Check out the new Baltimore Beer Guy!

Hey all -- thank you for the visits and support over the years. I have now relocated to http://www.baltimorebeerguy.com

New digs, but everything else is the same :)

Stop on by and be sure to bookmark the new URL AND change your bookmarks if you have linked here on one of your own websites. Thanks!

Meanwhile, Around Howard County ...

The Howard County beer scene continues to grow.

Besides Frisco Tap House's big unveiling, check out the following this week:

-- Victoria Gastro Pub has been chosen one of just 88 establishments nationwide (and just two in Maryland) to carry eight versions of He'Brew's "Jewbelation" beers -- No.'s 8,9,10,11,12,13,14 (2010 release) and the much sought after "Vertical Jewbelation" which blends all of the above in rye whiskey barrels for six months.

VGP will feature those beers on Thursday December 9th, the last day of Chanukah.

-- Elsewhere, expansion plans continue for T-Bonz and Kloby's. Like with Frisco Grille various procedural hurdles have been some of the barrier to completion of planned expansions that include extra space, more taps, more bar space and other features at both emerging beer bars.

-- This week is "Really Big Beer Week" at The Judges Bench with 13 of the establishment's 17 taps dedicated to 10% ABV and above beers. Owner Mike has brought out some special wintery goodies to enjoy through December 12th. Its an impressive list so be sure to stop by.

-- As written earlier this week, T-Bonz is hosting "Beers & Steers" on Saturday throughout the day, with live bands and locally raised animals for eating. The menu looks amazing with by-the-ounce beef, a whole roasted pig, beer can chicken and oysters. Wash those down with an equally impressive tap list that barman Chris Mabe has procured for the event. Be on the lookout for news here about their next "Pints & Pancakes" event slotted for January.

-- Finally, out a bit further west in Mount Airy, the Mount Airy Inn is tapping its first ever firkin on Thursday, as they'll pour Flying Dog's Snake Dog IPA.

Frisco Tap House is Open For Business!

Frisco Tap House's long-awaited maiden voyage has arrived.

The Columbia beer emporium opened its doors Tuesday night in somewhat limited fashion. The establishment formerly known as Frisco Grille moved a half mile down the road to its new digs at 6695 Dobbin Road.

Below is a video of the place on opening night.



As you can see things aren't at 100% just yet, with the establishment still waiting for an OK to serve food. However, they were cleared to begin serving alcohol thus the sudden opening. Throughout the night more taps were added, I left with about seven on but owner Adam Carton said he'd probably have about 20 by the end of the evening. Frisco Tap Room's overall tap capacity is 50 taps and they should be hitting that fairly soon especially now that they are allowed to move kegs into their large walk-in cooler.

Barman Keith told me they can fit about 50 people at the bar alone, not including the community table and lounge areas surrounding the bar. Its a much more wide-open space than the previous location which had a sort of "Cheers" vibe with the intimacy of so many patrons often stacked on top of each other at the bar but the extra wiggle room here seems nice.

Food service should begin fairly soon, putting the dining area into use.

The new digs also hold promise as more of a sports bar feel with the eight TV's flanking the massive beer list monitors at dead-center in the bar. The restrooms can now accommodate multiple people as well.

Be sure to stop by this week or sometime soon as they continue to unveil the new menu, additional staff, get around to updating the website and the like.

T-Bonz "Beers & Steers" Details

On Saturday, Ellicott City's T-Bonz, one of the "Big Six" beer bars in Howard County is hosting an event called "Beers & Steers".

Basically, they're combining great craft brewed beers with locally raised beef and pork. Oh, and musical performances from three bands throughout the afternoon and evening.

It will be on Saturday, December 11th from open to close.

The food will include a whole roasted pig (!), pick your own steak for $1/ounce, pit beef sandwiches, beer can chicken AND oysters.

The bands will be Maybe Not Even (12-4), Bumpin Uglies (5-9) and The Mott Squad (9-1)

All day, they will be serving superb craft beers. The list is as follows:

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (Belgian strong dark ale)
Delirium Noel (Belgian strong dark ale)
Troegs Mad Elf
Brewers Art Proletary Ale (dark ale)
Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter
Long Trail Brew Masters Series Imperial Porter
Tommy Knocker Hop Strike (black rye IPA)
Weyerbacher Double Simcoe (double IPA)
Sierra Nevada Celebration (IPA)
Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild
Brew Dog Dogma (herbed spiced beer)
Oskar Blues Mamas Lil Yella Pils (pilsner)
33rd Street Ale (golden ale)
Southern Tier Raspberry Wheat
Crispin Cider
Olivers Merry Old Ale (in cask !!!)
Heavy Seas Winter Storm
Heavy Seas Peg Leg Stout

It will be an amazing event with fresh animal goodness from a farm in Delaware, fresh beers from everywhere, and some good bands! Don't miss it.

Like many places in Howard County, T-Bonz can be slightly difficult to locate, but please don't let that discourage you. One fairly reliable way to get there is to get on Rt. 100 (between Rt. 29 and Rt. 95), and when you see signs for Waternoo Road/Rt. 108/Rt. 104, exit and head NORTH on Rt. 104.

Follow that for about a half mile to mile, and when it becomes a t-bone at Montgomery Road/Rt. 103, make a left, and then make an immediate left into the shopping center and look for the signs for T-Bonz. It is immediately behind an Italian pizza place and another business.

