Baltimore Maryland

Hello again beer tourists a bit of a change to normal, I recently had an email from a fellow CAMRA member and intrepid beer traveller Darren Clayson, congratulating me on how useful he finds my web site when travelling, (nice one chief) He also forwarded me an excellent write up on his recent visit to Baltimore. He has kindly agreed to let me publish it on my web site (cool) so firstly I will set the scene with a bit of history and then Darrens article in full, followed by the rough guide to the Breweries and Brew Pubs of the city of Baltimore:

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding Baltimore County. Founded in 1729, Baltimore is the largest U.S. seaport in the Mid-Atlantic and is situated closer to major Midwestern markets than any other major seaport on the East Coast. Baltimore's Inner Harbour was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States and a major manufacturing centre. After a decline in manufacturing, like most other major American coastal cities, Baltimore shifted to a service-oriented economy. The city is home to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Centre, Harborplace and the Baltimore Orioles.

At 620,961 in 2010, Baltimore city's population has been decreasing considerably since the 1970s. The Baltimore Metropolitan Area has approximately 2.7 million residents; the 21st largest in the country. Baltimore is also the largest city in the surrounding associated combined statistical area of approximately 8.4 million residents.

The city is named after Lord Baltimore, a member of the Irish House of Lords and the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony. Baltimore himself took his title from a place in Bornacoola parish, County Leitrim and County Longford, Ireland. Baltimore is an anglicized form of the Irish Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning "Town of the Big House", not to be confused with Baltimore, County Cork, the Irish name of which is Dún na Séad.

Brewing in Baltimore: Article by Darren Clayson

There are a number of interesting beer destinations in the world, with Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany and of course the UK being the obvious candidates. However, in my opinion the US offers visitors one of the most exciting and dynamic beer experiences at the moment. The US has gone from a mere 80 breweries in 1983 to a whopping 1759 by 2010, made up of over a 1000 brewpubs, and over 600 microbreweries. Wherever you go in the States you can try something new and exciting that will push your taste buds to the limits and challenge your perception of “keg” beer!

My most recent trip took me to Baltimore in Maryland. I flew direct with BA and paid the equivalent of a pound for the train from the airport to my hotel in the city centre. Baltimore is easily navigated on foot and has a number of interesting sites including a superb harbour - a must for maritime enthusiasts, sporting venues and historical sites such as Fort McHenry where the Americans defeated the British in 1812 (I won’t dwell on this point!). Apart from these sites and the conference I was attending, I couldn’t wait to explore the wonderful pubs Baltimore had to offer.

I arrived late on Saturday and was tired and jet lagged but summed up enough energy to wonder two blocks to the Pratt Street Ale House, 206 W. Pratt Street, for a bite to eat and a couple of beers. This venue is very typical of the type of brew houses that are all over the States, they generally sell a breweries full range of beers and you can opt for pints (US pints are slightly smaller than UK pints, 473 ml compared to 568 ml) or tasting measures which are just over a quarter of a UK pint. The beer menu included keg, cream flow and real ale from Oliver Brewery which is brewed by Steven Jones a Brit who learnt his trade in the 90s working in Firkin pubs in Coventry and Loughborough. I opted for the keg Ironman Pale Ale (6.0%) and Irish Red (6.2%) which were both refreshing and scarily quaffable given the strength, before retiring to bed .

I had a free day on the Sunday before the conference, so after wandering around the city and enjoying a baseball game I headed out into Fell’s Point for the evening. Fell’s Point is a bohemian district which is purported to have one of the greatest concentration of bars in the US. Many are very old and serviced the shipping industry when it was based here. One such bar is Max’s Taphouse, 737 South Broadway. If anyone wants an introduction into US brewing I recommend you visit Max’s, with around 100 keg beers on tap, 6 real ales and over 700 bottle beers this really is a beer lover’s paradise. I won’t bore you by listing the beers I had but instead provide you with a snapshot of the incredible diversity of beers you could choose from. In terms of real ales, this ranged from a session bitter at 3.8% to the incredible Great Divide Grand Cru at a whopping 11.5%. To coin a common US word the keg list was “awesome” and I would challenge most beer fans to find not only a beer they have never had but a beer style. Before I go any further, I want you to forget everything you think you know about keg beer, yes it is the enemy of real ale in the UK but in the US it is the polar opposite to the ubiquitous tasteless keg rubbish we get here. The beers are invariably strong, I would guess 6% to 7% would be average, but there plenty of beers over 9%, but more to the point they are incredibly tasty and this in my opinion is what beer is all about – so forgot your preconceptions and dive in! Here are ten unusual beer styles you could opt for off the keg list at Max’s: Black Rye Saison, Double IPA, Chocolate Cherry Bock, Black Barley Wine, Saison IPA, Black IPA, California Common, Steam Beer,

Hibiscus and Kombucha Tea, Triple with Thai Basil! The bottled beer list was no less impressive and included Belgium vintage beers I would struggle to find in Belgium and even the extremely rare Sink The Bismark – BrewDog’s world record beating 41% quadruple IPA, although I gave this one a miss at $200 a bottle! Simply put, a night in Max’s is a night to remember.

