Baltimore | Independent Beers

Brew at the Zoo in Baltimore MD

May 30, 2012 Author: Scott
3 Comments

Kelli and I headed out to the Brew at the Zoo over Memorial Day weekend in Baltimore. The entire event was a lot of fun and I would recommend to anyone who loves craft beer and is in the Baltimore area. I didn’t get to try all the beers, but I had my fair share. I’ll be trying to make this event next year, too, as it is too much fun to pass up.

The entrance to the zoo.

While waiting in line there were several zoo animals brought out for everyone to see, including this snake.

I love how the animals and beer glasses have been incorporated together into the logo.

Another animal from the zoo greeting us before we enter.

After we entered Kelli headed right for some beer.

My first of the day, the Amber 25 by Stoudts Brewing Company.

Here is the full list of all beers available for the event.

The samples were small, so my next one (Underdog Atlantic Lager by Flying Dog) came quickly.

The lines were getting a little longer, so I decided to get right in line for my next beer, the Snake Dog IPA by Flying Dog.

The event was small, which made it easy to get to any of the beer like this Ozzy by Brewer’s Art.

Kelli loved this shirt.

Here is the front of the same shirt.

This was a family friendly event.

Saison by Yards.

The aptly named beer, The Raven by The Raven.

Another fun beer shirt.

Here is the key for the front of the shirt.

Heading over to New Belgium (who seems to be everywhere these days) to try their Ranger IPA.

For lunch I had a Crabby Melt from the Grilled Cheese Company. It was really good and I would recommend their grilled cheese sandwiches.

Right next to the food was DuClaw, so it was time for the HellRaze IPA.

While the festival went until 7pm, the Zoo was only open until 4pm, so Kelli and I hopped a tram and headed to see the animals.

She wanted to see the polar beers so , that was our first stop.

Then we headed over to the African section.

We knew we were short on time so we really moved quickly.

Reading about previous picture.

Looks like this Rhino found the only mud spot.

For some of these I only stopped long enough to get a picture.

But for some I stopped a little longer to enjoy their beauty.

It was clear by that the animals knew it was the end of the day.

Although some were content to people watch.

With the warthogs I was thinking, “Hakuna matata!!!”

Another of Kelli’s favorties, the penguins.

Camel rides anyone?

Kelli and I posed for a picture with the elephants.

A great action shot of the baby elephant and its mother.

Kelli is convinced the zoo keepers put honey or something else at the top of the wall to get the giraffe to stand there.

The Brew at the Zoo even took place just to the left of the bottom tram stop.

The king of the jungle, the lion.

It was just past 4pm when we entered the Chimpanzee forest.

I had enough time to take this picture before the lights were turned off and we had to leave.

We headed back to the festival area and I went straight for the Harpoon Summer by Harpoon.

The music and crowd were in full swing by this point and everyone was relaxed and having a great time.

Custom made belt buckles from the bottoms of beer bottles. The beer label is used as the front of the buckle.

Back to Stoudts for the Mai Bock.

And the it was over to Tommyknocker for the Golden Saison.

Everyone was in a jovial spirit, and these are some of the fine folks I met at the festival.

While the beer was in cups, this gentleman was ready to open any bottles.

I headed back to New Belgium for the Somersault Ale.

In case is wasn’t clear, this festival was held in Baltimore, home of the Ravens and Orioles.

Beer number 13 for the day was Shift Pale Ale by New Belgium. One of the better beers, but mostly because it was on ice and nicely chilled on a hot day.

Some local artwork being sold at one of the vendor stands.

It wasn’t until beer number 14, Woody Creek White by Flying Dog, that I realized I had no shots of the logo on the glass.

Not all the animals at the zoo live in cages.

Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA by Harpoon.

There were cornhole/bean bag toss stations setup for anyone to play.

Last beer of the day, Latitude 48 IPA by Samuel Adams.

I love how the animals and beer glasses have been incorporated together into the logo.
Beerporn – Yards Brewing Company – Saison – Brew at the Zoo

May 26, 2012 Author: Scott
2 Comments

Beerporn – Yards Brewing Company – Saison – Brew at the Zoo
Review Hop Heads Alehouse – Middle River, MD

May 18, 2012 Author: Scott
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Kelli and I recently went out for food and drinks at a new bar in the Baltimore area called Hop Heads Alehouse. We had a great time as the bar is quintessential Baltimore at its roots. There was very much a home town feel and a general comradery among patrons. There are nightly specials listed on their website, so check it out before you go and see which night is the night for you.

If you go:
http://hopheadsalehouse.com
9611 Pulaski Highway
Baltimore, MD.
443-969-2477
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hop-Heads-Alehouse/185854428124932

Arriving at Hop Heads in Middle River, MD.