Sneak Peek at the New Frisco Tap Room

Flying Dog Pint Night at Frisco Grille: Dogtoberfest and Prizes!

Frederick based Flying Dog's next big event is a pint night at Frisco Grille this Wednesday.

Scheduled to be on tap are the 1)In-Heat Wheat (try it in a delicious Beermosa, they're all the rage lately) 2)Snake Dog IPA 3)Barrel Aged Gonzo (love this stuff) and 4)Frisco's 2010 debut of the Dogtoberfest Marzen.

Also, Flying Dog and sales manager Matt Crow will raffle off two tickets to the Opening Tap event ($30 value, each, Thursday October 7th) for Baltimore Beer Week 2010 at the Museum of Industry.

The fun starts around 5 PM, Flying Dog logo pints are available with first Flying Dog beer purchase after 7 PM and then at some point the tickets will be given away.

Friday The Firkteenth At T-Bonz

Fresh off its successful Pints & Pancakes II, T-Bonz is gearing up for this Friday's "Friday The Firkteenth" (update: didn't realize they were calling it the Firkteenth not Firkinteenth, my error). Its Friday the 13th, after all, and they'll be scuttling all draft lines in favor of five choice firkins, served bartop.

They will be:

1)Olivers/Pratt Street Ale House Old Habit Brown Ale

2)Olivers Bishops Breakfast Oatmeal Stout with Coffee

3)Olivers Jacobs Summer Celebration Ale Dry Hopped with Liberty hops

4)Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter

5)Heavy Seas 33rd Street Ale

In addition, there will be several themed menu items. Among them:

1)Old Habit Stew -- made with Olivers Old Habit Brown Ale with big chunks of angus and potato served in a bread bowl w/choice of salad $13

2)Beer Can Chicken -- Roasted with a can of Olivers Summer Celebration served with mashed potato and a onion sauce made with the beer and chicken juice $13

3)33rd Street Steamer -- 6 shrimp, 12 littleneck clams and 12 mussels steamed with our very own 33rd Street Ale and Old Bay $13

Sounds fun.

Beer Notes

-- First things first. Please follow me on Twitter for all kinds of beer news, notes, and discussion. Its a lively feed where plenty of local beer news is relayed.

-- Upcoming items at Frisco Grille:

1)Dogfish Head Randallizer next Monday (8/16). The randallizer is a device that acts like a hop filter, running a TBD beer through layers of hops (in this case, Nugget hops) to enhance the flavor.

2)Firkin Thursday this Thursday featuring a bartop firkin of Tupper's Hop Pocket

3)Pint Nights (7 PM+) on Wednesday (8/11) He'Brew & Coney Island (8/18) Sierra Nevada (8/25) Flying Dog.

4)Expansion plans are still tangled in bureaucracy and whatnot, it looks like the opening of the new place is slated for early November at this point.

-- Couple events at Victoria Gastro Pub.

1)First up is this Wednesday's (8/11) Scottish Beer Dinner starring the rare Brewdog Tokio and a cask of Brewdog's Scotch Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Isle of Arran. Full menu and drink notes (.pdf).

2)Also, on Saturday (8/21) they'll host their first ever beer brunch featuring Flying Dog from 10am-2pm. In includes two courses and 5.5oz tastings of three Flying Dog beers. Full menu options and beer notes (.pdf)

3)Future scheduled beer dinners at Victoria include Dogfish Head (Tuesday September 7th), Oktoberfest dinner (Tuesday October 5th) and Stone beer dinner (Tuesday November 2nd). Check the website for menu details and pricing/RSVP information as they are posted.

-- Cool event at Ellicott City's T-Bonz this Friday, "Friday the Firkinteenth". Essentially, T-Bonz is scuttling the taps and only serving "real ale", firkins on bartop, with five cask offerings plus a few extra menu items themed to the beer. More details in a subsequent entry. Be there!

-- In Flying Dog News:

1)You have a chance to tell sales manager Matt Crow which firkins to bring to the DuClaw Real Ale Fest. Pick two among the six options and Tweet them to Matt via the instructions at this page. Single Hop Imperial IPA hmmmmmm?

2)The hot-selling Dogtoberfest Marzen has hit retail shelves, and not far behind it will be for the first time, 12oz bottles of the superb Barrel Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter.

3)Flying Dog made the set of ESPN's Pardon The Interruption last week, with a mask of Hunter S. Thompson in the background.

4)See above with the Victoria Gastro Pub Flying Dog Beer Brunch.

5)See below re: MABN, but Flying Dog is producing a one-off single hop Imperial IPA for sometime in September.

6)Flying Dog beers are now available at the 8x10 in Federal Hill.

7)A cask of Raging Bitch is making its way to Ellicott City's Phoenix Emporium (8/26) to celebrate the release of Dogtoberfest Marzen which will also be available.