The next night after a long day at the conference I visited AleWife, 21 N. Eutaw Stree, on the recommendation of some colleagues. AleWife is another fantastic US free house, more refined than Max’s but no less appealing to the beer lover. With waiter service and a pub quiz to attack, a couple of colleagues and myself settled down for the night and worked our way through some more fantastic beers. The Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout (5.7%) and the unusual but delicious Brekenridge Agave (think Tequila) Wheat (4.2%) being firm favourites. Unfortunately we were undone in the quiz by the US centric questions including a question about the price of a Maryland hunting licence! But never mind we soon drowned our sorrows!

Three things come to mind that distinguish the US from other beer destinations. The first is the consumer, US beer drinkers are very knowledgeable and appreciative and treat beer like wine. The second is the bar staff, who are passionate and can tell you everything about the beers they sell from the hops used to the food the beer goes best with. Thirdly, American breweries are not constrained by the beer style of their country or regulations as they are say in the UK or Germany, therefore they push the boundaries of what defines beer and in doing so have created genuine new styles of beer such as double/imperial IPA’s which are a world away both in style and quality to some of the duller real ales produced by some of our own UK breweries. I recommend the US to anyone interested in beer and Baltimore and it’s famous Maryland crab cakes would be a great introduction to the uninitiated.

Cheers Darren.

So that’s Darren’s take on Baltimore and the US beer scene, (thanks again).

Now I will take you through the Breweries and Brew Pubs in the city;

The Brewer's Art - 1106 N. Charles Street.

Brewer’s Art is in the north side of downtown Baltimore on N. Charles street. Metered parking is pretty prevalent in all directions and there are garages here and there. The brewpub is situated in a pretty row of houses that have to be a century old. The place is kind of divided into four sections, one section is a fine dining section, another is a nice bar that looks over the street, another is a smaller room between the bar and the fine dining with an old fireplace, the last is down stairs that screams dive bar. Do not go here expecting to order something you typically can order from a pub or bar. It’s all pretty exotic. There is a board listing what beers are on tap. As for the beers available, the brewpub features 6 draught offerings, and has a sampler. If you’re in Baltimore, this place is an absolute must.

DuClaw Brewing Company - 16A Belair South Parkway, Bel Air.

A fancy property located in an otherwise pedestrian strip mall surrounded by chains. Large, high-ceiling dining room on the left as you enter, very bright, clean and spacious. A long winding bar, oddly shaped with an upstairs area. Ten beers on tap, nice variety. A couple video games and a pool table are off to the side of the bar. The bar was proportionally spacious with a ton of well positioned HD TV's. If the game's on, you have a great view in the bar.

This is a decent place to have locally (Every town should have one). Growler fills are pretty cheap, the food is very tasty and pretty reasonably priced if you're just getting a sandwich or something. Entrees can be a bit pricy. The tap selection is exclusively Duclaw brews and prices average around $4-5 apint. Also a sampler tray is about $10 for 4 oz. of 8 different beers Happy hour specials are great and occasionally they'll have $1 draft days where everything they offer is a dollar, not just select low ABV brews. Serum Double IPA and Blackjack Stout Imperial Stout are two very good choices beer wise

Note; they also have a location at the airport, DuClaw, 501 McCormick Dr, Suite J ; the place is located inside the Southwest Terminal at BWi in the pre-security portion of the B terminal where Southwest resides, but you can walk the entire terminal from there. So you can grab a decent beer and a meal before you fly out.

Clipper City Brewing Co. / Heavy Seas Beer 4615 Hollins Ferry Road Suite B.

One of my favourite breweries their dark beers are awesome. A good brewery tour, given by the owner himself. A witty, funny guy, who obviously loves beer. $5 gets you a Heavy Seas souvenir pint glass and 5 x 6-oz samples, just walk up to the bar and give them a token to get your next one. Bartenders were nice and quick. They also had 22 oz singles and 6 packs for sale. If you happen to be in the Baltimore area this is a must do tour and well worth the money.

Red Brick Station - 8149 Honeygo Blvd.

A very non-descript place inside a suburban sprawl shopping area. The area outside the place has plenty of sidewalks and parking, but otherwise from the outside of the place you'd never guess that this was a brewpub? The place is a big open seating area nothing special on the atmosphere of the place. The brew kettles and brewing operation are visible from the entrance, but other than this, there isn't much that distinguishes this place from any other general restaurant and bar. Beer quality is above average. There are the 5 normal beers on tap and two other specials. Worth a visit if you are in the area or a confirmed beer geek!

(like what I am).