Kelli had a Bear Republic Racer 5, I had a Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale.

The menu was mainly comprised of your standard bar items of easy to make and easy to consume food. Nothing really stood out to me on the menu, but keep in mind I don’t eat meat.

For food I ordered the blackened tuna bites.

Good, but highly seasoned.

Their beer selection was really good if you are into craft beers. I was blown away by the amount of beers they have available, over 200!! While they are a lot of the standard craft beers you will find in the craft beer scene, that fact that the vast majority of the beers are from independent breweries is a welcome change in any bar.

Plenty of great craft beers from which to choose.

Craft beers were on tap, too.

Make no mistake, this is not some stuck up, hoity-toity bar full of beer snobs. This is a place where people come to have fun, meet new friends, and drink!!!

Being a bar, and energy drinks on special at $4 each, we did a round of shots with the bartender.

Not being full yet I went for a pizza.

My pizza with half olives.

There was a lot of room in the bar, and I could see the empty floor quickly becoming a dance floor when the music and crowd were just right. Our early arrival found us in a mostly empty bar, but in the hour or two we were there the bar quickly began to fill. I could easily see this bar being shoulder to shoulder by the end of the night.

It was early on Friday, but you can see the potential.

The event calendar on the website always lists any entertainment, and the DJ’s that were there the night we went were fantastic. These guys had a nice grove going that made me want to stay longer.

DJ’s Tony Stylez and Supreme were setting the mood.

Some old school Baltimore action.

The owner Mike Roser was a really down to earth guy that was enjoyable to talk with during my time in the bar. He had some big ideas on what he wanted to do in the future, and I’m glad to see that his vision is off to a great start. More bars like his would be a welcome addition to any city.

Owner, Mike Roser.

Beer selection 4/5
Food: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

http://hopheadsalehouse.com/
Review – Heavy Seas Sea Nymph

May 11, 2012 Author: Scott
3 Comments
Today Chris and I are reviewing Heavy Seas Sea Nymph. This particular review comes after a trip I made to The Perfect Pour to meet Hugh Sisson of Heavy Seas from this short article (note the signed six pack above). In our ongoing review series we’ll be covering the following 5 items:
- Appearance
- Aroma
- Mouthfeel
- Flavor
- Aftertaste
Here is a quick guide for the beginner http://indybeers.com/beer-tasting-guide/. At the bottom of that page is an HTML template that can be used in our comments if you would like to post your own reviews along with us.

From the Heavy Seas website:

Brewed by Baltimore’s Clipper City Brewing Co., Heavy Seas is produced by Baltimore craft beer pioneer Hugh Sisson – the brewery’s founder and managing partner – and Brewmaster Ernesto Igot, formerly brewmaster at San Miguel Brewery in the Philippines. After successfully lobbying the Maryland Legislature to legalize brewpubs, Hugh began brewing professionally in 1989 at his family’s Baltimore pub – Sisson’s – which was coincidentally Maryland’s first brewpub. In 1994 he left Sisson’s to found Clipper City and has been involved in all aspects of the business – brewing, finance, marketing, and sales.

Heavy Seas, as a brand, was an extension of Clipper City to handle higher gravity beers. The company is now called Heavy Seas with the beers segmented in one of three categories based on style/season: Clipper Fleet (lighter beers), Pyrate Fleet (high gravity beers), and Mutiny Fleet (seasonal beers). Sea Nymph is a member of the Clipper Fleet.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/heavyseasbeer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavySeasBeer

From hsbeer.com:

Light gold in color, yet crisp and refreshing. This summer ale will pair well with grilled seafood and salads. Available May – August.

Appearance

Scott: Light gold in color is spot on. Mild carbonation showing up. Could easily be mistaken in looks for a light beer.

Chris: Yep, light gold. Can I just copy off you Scott?

Aroma

Scott: A slight sour smell with a hint of earthy.

Chris: I catch just a hint of malts, but just barely.

Mouthfeel

Scott: Smooth and easy. Very similar to the light beers previously mentioned.

Chris: Clean.

Flavor

Scott: Smell and flavor are going hand in hand on this one.

Chris: Very difficult to pickup. Lightly sweet.

Aftertaste

Scott: Not much there. The flavor dissipates quickly.

Chris: Nada. Uggh.

Final Thoughts

Scott: Not a beer I would go after for flavor, but I could easily see myself throwing a few of these back on a nice hot day. 3/5.