8)Other scheduled Flying Dog events -- Pint Night at Metropolitan Coffeehouse (8/17), Firkin Thursday at Metropolitan (8/19) Pint Night at Frisco Grille featuring Dogtoberfest Marzen release! (8/25), Flying Dog tailgate at the Ravens game w/the T-Bonz crew (8/28), Flying Dog event at Federal House in Annapolis w/14+ Flying Dog beers on tap (8/29) and "Back to School Steal The Pint Night" at Alonso's (8/31) 5 PM+

-- Heavy Seas News

1)Prosit! Imperial Oktoberfest Lager should be available mid-August! Its official release is scheduled for Tuesday August 24th at Max's. As a bonus they'll be bringing an oak cask of Loose Cannon.

2)Heavy Seas' Beer & Bacon fest is scheduled for September 11th from noon-4pm. They will have 10+ bacons from around the world and plenty of dishes made with bacon, joined by 12 Heavy Seas taps, several firkins, and live music. Tickets are $40 and are on sale here.

3)No brewery tours are planned for August, next one scheduled is for Saturday September 4th, Labor Day weekend.

4)Look for Heavy Seas firkins at ... T-Bonz (8/13), Bluegrass Tavern (8/17), Phoenix Emporium (8/19), Chesapeake Beer & Crab Fest (8/21), Max's (8/24), Churchkey DC (8/25) and Thunder Burger DC (8/26)

5)There is a Heavy Seas social (RSVP/ticketed event) pairing tapas and beers on the rooftop at Kooper's on August 27th from 6-8pm.

-- The Tuesday Beer Social today at Max's will feature "High & Mighty Brewing" from Mt. Holyoke, Mass. Four beers will be available via bottle, served in a glass. 1)Beer of the Gods 4.5% hoppy blonde in the German style 2)Two Headed Beast 4.5% stout brewed w/organic raw cocoa beans and fermented with Belgian ale yeast 3)St. Hubbins Dubbel 6.5% Belgian style brown fermented with Trappist yeast and 4)Purity of Essence 5.4% India Pale Lager.

And also this week, the much anticipated Third Annual Rare & Obscure event from August 12th-15th. On Thursday (8/12) they will have 7 casks, On Friday (8/13) over 25 rare and obscure drafts on, on Saturday (8/14) another 30 rare & obscure drafts and a special Stillwater cask in the Mobtown Lounge at 3 PM and another 15 rare and obscure drafts Sunday (8/15).

An email of the final taplist will be sent late Wednesday.

Major congratulations are also in order for Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon placing 2nd among American beers at the Great British Beer Festival!

Finally, check out their revamped website! There's what is seemingly an up-to-date taplist and cask list! Wow. There's a feature to check out Max's formerly mysterious cooler and a date set for next year's Belgian Beer Fest (February 18th-20th 2011).

-- Pratt Street Ale House's anticipated Jacob's Summer Celebration Ale will debut at Max's this Thursday August 12th, at 6 PM. I got a sneak peek of this during the Flying Dog/Pratt Street Orioles Crawl a few weeks ago and it was delicious (see, you should have joined us!). Check out brewmaster Stephen Jones' writeup about the growth of his beers in the area -- Oliver Ales is getting around!

-- The chilling system that controls the fermenters at Franklins is on the fritz, so they're running at about 40% of capacity lately.

-- Sublimation is now available at Brewer's Art, with Clamper's Ale on tap after that.

-- Lures in Crownsville's next "Beer Club" event is Tuesday August 18th from 6-8 PM. For $38.50 there is beer and buffet food and the entire bar/lounge area is reserved. The featured brewery this time is Evolution, with appearances from Lot No. 3 IPA, Rise Up Coffee Stout, Lot No. 6 DIPA, Haymaker and Summer Session Ale.

-- Currently on tap at Gilly's in Rockville: Dogfish Sah'Tea, Dogfish Namaste, Climax Helles Lager, Peak Organic IPA.

-- Wayne is on vacation so last week's Mahaffey's email was rather generic other than to say fall beers are on the way, which is already evident at most beer bars around town. Just a reminder, Mahaffey's will be closed from Saturday August 14th to Friday August 20th and re-opens Saturday the 21st at 5 PM. Also, it appears "Waynestock" will be held on supremely busy September 11th.

-- Brewer's Alley is hosting a Local Harvest Beer Dinner on August 31st.

-- The great real ale enthusiasts know as SPBW are set for their monthly gathering at the very underrated Grand Cru at Belvedere Square this Wednesday around 7 PM.

-- The Maryland Microbrewery Festival at Union Mills Homestead in Westminster is fast arriving. It will be on Saturday September 25th from 11am-7pm featuring 12 breweries, food, entertainment and vendors.

-- On August 21st and 22nd, Hagerstown is hosting its 15th annual Augustoberfest celebrating the area's German heritage.

-- Notable beer news items from the latest Mid Atlantic Brewing News compiled by Kevin Smith and Alexander D. Mitchell IV

1)Something called the Burley Oak Craft Brewery has approval to produce a microbrewery in Berlin, Maryland, this fall.

2)Also planned, Mad Hops brewing in Ellicott City (ETA 2011) and the Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm (who has been supplying Heavy Seas and Flying Dog with awesome local hops) in Frederick at some point TBD.

3)Flying Dog is producing a one-off single hop (Simcoe!) Imperial IPA around mid-September

4)Frederick's Brewer's Alley will release its Wedding Alt on September 14th and Oktoberfest on September 28th.

5)New beers at Barley and Hops (Dancing Dan blonde lager) and Rock Bottom (Liquid Sun hefe and Keller Helles plus Rocktoberfest sometime in September).

