Frederick, MD

Greetings all, Kelly here to give my impressions of our most recent trip.  The purpose was our two year wedding anniversary (thanks) and the focus was not on beer for a change, but of course being us, we did manage to hit up two brewpubs on our way to and from Frostburg, MD, as well as a stellar beer store.  And of course this was all a surprise for me by my loving wife.  Allow me to elaborate.

Our first stop was to the brewpub Brewer's Alley in historic downtown Frederick.  Since we had Benny - our one year old scamp of a Westie - with us, we waited a good half hour for a seat on the patio.  It was worth the wait though, as the day was beautiful and our dog was too tired to misbehave to an unacceptable level.  Unfortunately the brewery did not have any seasonals or casks on tap at the moment, so Katie and I each got a sampler of their six year-round beers:  kolsch, hefeweizen, 1634 ale, nut brown ale, IPA, and oatmeal stout.  Overall the beers were solidly made…nothing extreme, but appropriate for the style.  We both agreed the 1634 was the best beer and it was fairly complex with a robust molasses taste.  The food was excellent.  I ordered an outstanding jalapeño cheese-stuffed pretzel and the Cajun stir-fry which was original and flavorful.  Katie got the pulled pork barbeque sandwich and I heard no complaints (at least no more than usual).

Our next stop was a fine beer store called Ye Old Sprit Shoppe.  As the name implies, they also sell liquor and wine.  This was a great store all around, in terms of both selection and atmosphere.  It had quite the farmhouse feel to it, with giant tools that looked 100 years old hanging on the walls.  As for the beer, they were well stocked with many hard to find breweries that distribute to Maryland but not Virginia.  Another great thing about this place was being able to make your own six-packs, which I think is wonderful and the best way to try new beers faster.  Our haul included:

·         The Bruery Saison De Lente

·         DuClaw Misery

·         Flying Fish Exit 4 (six-pack) and Exit 9 and Exit 13 (bombers)

·         Great Divide Hoss and Belgica (single bottles)

·         Peak Organic Hop Noir

·         Pub Dog Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

·         Stillwater 25 to One

·         Troegs The Flying Mouflan

·         Weyerbacher Insanity and Heresy (single bottles)

Finally, on our return from Frostburg, we ate a late lunch at Frederick’s other brewpub, Barley and Hops.  Its generic name and outside appearance, as well as location in the midst of a large shopping plaza, implied a brewpub catering less to craft beer geeks (not that that's awful).  I would agree for the most part, but was pleasantly surprised by the one beer I had.  I ordered the Hoptopsy ESB and it was more hoppy with a higher ABV (over 6%) than a typical ESB.  Katie had the oatmeal stout, which was decent.  I sampled the Double Deuce Double IPA at the Real Ale Festival hosted by DuClaw last September, and remember it being very tasty. 

Regrettably, there were no casks or seasonals available.  This was my main gripe about both places because I feel that a brewpub should always have a cask and seasonal option on tap at all times.  If not both, at least one.

So all in all, it was a good experience to visit both brewpubs in Frederick, but I'm not sure Katie or I would go out of our way to return to them again.  The beer store was a great find, but of course a bit too far for us to make beer runs regularly.  I'm sure the beers we bought will last us through the week at least.  Until next time...

Raleigh, NC

Lil late, but I'd be remiss if I failed to mention last weekend’s World Beer Festival in Raleigh, NC. We actually kicked things off Friday night at Busy Bee Café where I ordered Fullsteam’s Sour Mashed Sweet Potato on draft. Glad I tried it, but not spectacular enough to get again. Kelly drank the Piper Down Scottish Ale (Bourbon Barrel Aged) from Ballast Point – was expecting a Wee Heavy but it’s a lighter Scottish Ale with lower ABV. His second beer on tap was the delightfully hoppy Terrapin Rye Squared.

Saturday heralded cold, clouds and crowds. After laying a solid foundation at The Flying Biscuit Café (WOW they’re not kidding about those creamy, dreamy grits), we lost critical time waiting to enter Moore Square. Not realizing the park offered access at two other corners plus a VIP gate, we joined the lemmings at S. Blount and E. Martin in a line that stretched around City Market. Eventually, with IDs checked and tickets scanned, attendees were armed with an event guide and tasting glass.

Two “beer gardens” (long rows of packed, increasingly loud and smelly tents) hosted 110 breweries – of which we sampled 30 – with an array of taps and bottles. The highlight, for us at least, was the quantity of unfamiliar Carolina breweries. That was the biggest draw and did not disappoint! Our favorite was Thomas Creek Brewery with their eight taps from Upstate South Carolina. I liked Raleigh’s own Big Boss, too.

Epic Acorn

With our delayed start, the noon-4pm timeframe felt tight so unfortunately we were unable to peruse the beer talks, food vendors or entertainment. And despite the guide’s “beer education” about responsible consumption, the inevitable rowdy binge drinkers showed up for unlimited samples. I’ll admit we succumbed to the closing bell scramble ourselves! With the exception of some shoving and one witnessed catfight however, the revelers behaved and cleared out for the 6-10pm session.

We capped off the experience by cabbing to The Cupcake Shoppe Bakery for an afternoon treat and then hit up The Raleigh Times Bar. I was content with chicken fried pickles and a salami brie burger (beer munchies, anyone?) but Kelly forged ahead with a flight of Bell’s Expedition Stout (years ’08, ’09 and ’10) and the Stillwater/Mikkeller collaboration, Two Gypsies Our Side. Then we drank a LOT of water.

My sister recently moved to Raleigh so we’re already compiling an itinerary for the next visit…definitely meeting some “Beer Knurds” at the legendary Flying Saucer and chowing down on Carolina BBQ at The Pitt. Any other suggestions for the agenda? Still in its infancy, Raleigh’s craft beer scene is certainly expanding and headed in the right direction. It exceeded our expectations and we look forward to future trips!

WELCOME

Greetings, fellow craft beer enthusiasts!

We ARE: a married couple living - and drinking - in the Washington Metro Area.

We HAVE: conducted years of very fun (and often very expensive) research, refining our skills and developing a true passion for microbrews.

We are NOT: newbies nor pretentious beer snobs...just in it for the sheer pleasure of sampling and sharing.

Join our exploration of DC's burgeoning beer scene

and our adventures on the road in search of...

the finer pints of life.

Cheers,

K&K