On Friday from 5-8 pm Clipper City will be featured featuring the seasonals Winter Storm and Balto-Marzhon and many more. On Saturday they'll pour German beers from 2-7 pm including Welterburger, Weihenstephaner, Aecht Schlenkerla, Franziskaner and Warsteiner.

On Tuesday of next week (October 21) The Brickskeller in Washington D.C. will host author Brian Yaeger (a fellow USC alum) who wrote "Red White and Brew: American Beer Odyssey". No cover, discussion begins at 7:30 pm and they'll have "greatly reduced prices" on select beers mentioned in his book. The book is obviously available for purchase and autographs.

The Chesapeake Real Ale Festival

This looks ten kinds of awesome.

The event celebrating "real ale" (among many other names) will be held at The Wharf Rat (on Pratt Street) in downtown Baltimore from 1-6 pm on Saturday October 18th.

Tickets are $35 in advance, $45 at the door. A ton of breweries will be there offering their crafted selections of real ale.

Promised offerings:

Barley & Hops: Annapolis Rocks Pale Ale
Brewers Alley: Oatmeal Stout
Brewers Art: Beacon Ale and Seven Beauties Rye
Cape Ann Brewing: Pumpkin Stout
Clipper City: Loose Cannon and Winter Storm
District Chophouse: Bourbon Stout
Dogfish Head: Palo Santa Marron
DuClaw: Alchemy Oatmeal Stout
Flying Dog: Gonzo Imperial Porter
Franklin's: Sierra Madre American Pale and ESB
Growlers: Gaithersburg Nut Brown
Lancaster Brewing: Celtic Rose
Old Dominion: Unfiltered Dry Hopped Ale
Otter Creek: World Tour "Otter Mon" Jamaican Stout
Red Brick Station: Dry hopped Twice Daily Crisis IPA with East Kent Golden and Willamette hops
Rock Bottom (Bethesda): ESB (Extra Scary Beer)
Smuttynose: Old Brown Dog
Troegs: HopBack Amber
Victory Brewing: ESB
Weyerbacher: Old Heathen Imperial Stout
Wharf Rat: Dark Mild, Harvest Ale and Pin of 3 Lions
Wild Goose: IPA
Yards Brewing: General Washington Tavern Porter and Brawler (English ruby mild)

Designated drivers get in free, but won't receive a mug or any of the "many" door prizes.

So uh, have fun if you go and feel free to report back here with details on how things went.

My thanks to Nick Nichols for sending me an email with all the awesome beers that are promised.