6)Look for more bocks and Bock of the Bat as well as the extremely popular pumpkin ale at Ellicott Mills Brewing soon.

7)DuClaw is releasing Pax Nemesis (Altbier) late August and Oktoberfest soon thereafter.

8)Heavy Seas' planned expansion should push their production from 20,000 barrels currently to around 28,000/year. This year's homebrew winner is David Edmundson and Doug John of Forest VA. and they'll produce Bastard Child Dubbel in early 2011. Also, look for two versions of The Great Pumpkin (regular and oak barrel aged).

9)Red Brick Station continues its focus on session beers and coming soon is the Cervesa Sandia, the popular watermelon beer.

10)De Kleine Duvel, a planned Belgian beer bar to arrive in Hampden has had some delays but is hoping for an August open.

-- Couple DC events from MABN's "Hop Tips" email of beer events in the Mid Atlantic region ...

Allagash Beer Dinner w/brewer and owner Rob Todd at Granville Moore's (8/17), Beer Nerd Night at Rock & Roll Hotel on H. Street featuring Stillwater's Brian Strumke and ChurchKey's Greg Engert as a kickoff to DC Beer Week (8/20), Heavy Seas Cask Night at ChurchKey including an oak aged Loose Cannon, Hang Ten and vintage aged Below Decks (8/25), Heavy Seas cask night, first ever cask at Thunder Burger (8/26).

-- Looks like DC is also having its own Beer Week, with a website coming soon. In the meantime here's a list of events scheduled at a Facebook page (via Beer In Baltimore)

-- Three other DC items ... 1)The Verizon Center apparently doesn't have a half-bad craft beer selection -- if you know where to find it 2)Justin's Cafe just outside Nationals Park has some quality beers available on tap and in bottle. That's a tough location once baseball ends but we wish them well 3)A review of the beer selection at the new-ish Thunder Burger & Bar in Georgetown. Heavy Seas and Flying Dog make an appearance.

-- Beer Advocate has updated its list of the top 100 beers on planet Earth. Here's a quick numerical look at the goings-on from Brookston Beer Bulletin. Still too many imperial stouts for my taste. Maryland's lone entrant -- at No. 70 -- is Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter.

-- Rumor has it that Santa Barbara based Firestone Walker may be releasing several new offerings to the East coast soon. Click the link for heavier details.

-- Redhook is sponsoring the Washington Huskies. Methinks one of the local breweries should sponsor the Terps!

-- New local libation blog "It's 12 O'Clock Somewhere". Well written, discerning -- perhaps too discerning, heh.

-- From the people I've talked to it sounds like the beer selection at Johnny Rad's is promising.

-- OMG. Racer's Cafe has swapped its peanuts for popcorn.

-- Baltimore Beer Week -- it's coming!

-- Finally, I'll have a more complete roundup of Baltimore Beer Week events at the major Howard County beer bars hopefully this week -- there are some really cool events going on! Stay tuned for that.

Beer Notes

-- Long overdue ...

-- Victoria Gastro Pub is hosting its first-ever "beer brunch" in conjunction with Frederick's Flying Dog Brewery. The event will be on Saturday, August 21st between 10am and 2 pm. The prix fixe menu includes two courses and 5.5 oz tastings of three Flying Dog beers: Woody Creek White "Beermosa", Dog Schwarz Smoked Double Lager and Wild Dog Coffee Stout. The cost is $24/person and although advanced tickets are not required, a reservation is requested where possible.

Full brunch menu, tasting notes and info (.pdf)

-- Maryland Life magazine takes a very positive look at Victoria Gastro Pub both for its cuisine and its beer and bar program.

-- In an article about DC's great beer bar , Birch & Barley/ChurchKey, Baltimore's Pratt Street Ale House beers gets mention as being heavily in the rotation among Birch's five beer engines.

Other PSAH items:

Brewmaster Stephen Jones sent some real ale over to England for a prestigious festival ... and the adventure follows from there.

Oh, and he and his wife recently had a baby! Congrats Steve.

Be sure to contribute to the collection of quality beers in Steve's (community) fridge.

-- Midnight Sun and Beer In Baltimore are reporting that something called "Alewife" will replace Lucy's Irish Pub in downtown. It promises 40 taps and 100 bottles and is part of a string of beer bars created by Daniel Lanigan. Money quote sure to stir some debate:

"There aren’t 2,000 good beers in the world," he said. "There's not even 1,000. We sell 100 bottles of beer because we think that’s the best 100 bottles you can get. That philosophy dictates how we do our menu."

More on Alewife as we get some details ...

-- Meanwhile, Mahaffey's will open something called 'Bistro Rx', a wine-centric restaurant, in Patterson Park.

-- Rams Head is releasing its first-ever Saison Ale on Thursday, August 5th. It will be tapped at 4 PM with limited edition glasses available for $4 plus $1 refills between 4-6 PM.

According to Walter Trifari, Head Brewmaster at Fordham Brewing Company, “Saison Ale is unfiltered, Belgian-style ale that has a brilliant copper hue and cloudy appearance. Lemon peels and Coriander are added to give this brew flavor notes of citrus and spiciness. Additional spiciness comes from the Esters produced naturally during the warm fermentation”.