Chris: Exactly what I was expecting based on the Heavy Seas description. 3/5
Heavy Seas Real Ale and BBQ Fest

March 14, 2012 Author: Scott
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Kelli and I recently went to the Heavy Seas Real Ale and BBQ Fest. It was a lot of fun hanging out at the Heavy Seas Brewery and getting to meet Hugh Sissons again. Below are the pictures from the event. I refrained from doing beer reviews, as there were too many beers to drink, and I really just wanted to relax and have a good time. After clicking on a picture below to enlarge it you can use the arrow keys or your mouse wheel to go to the next picture.

Kelli and I arrived late to avoid any long waiting lines to get in to the event.

This event wasn't as crowded as the oyster fest...

But there were still a good amount of people around.

I started the day with the Imperial Stout.

The band was rocking out some great classic rock.

Kelli asked, "Isn't an American IPA an American Indian Pale Ale?"

The brewery was open for everyone to walk around.

And with the weather being nice, the outside area was open, too.

While we were outside I stopped into the tent and grabbed an Imperial Pumpkin Ale.

There was plenty of food if you were hungry.

It was Hugh Sisson's birthday, so I had another of his beers in his honor.

I'm a huge sucker for these kinds of things.

Find them on twitter @HeavySeasBeer.

This was the gift table for Hugh...

And this was his very cool cake.

It seems that over the course of an hour, more people had arrived at the event.

I ran into Hugh, and he made a birthday wish for everyone to have a great time at his birthday event.

By the time I made it back around to where the band was playing, Kelly was singing with them, again.

Right next to the band was the Imperial Chocolate Stout, so I had some.

I love taking pictures of bands...

And find myself unable to resist the urge...

To fire off a few shots.

An easy way to handle the amount of bathroom breaks required.

While wandering around I found a nice little medal collection.

It seems the Marzen is really popular.

Hugh took some time to open his presents.

And I had another beer, the Siren Noire.

Shortly thereafter I had the Peg Leg Imperial Stout.

These cardboard cutouts where everywhere, and it was funny to see Hugh posing with one.

The ladies took their turn, too.

Last beer of the day (and for those counting my eighth) the gold ale.

Website: http://www.hsbeer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/heavyseasbeer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavySeasBeer
Heavy Seas Beer and Oyster Fest – February 2012

February 10, 2012 Author: Scott
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Kelli and I recently went to the Heavy Seas Beer and Oyster Fest. It was a lot of fun hanging out at the Heavy Seas Brewery and getting to meet Hugh Sissons again. Below are the pictures from the event. I refrained from doing beer reviews, as there were too many beers to drink, and I really just wanted to relax and have a good time. After clicking on a picture below to enlarge it you can use the arrow keys or your mouse wheel to go to the next picture.

We arrived at the Heavy Seas Beer and Oyster Fest about 45 minutes after it started.

There was plenty of action, but I headed straight for the closest taps for a Märzen.

Right after that beer I ran into owner, Hugh Sissons.

He recommend I try the Black Cannon Black IPA before it ran out, so I did.

There was a good crowd on hand for the fest.

And it was really cool to see where they brew the beer.

Food was included, and the shrimp sandwiches were perfect!!

1:07 p.m., and just in time.

Fried Oyster sliders. I had to take this picture quickly because they were going fast.

In the back of the brewery there was a two tap setup, so I grabbed another Märzen.

Jonathan (a serious oyster expert) was on his 3-4 plate.

He and Kelli love going to oyster fests together.

There also was live music playing all day.

Huge was signing his new book Brewing in Baltimore, with Author Maureen O'Prey. He wrote the forward.

His book can be bought from Arcadia Publishing If you’re interested in buying it.

Nice 'stache.

Last picture before I hung up the camera for the day was Kelli getting oyster ice cream...it wasn't good. It tasted like an oyster/seafood soup.

Website: http://www.hsbeer.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/heavyseasbeer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavySeasBeer
Drinking craft beer during The Birthday Massacre

December 12, 2011 Author: Scott
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Kelli and I headed to Sonar in Baltimore, MD to see one of her favorite bands, The Birthday Massacre. The show was a great time, but I was concerned going in about what beers were going to be available. Upon first look of the beer list:

I wasn’t too happy with the beers available. I glanced at the cooler to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, and found that the list was a clear reflection of the beers I could see.

So, sure enough, the selection was limited. This isn’t to say, however, that I didn’t find a fantastic Maryland craft beer. In the middle left of the above picture you can see the dent I was putting in the Raging Bitch by Flying Dog. A great IPA worth a try by anyone who likes the hoppy style beer. With My beer in hand, I made a quick post to IndyBeers.com.

Afterwards, I kicked back and enjoyed the great sounds of The Birthday Massacre at Sonar in Baltimore, MD. By the way, if you happen to be a Birthday Massacre fan, you can check the rest of the pictures at http://www.talonphotography.com/album.php?albumid=5684952762119496737