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At Camden Yards, Flying Dog pale ale, good stuff! Go O's. Update: Correction, it was Old Scratch Amber Ale. The stand sign said Pale Ale but the tap handle was Old Scratch.

Camden Yards

Got any beer recommendations?

I know about Pickles and the refurbished Pratt Street Ale House. Anything inside the stadium worth checking out?

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).

Orioles' Opening Day

I'm a college football man at heart, but it's impossible to ignore baseball's opening day no matter what sport you follow or what city you live in (Cubs/Padre fan personally). Fortunately, this city loves its Orioles -- we are called "Birdland" after all. Right now the Orioles lead the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 in what is an openly admitted rebuilding year. Update: The Orioles lost 6-2. It's going to be a long year.

Regardless I'm excited to make a few trips down to Camden Yards this year. My question dear reader is this: what is the beer situation down there? As it is a ballpark, I hold no illusions about the beer prices, but what brands are offered/in what areas of the ballpark?

I read in the paper the other day that an Irish pub in one area of the ballpark was replaced with either a Bud Lite or Miller Lite station, which is disappointing.

Here's some thoughts in the comments section I found at the Baltimore Sun's Beer Blog, Kasper on Tap:

Pickles Pub [Outside the stadium, I've seen this place before but have yet to set foot inside - Ed.] has the Sam Seasonal on Draft for like 3 bucks on game days. Once inside the park I go to the microbrew stand on Eutaw Street.

And

We start and/or end at the Wharf Rat. Once in the stadium, their is a microbrew stand between home and third on the first level that has DuClaw Porter and a few regional IPAs. Many of the "restaurants" have Clipper City on tap. If we are in the bleachers, there is a bottle vendor run by some Marines that usually has a micro or two for a warm summer day.

And

I don't know what you all are complaining about. I go to Boog's and visit my buddy and get free beer. That's way better than what you all are getting. Free beer is the way to go. [Again, another place I've heard of but haven't hit up yet, Boog's BBQ inside the stadium which is supposed to be very good - Ed.]

And

Oriole Park does have a good variety of brews to choose from. There are a number of Maryland microbrew carts that sell the likes of Wild Goose, Backfin & Clipper City. I have also seen Guiness and Harp on tap in some of the eateries.

They also have some other bottle & can carts with a variety of brews - including Natty Boh. Nice to see Mr. Boh at an Orioles game - it gives the outing a nice touch of history.

Overall, from what I've seen in the many ballparks I have visited, Oriole Park has one of the top beer selections.

Any further comments that need to be added? Sounds like the Wharf Rat is the place to be pre/postgame.

Non-Beer Orioles Notes

Today's starting pitcher is Mark Guthrie, who was a hell of a player in college. At Stanford, he fought USC ace Mark Prior to a draw in two 2001 battles. Prior was incredibly dominant that season, having one of the best seasons in collegiate baseball history, yet Guthrie very nearly bested him twice with great outings of his own.

Today's weather is dreary and cloudy, with some light rain/drizzle. Definitely not baseball weather.
Other Orioles Blogs

Camden Chat (links to other Orioles Blogs inside)
Baseball Savant (sort of adopted the Orioles last year)