-- The DuClaw Real Ale Fest details. It will be held Saturday September 11th, which also happens to be an absolutely epic weekend of college football. Plan your schedule wisely.

-- Ace of Cakes star and Baltimore resident Duff Goldman will kick off the opening event at Baltimore Beer Week in the Museum of Industry October 7th.

-- Baltimore Magazine recognized BBG friend Brad Klipner's "Beer In Baltimore" as a top area blog. Well deserved.

-- The Beer Cruiser's website is lookin' nice

-- New local blog: Hops to Harmonics

-- DC Beer interviews Baltimore's Belgian beer expert Chuck Cook.

-- One of my favorites from the otherwise beer wasteland of the Florida gulf coast has arrived in D.C. -- Sweetwater.

-- Definitely needs to be checked out at some point: Meridian Pint, DC's newest beer bar. Check them out if for no other reason the "pour your own" taps built into several tables. This concept has been kicked around for years, usually meeting stiff resistance due to various laws but over time its backers have adapted and Meridian will surely benefit from it.

-- Also new to D.C. -- a brewery called DC Brau.

-- By now I'm sure you've (probably) heard of Brew Dog's latest hype event -- the world's strongest beer called 'The End of History'. The cynics are rolling their eyes but I gotta say I'm enjoying this round, what with stuffed squirrels and something called 'stoats' dressed up as the vessels for your beer. The pictures are amazing.

-- If you're so inclined, check out some of the restaurants owned by the group that produces Evolution Brewing Co.

-- DCist, for reasons unknown but welcome, examines several hop varieties.

-- The next American Homebrewer's Conference will be held in San Diego next year. Go.

-- The Discovery Channel is planning on a beer-themed show starring Dogfish Head's telegenic Sam Calagione along with other brewers and breweries. Cool!

-- Relentless Thirst has some ideas to make C.R.A.B.B. better. Gotta love the new logo! A recent C.R.A.B.B. Carnival shows some potential.

-- The go-to place for making libation better in Maryland.

-- This was fun.

San Fran Fest at Victoria Gastro Pub

This Monday, Victoria Gastro Pub is having a "San Fran Fest" featuring beers from San Francisco and parts nearby. The list as of Sunday evening is as follows:

1)21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA
2)21st Ammendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat
3)21st Ammendment Back in Black IPA
4)21st Ammendment Bitter American
5)He'Brew Messiah Bol
6)He'Brew Rejewvenator 2009
7)He'Brew Rejewvenator 2010
8)He'Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale
9)He'Brew Bitter Lenny's RIPA
10)Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA
11)Lagunitas IPA
12)Lagunitas Pale
13)Lagunitas Lucky 13
14)Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin
15)Schmaltz Human Blockhead
16)Schmaltz Sword Swallower
17)Schmaltz Lager
18)Schmaltz Freaktoberfest

San Francisco -- hill tops, steep drops, organic crops and fresh hops, CHEERS!!!

Flying Dog/Pratt Street "Bad Birds Good Beer" Orioles Pub Stroll!

Its here!

This Saturday I'll be teaming with Oliver Ales Brewing (Pratt Street Ale House) and Flying Dog's Matt Crow for a "Bad Birds/Good Beer" Orioles Pub Stroll.

The Orioles will be playing the Minnesota Twins at 7:05 PM.

The hook is we'll pregame (~5 PM) at Pratt Street AleHouse a few blocks from Camden Yards, enjoying their great beers (with special pricing!) along with brewmaster Stephen Jones.

And then its off to the game to root on our sad, sad baseball team. Good beer will again be available thanks to Flying Dog's IPA being served at several beer carts around Camden.

Afterward, folks are free to break out and take the party to nearby bars (Pickles perhaps, or over at Federal Hill) or head home or whatever suits them. The outing will be lowkey but built around good people and good beer.

I'll purchase group tickets sometime very soon so please email me or reply to this with a head count to RSVP if you'd like to join us for a fun afternoon and evening. Not sure which seating section but I'll try and keep ticket costs down but some of it will be dictated by overall head count and whats available for group seats in the various sections.

As far as ticket cost reimbursement, I'll take cash or PayPal or even a check if you are so inclined, at the time of the event.

Please join us, it will be a good time!

Flying Dog Woody Creek Wit, Meet Time Magazine

Time sat down with a Beer Sommelier in New York to try some summer beers, and local boys Flying Dog made the cut with their Woody Creek Wit. Local mainstays Southampton, Stoudts and Magic Hat are also mentioned.

Pints and Pancakes II at T-Bonz!!

It's here! The much-anticipated return of T-Bonz's wildly popular "Pints & Pancakes" event.

It will be on Sunday, July 18th from 10am until ... There will be a "Christmas in July" theme, complete with a select and tasty menu and a wide array of themed beers.

Plus, music from The Grilled Lincolns (11-3) and Maybe Not Even (4-6). I really enjoyed the first go-round and this one should be just as entertaining and tasty. There is a $5 charge that goes towards free pancakes but there's also an ala carte food menu as well.

