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Weyerbacher Foxtrot ... Good to be back in Maryland.

Weyerbacher Night at Frisco Grille Review

As previously mentioned on here, Frisco Grille hosted Weyerbacher beers for its weekly Wednesday pint night. The free pints were gone by the time I arrived around 7:30, but no matter (although they were nice-looking tulip glasses).

Frisco had seven Weyerbacher beers on: the famed Double Simcoe IPA, the Blasphemy (a Belgian style quad), Hops Infusion (an IPA), the Imperial Pumpkin Ale, the Slam Dunkel, the Heresy (a Russian Imperal Stout) and the Merry Monk's Ale (a tripel).

I had a taster of the pumpkin ale which was decent refreshing but not something I'd have a full drink of as I just don't enjoy that type of beer in large amounts. I also had a half pour of the Hops Infusion which was quite good and kicked before the night was over.

My nemesis, the Double Simcoe IPA, was also tried. I enjoyed it much more this time, but its still not a beer I really like or enjoy as famed as it is with the hop heads.

My favorites were definitely the Merry Monks tripel which was refreshing and aromatic and highly enjoyable, and the Slam Dunkel which was on the lighter side for a dunkel and also quite refreshing and a bit sweet.

One real treat was that the brewery rep was there to talk to and also provided several bottles of a yet-unnamed "smoked lager". The Frisco people poured the occasional taster of that for customers and I really enjoyed my sample so be on the lookout for that from Weyerbacher at some point.

Weyerbacher Pint Night at Frisco Grille

The great Frisco Grille in Columbia will host Weyerbacher beers for its weekly Wednesday night pint night this week (October 8). At every pint night, the first featured beer purchased after 7 p.m. earns you a free pint glass from that featured brewery.

Seeing as how I did not enjoy Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA, this will be a redemption moment for them if I can make it. Anyway, they're advertising that brewery rep Bob Fauteux will be there, as well as seven Weyerbacher kegs:

Double Simcoe IPA
Blasphemy (Quad)
Hops Infusion (American IPA)
Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Slam Dunkel
Heresy (Russian Imperial Stout)
Merry Monk's Ale (Tripel)

Looks good, especially if you're a Weyerbacher fan. I rarely see their beer on tap in Maryland, but their bottles are usually available almost everywhere.

Frisco Grille Website
Howard County Beer Map (created by Baltimore Beer Guy)

Also: The Perfect Pour will be doing a Weyerbacher beer tasting on Thursday October 9 from 5-8 p.m. at their store.

Brew Review: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Hmmmm ... not good.

This beer sounded quite interesting and had splendid reviews on Beer Advocate (4.23 average score!), but I really struggled with it.

It was billed as a double IPA, "without the harshness". Weyerbacher used synthetic Simcoe Hops, developed in 2000 by Select Botanicals LLC, allowing for maximum aromatic oils and minimum harshness. For whatever reason, and this is likely a purely personal thing, this went down poorly. Obviously this is nothing against the brewer particularly of such a well regarded beer, but it didn't work for me. Maybe my tastes were off, maybe it was a skunked bottle, who knows.

It's rare when I struggle with a beer as much as I did this one so I'm a little depressed at the experience. I don't know how to describe it other than that I was almost queasy in the stomach as I finished the last half of my pint. I absolutely love harsh IPA's and their power. This thing actually came across as equally powerful but with something else strange going on.

As far as the basics, it came from a 12 oz bottle poured into a standard pint glass. There was a fun root beer float type head, and the pour was your standard dark amber IPA color. Its aroma was almost candylike, quite sweet and light. The hop taste was much more pine than citrus, but there was an odd back of the mouth taste.

I asked my friend Summer of Beer Steve about this and he also didn't like it, although as we looked at his review over instant messenger he laughed that it sounded tasty right now given what he'd said about it.

It's anecdotal at this point, but Alexander D. Mitchell IV of "Beer in Baltimore" also disliked this double IPA, saying "Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe a few years back left me almost wincing in semi-pain as just too "over-the-top" in more ways than one". Yikes. Our voices are in the minority, but that's taste for ya, everyone's is a little bit different.

We're open minded here so this Pennsylvania brewery and the particular beer won't be written off, but this wasn't the best of starts.

Stocking Up: The Perfect Pour

Jackpot!

That's how I feel after entering Columbia's The Perfect Pour last weekend. Their beer selection is fantastic, a better version of what I've enjoyed at west coast beer/liquor chain Beverages & More (BevMo) which tends to have an impressive beer collection.

TPP's entire back wall is at least eight feet high loaded with beers from literally every style imaginable. Trying to name the collection would take forever, but trust me all but the most fussy beer nuts would enjoy their selection. From the outside it doesn't look like much, as the tiny doorway wedged into its strip center hides a decent-sized interior. They also carry a modest wine selection, some liquors, and have a respectable fridge keeping various beverages cold.

The place still smells brand new, like that construction dust smell that you either love or hate. Everything is clean and orderly and I found at least one member of the staff to be quite helpful. This store is actually a second Perfect Pour, as they own another shop somewhere else in Maryland that escapes me right now.

Their website offers nothing right now, but I did sign up for their email list. They advertise various beer and wine tastings, usually on Fridays and Saturdays according to the white board near the door as I left with my clutch of beers. On the day I went, they were pouring a Victory Prima Pils and some other Victory offering I've since forgotten. I tried the Pils and found it above average, but it's not a style I enjoy much. Still, that's a nice gesture to get a taste of a good label beer without having to make a purchase and discover it's not very good.

Speaking of tasting, the best feature of The Perfect Pour and something I took advantage of is that they allow you to buy individual bottles from within their six-pack collections. I've heard of this at Trader Joe's (but not in Maryland stores per ridiculous state law --- yet another item to be addressed later), but never seen it in action. Naturally, I grabbed a generic white six-pack holder they offer customers and selected six beers to take home. Oh, and two bombers of other brews to be listed in a moment.

Again, this is a welcome (and in my mind, wise) gesture from the Perfect Pour. Most of their beer selections are available in various four and six packs on the back wall. An employee tipped me off to this individual bottle purchase option, saying it's a way to try other beers without getting stuck with an entire sick pack. Please take advantage of that policy if you find yourself at The Perfect Pour. I wish more beer/liquor stores would be so considerate.

Feel free to argue with me about this, but for now The Perfect Pour's Columbia location gets a high grade from me. They give beer fans options, decent tastings on certain days, a clean store, helpful staff, and a vast selection of good beers. It's basically all you can ask for in the states other than making a stop at those mythical bars and beer stores with selections you wouldn't think possible.

Ok, so my beer haul from that night (remember last week, "what's in your fridge?"):

12 Oz Bottles

Lancaster Hop Hop IPA (PA)
Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA (PA)
Urthel Hop It Blonde Ale (Belgium)
Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (NY)
Troegs Troegenator Doublebock (PA)
Smuttynose Robust Porter (NH)

22 Oz Bombers

Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial IPA (NY)
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation Ale (CO)

All of the following will be new tastes, outside of the Collaboration, which I've had multiple times on tap at Stone's World Bistro & Gardens in beautiful San Diego, California.

Map It (For some reason Marie Curie Dr. isn't on the various map services. It's across from the Costco/in that center if you take the 95 South and exit onto the 175 East, first right and then another right)

(Image: Clara Natoli/MorgueFile.com)