The beers:

Troegs Mad Elf (Belgian Dark Ale), Affligem Noel (Belgian Dark Ale), Flying Fish Winter Reserve (Belgian Strong Pale Ale), Anchor Steam Christmas 2009 (Winter Warmer), Clay Pipe Pursuit of Happiness (Winter Warmer -- perhaps the last you'll ever see on tap in Maryland!!!), Heavy Seas Yule Tide (Tripel), Weyerbacher Merry Monks (Tripel), Flying Dog Coffee Stout (Imperial Stout), Oliver's Bishops Breakfast Stout (Oatmeal Stout in T-Bonz's brand-new beer engine!), Flying Dog Woody Creek Wit (Belgian Wit, try the "beermosa w/OJ"), Lancaster Strawberry Wheat (Wheat Beer), Boulder Kinda Blue (Blueberry Wheat Beer), T-Bonz 33rd Street Ale (Golden Ale) and Oskar Blues Gubna (Imperial IPA).

All beers are available in pints or 8oz sizes.

Food:

Christmas Dinner Breakfast $7 -- Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing topped with gravy and served with cranberry sauce

Wake N Bake $7 -- Two 4oz burgers on a glazed donut

Green Eggs and Ham $7 -- Yep ... green scrambled eggs with a ham steak

The Grilled Linx Sandwich $7 -- Grilled sausage links, eggs, and cheese

Shit on a Shingle $7 -- Sausage gravy n biscuits

Eggs Benedict Patty $7 -- Fried eggs, Old Bay sausage, served on an English Muffin topped with Hollandaise sauce

$4 sides -- sausage, bacon, hash browns, eggs

Home made baked pie by Ms. Carole Hood -- Pumpkin, apple and cherry $4

And FREE PANCAKES!

Seriously, you should go, it'll be a great time, with a lively crowd and music at a destination beer bar serving tasty food and some choice beers and beermosas.

Mahaffey's Latest

Normally I'll simply summarize the email but this week as a special treat for those who aren't on the email list (sign up at the bar) I'll reproduce in entirety one of Wayne's emails. They're odd but a nice treat at the inbox every midweek.

- - - - -

Wow. June 30th. Time is flying. Went to a weding over the weekend with college buddies and realized that we are now the age that their parents were when we met. What happened? How long have the IHOP syrup dispensers been plastic? I was looking forward to the sliding metal lids. And how long has boysenberry syrup been gone? Where have I been? It's like I've slept for 20 years.Captain Jean-Luc Picard said, "Make now the most precious time. Because now will never come again." Amen. It is a common mistake for boys of your age and athletic ability to underestimate men who have reached their maturity. Women frequently find older men attractive, strange as it may seem. I myself am over fify. I am a bachelor. And I do not, by any means, consider myself th-r-ough.

Anybody hear of the Cardinal Climax? It's the alignment of several planets with Earth that peaks on 8/1 of this year. This alignment hasn't happened for probably 10,000 years and is expected to cause things to get really wacky just as people are affected by full moons. Stocks could plummet. Stuff is predicted to hit the fan. You heard it here first, folks.

Special bomber tonight: Rogue John John Juniper Ale, which is their regular Juniper pale ale aged in spruce gin barrels. Crazy. A little cucumberish, a big blast of juniper and an oaky finish makes this beer truly unique. About 6%. Can't go any lower than $14. A steal!!!!!!!!!

Good with 50 cent hot buffalo wings.

End of the Trail Party tomorrow. The last keg of Troegs Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale and some other Troegs beers as well.

Fiery Pig Roast and Beer Dinner coming up on 7/10 at 4PM. $40. Make your reservations now!

Big announcement: Mahaffey's will be closed from Saturday, 8/14 through Friday, 8/20. We will be re-opening on Saturday, 8/21 at 5PM.

The winner of last week's movie line trivia was Ben Morris, who correctly identified "48 Hours". I'll take correct anwer #5 this week. For all of you beer club rookies, I sneak in a line from a movie in these E-Mails. So, if you read something really bizarre, it's probably the movie quote. Then again...

Big, big, big news coming soon. Have a safe week. Stay thirsty, my friends.

Wayne

DuClaw Growler Sale This Weekend

DuClaw is doing the patriotic thing and discounting their beer from Friday July 2nd to Sunday July 4th.

They'll take $1 off all growler refills and $3 off all new growler purchases.

Be sure to also check out their brand new interpretations of kobe beef burgers they've conjured up.

Max's Latest: TONS of Events Arriving

Christmas in July
July 13th 6 PM

Featuring both draft and bottled Christmas beers

Draft List (plus others TBA)
Troegs Mad Elf
Anchor Holiday Ale
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
RJ Rockers First Snow
Wintercoat Yule

Max's Mini Italian Fest
July 23rd and 24th 11 AM-close both days

They will have over 20 craft Italian beers on draft and a whole bunch on bottles

Draft List (90% done)
Del Borgo 25 Dodici
Del Borgo Duchessic
Del Borgo Genziana
Del Borgo My Antonia
Del Borgo Re Ale Extra
Del Borgo Rubus Lamboni
Baladin Al Ikir
Baladin Nora
Baladin Super Baladin
Del Ducato Chimera
Del Ducato Nouva Mattina
Del Ducato Verdi
Del Ducato Via Emila
Grado Plato Chocarrubica
Grado Plato Strada San Felice
Italiano Cassissona
Italiano Tipo Pils
Pausa Cafe Chicca
Pausa Cafe Tosta
Piccolo Chiostro
Piccolo Seson
Troll Stella De Natale

Max's World Famous Rare & Obscure Part III
August 12th-14th

"We have pulled out some real gems for this event. We will be doing casks on Thursday the 12th and Bottles the 13th and 14th"

Rare & Obscure Part III Drafts (50% Done)
BFM Douze
BFM La Torpille
Nogne O Imperial Brown
Nogne O Saison
Nogne O Sunturnbrew
Ommegang BPA
Hopfenstark Baltic Porter
Sierra Nevada Charlie, Fred and Ken
The Bruery Coton
Troubadour Magma
Petrus Aged Ale
Stillwater Love & Regret
Stillwater/Voodoo Jungle des Rues
Saison de Cazeau
Oskar Blues Oak Aged Ten Fidy
Mikkeller Yeast Series Lager
Mikkeller Yeast Series Hefe
Mikkeller Yeast Series Brett
Mikkeller Yeast Series Belgian Ale
Mikkeller Yeast Series American Ale
Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast
Mikkeller Monk's Brew
Mikkeller It's Alive
Hof Ten Dormaal Blonde
Emelisse Witbier
Emelisse Lentebock
Emelisse Dubbel
Dieu Du Ciel Pesche Mortal
Dieu Du Ciel Aphrodite
De Molen Engels
De Molen Amarillo
Allagash Black Bourbon Barrel

Back!

Took a bit of an extended break and then went on a beer hunting trip to parts throughout California but BBG has returned. Might as well share some Baltimore beer items, hm?

-- The New York Times samples several pale ales and Frederick, Maryland's Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale comes out on top.

-- Speaking of Flying Dog, they've brewed the last-ever batch of Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout, which you can enjoy one last time at Alonso's starting this Friday.

-- Victoria Gastro Pub is hosting a beer dinner with Southern Tier on Tuesday, July 13th. The menu posted looks amaaaaaaaazing.

-- T-Bonz is proud to announce they have acquired a beer engine and have already put it to good use serving tasty real ales. Can't wait to see the results of their expansion whenever that comes to fruition. In the meantime, don't forget about Pints & Pancakes II! July 18th, it will be a blast.

-- At Ram's Head, they're having a release party for their new "Wisteria Wheat" on Thursday July 1st from 4-6 PM. It will arrive in commemorative glassware ($4) with refills just $1.

On Saturday July 10th there will be an "Kegs n Eggs" celebration marking the 11th anniversary of the Ram's Head Savage location. The event will be from 7am-1pm with the following:

$0.50 Fordhams (7-8 am), $7 anniversary breakfast menu (7-11 am), $1 Fordhams (8-9 am) and $3 Fordhams (9am-1pm)

-- Meanwhile Troegs has announced they are opening a second craft brewery in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Construction will begin immediately, with an estimated completion around fall of 2011. The new facility will include a new brewhouse, fermenters and kegging line.

You can expect a 5,000 square foot tasting room at the Hershey location, plus an outdoor seating area all within the actual brewhouse for a more up-close feel to how Troegs beer gets made.

-- Aaaand this bit of copy-and-past from the Mid Atlantic Brewing News Hop Tips newsletter:

Tuesday, June 29th: Beer Bites at Growler’s in Gaithersburg – 301-519-9400 or www.growlersofgaithersburg.com.

Wednesday, June 30th: Heavy Seas Beer Dinner at Mick’s in Frederick – Hosted by Heavy Seas founder, Hugh Sisson. Details at 301-662-0373 or www.frederick.com/index.php?action=sponsor&id=4458.

Wednesday, June 30th: Craft Beer and Artisan Cheese Pairing at Gilly’s – Belgian and US cheeses paired with Chimay, Allagash, Tröegs, Moylans, and Southern Tier. $20. 7pm. Reservations at 301-770-5515. www.gillyscbfw.com.

Saturday, July 10th: 1st Annual Summer Deck Party at Lure’s Bar and Grille in Crownsville – Outdoor grilling with BBQ chicken, sausages, ribs, kabobs, corn bread, coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, mac n chz, collared greens, and more. $5 all 14 drafts, $5 tangerine or grapefruit crushes, $3 all domestic bottles, $4 cans of Caldera Pale Ale, live music, prizes, and giveaways. 11am-? 410-923-1606 or www.luresbarandgrille.com.

Friday, July 16th: Unibroue Beer Tasting at Fenwick Beer and Wine, Silver Spring – 4-8pm. 301-650-5770 or www.fenwickbeerandwine.com.

Tuesday, July 20th: Beer Club at Lure’s Bar and Grille, Crownsville – Featuring Mikkeller Brewing. $38.50 includes beer, buffet, tax, and tip. 6-8pm. 410-923-1606 or www.luresbarandgrille.com.

Friday, July 23rd: Goose Island Beer Tasting at Fenwick Beer and Wine, Silver Spring – 4-7pm. 301-650-5770 or www.fenwickbeerandwine.com.

T-Bonz Pints and Pancakes II

The first round of Pints and Pancakes at T-Bonz was so successful, they're hosting another one soon.

It will be called the Christmas In July Edition on Sunday July 18th. Its a free pancake breakfast starting at 10am featuring Christmas and breakfast style beers including:

Troegs Mad Elf, Anchor Steam Christmas, Affligem Noel, Weyerbacher Merry Monks, Clay Pipe Pursuit of Happiness (perhaps the last time we'll ever see this on draft?), Flying Fish Winter Reserve, Flying Dog Coffee Stout, Lancaster Strawberry Wheat and Smuttynose Short Batch (raspberry sour).

The Grilled Lincolns will also be on hand to add some tunes to the atmosphere.

American Craft Beer Week Events in Maryland

So, in summary:

Howard County Pub Crawl on Saturday 5/22 hosted by T-Bonz and hitting up four great Howard County bar stops. Let someone else do the driving.

Big, blowout multi-tap masterpieces at Max's and Victoria Gastro Pub.

Flying Dog and Troegs making their way around town.

And a brand new collaborative beer debut between local brewers Pratt Street Ale House and Stillwater.

Feel free to shoot me an email/link with summary of your unique event if you have anything planned for American Craft Beer Week and I'll add it to the list here.

Channel Crossing Release Party

Pratt Street Ale House's Stephen Jones and Stillwater's Brian Strumke have collaborated to produce something called The Channel Crossing, which will debut at a release party at PSAH on Thursday evening.

Festivities go off at 6 PM and for $5 you will get a commemorative glass plus $3 refills thereafter.

The beer will be on draft and cask in a firkin with French Oak. The three pins will be separately dry hopped with Czech Saaz, Kent Goldings and Bramling Cross hops!

Max's American Craft Beer Week Events

Brad's got it all covered at BeerInBaltimore.com but the gist ...

Monday: Troegs/Ommegang

Tuesday: Heavy Seas/Brewers Art

Wednesday: Harpoon/Victory

Thursday: Flying Dog

Friday: The Bruery/Lagunitas/Oskar Blues/Boulder/Great Divide/Weyerbacher

Saturday: Stillwater/Pratt Street Ale House/Evolution

Sunday: Smuttynose/Allagash

Victoria Gastro Pub American Craft Beer Week Events

Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia is having a huge selection of beers for American Craft Beer Week, broken up nicely into fun themes. You can find the full taplist (.pdf) available at their website with some very interesting offerings.

Here are the themed days:

Monday: "The Dog Fight On Draft" featuring Dogfish Head and Flying Dog taking up all 24 taps plus two firkins

Tuesday: "To Live and Die in P.A." featuring Troegs, Victory, Lancaster, Stoudts and Weyerbacher

Wednesday: "California Dreamin" featuring Sierra Nevada, Stone, Lagunitas, Anchor, 21st Ammendment, Anderson Valley, The Bruery and North Coast

Thursday: "Sleep is Useless, Welcome to New York!" featuring Ommegang, Southern Tier, Brooklyn, Saranac and Southampton

Friday: "Root for the Home Team!" with Pratt Street Ale House/Olivers, Heavy Seas, Brewers Alley, Flying Dog, Evolution and Stillwater's Stateside Saison on cask

Saturday: "Ahhhh fuh Pete's Sake This Bah Has Some Wicked Good Beaaa!" with Harpoon, Smuttynose, Allagash, Otter Creek and Wolaver's

Sunday: "Welcome to the Mile High Club" with Oskar Blues, Great Divide, Avery and Boulder.

Flying Dog American Craft Beer Week Events

Monday May 17th -- Victoria Gastro Pub with nine Flying Dog styles on draft and Raging Bitch and Snake Dog on cask, 6-9 PM

Tuesday May 18th -- Camden Yards suite (retailers) with Meet The Brewer Night

Wednesday May 19th -- Pint Night at Frisco Grille, five styles on draft including the rare Old Ale and barrel aged Gonzo Imperial Porter 7-10 PM

Thursday May 20th -- Max's Taphouse with Horn Dog Barleywine on nitro plus four other styles on tap 5-8 PM

Friday May 21st -- Sean Bolan's (Bel Air) three styles on tap including Coffee Stout 5-7 PM and Metropolitan Coffeehouse with Old Ale and Woody Creek Wit on tap

Also, be sure to check out their other events in Virginia and Washington D.C.

Troegs' American Craft Beer Week Events

Monday May 17th 5-8 PM at Max's Taphouse with a firkin of Javahead Stout, Scratch 27 Chocolate Stout, Scratch 29 Belgian IPA and limited Flying Mouflan on draft

Tuesday May 18th 5-8 PM Victoria Gastro Pub To Live and Die in P.A. Night

Pennsylvania Brewery Night with Troegs: Firkin of Hopback Amber plus Scratch 29 Belgian IPA and limited edition Flying Mouflan on draft

Wednesday May 19th 6-9 PM Troegs Pint Night at Firestone's Restaurant in Frederick, Maryland. Will include a firkin of Javahead Stout, Troegenator on draft, all year-round bottles and 22oz bombers of Flying Mouflan

Thursday May 20th 7-10 PM pint night at Racer's Cafe with all Troegs year-round beers on draft, Flying Mouflan on draft and the last pin of Nugget Nectar available in Maryland!

Flying Dog GonzoFest 2010

It's coming! Flying Dog's homage to good beer, good people, and Hunter S. Thompson will arrive on June 19th this year at the brewery grounds.

There will be a morning session and an afternoon session with beer, music, food, vendors and a Hunter S. Thompson lookalike contest. Purchase tickets and get more info at the GonzoFest website.