Beering at Maryland after the Inauguration

Still clearing out the notebook. These reviews came from the Maryland area during the Obama Inauguration. The next day I just HAD to go back to DuClaw for some beering. They were the first place I ever reviewed formally, actually writing it down. I remember getting very fired up and thinking they were the best brewpub I've been to. Time for a little update now that I've been reviewing beers all over the world (at least the US and Paris) since then...

January 21, 2009

First off we had one more Saranac

Saranac Vanilla Porter
Deep brown and opaque. Seriously strong poofy tanish grey gead. Nose has a light choco and maybe some butter and veggie. Getting a hint of fruit as well. Tasting it I first notice the full body and strong bitterness, as well as a bitter finish. I can get a strong roast and subtle vanilla as well. As you get used to the bitterness with more drinking, I got some serious malt in the background. 3 Stars.

Now onto Du Claw. I loved these guys a lot but I do wonder what it will be like after a full year of reviewing beer all over the world (okay Texas and France).

RESPECT THE FLUID
We started out with a sampler like we did the last time.

Kangaroo Kove
A new style in the Australian tradition. Straw and clear colored with no smell. I rarely get a good nose off of the samplers anyway. Got to pay that price to sample all the beer. It's a little sour and bready. Another few sips and it's basically a bad kind of hops and water. 1 Star man. Right out the gate, DuClaw hit me with a beer that I put on the same level as Desperados and Southern Star Rauchbier.

Alchemy
I must have written all this down wrong, b/c I"m not seeing any of these on my last review. Oh well. Black color with light tan head. It has a strong malt and chocolate on the nose. Finally tasting it I get a full body and some citrus. It has a low malt but is way to sour and astringent for me. Not to mention the high carbonation. 2 Star.

Hellrazer
A little cloudy with a cascade hops and malt nose. Oh yeah baby. Strong hops on the tongue that is pretty unbalanced. Decent bitter finish. It has a nice lacy white head. The 2nd draught has some subtle fruit as well. Not bad at all. 3 Star

Venom IPA
Ah the "Venom". When I first had this, I used to think this venom (strong hops) was some blow your back out hops. After a year of drinking things from Avery, Green Flash, Sierra Nevada, Stone, and Victory. Not so much. It has a grassy hop nose. It actually smells kind of soda like. It's a little redder than hellrazer. Finally tasting it and I get a strong hops and a very smooth mouthfeel. Somewhere in there is a touch of bread, but these days I need some balance in my life. Strong hops... and strong malt. 3 Star.

Old Flame
Another new one. Copper and clear with a white very lasting low head. There little aroma. I taste it and there is a sense of malt. No real sweetness. It's more malty as it eat with the Thai style mussels. Low 3 Star.

Devil Milk
Oh what name. Nothing like the milk coming from wherever Satan lactates. Smells very sweet and almost appley. Copper-red color. WOW! All that alcohol in this one. Good medium body and maltiness. Lacy head. It's a very warming beer. High 3 Star.

Wrapping it all up, I'm glad we were able to head back to Du Claw. Looks like they are mixing things up quite a bit. Top three beers from this trip...

3. Hellrazer
2. Venom IPA
1. Devil Milk

That's Devil Milk is pretty painful stuff. I'm glad I had it on sampler or I wouldn't have made it back to the car. Great for drinking in the winter time. I could use some of that action while sitting outside on a chilly day. As per the rules of being a black blogger, I have to play a music video at some point.

And while we're here, I got me some Magic Hat

Magic Hat HI.P.A.

Perfect orange and some cloudiness in the appearance. Strong white foamy head. There is a nice citrus hop on the nose. It ahs a good malt balance to the strong citrus hops. Nice lace as well. The aftertaste has some hops and a touch of bread. High 3 Star. I was kinda hoping the Magic Hatters would have f'ed around and put some funky adjuncts in there like they like to do: calamine lotion, eyelashes, spaghetti sauce. Who knows.

The DuClaw Brewing Co (Brewpub)

Beer Log: December 22, 2007

Status: I'm hungry.

Brewpub review:

Damn damn damn James! These cats know what the hell they are doing. Great that they take chances, have plenty of seasonals. If I lived in Hanover, I'd be up in here all the time. They damn near have a different brew for each month.

DuClaw Brewing Co, Brewpub in Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, Maryland

http://www.duclaw.com/

These chumps know what the hell they are doing. My bratty 2 year old nephew (by marriage) was given oodles of crayons and play menus to keep quiet, while the wife and I could enjoy some excellent beer. I found that DuClaw likes to take some chances. Then again, how hard is it to make money in craft beer in Maryland. Try this "venom" stuff off Texas dudes will be crying like Marian Jones in a federal prison. (I did it dammit!) I went to this place as it is close to my Mother-in-Law's house, which is where we stayed for the Winter break.

We got the flight and went for it, 9 beers in all (about 6 beers above my minimum.) They only had 5 on the menu, but they had 4 seasonals for us to try. I'll give you these reviews in the order in which I tried them. Keep in mind that this is my FIRST time actually writing down reviews, so these reviews are pitifully short. My next pub review was much more descriptive.

Funk (American Wheat Beer):

We want the funk, give us the funk! Tear the roof off the sucka. I found this puppy to be lightly hopped, with wheat and barley in there. Some spice as well. Told you these first reviews were short. Damn good beer though.

Bare Ass Blonde Ale:

They call this one the Naked Truth. We got ourselves a medium body, with a sudden fruity sweetness. Great stuff. Nothing that's going to knock you over with hops, just like a Blonde ale should be.

31 (Halloween):

I don't even think this stuff is on the website. Released on All Hallow's Eve, this beer is a great version of an Oktoberfest or Fall seasonal with a great cinnamon and honey flavor. Scary that they had some left considering it's been out since October 31st.

Food: the mozzarella sticks have shown up. I think they called them moons. But whatever, get my nephew (by marriage) some more crayons before the boy starts crying, again!

Mad Bishop (Oktoberfest):

I gets high on your love, don't know how to behave. I want some more brown sugar. With a medium body and medium bitter. Oh yes! It was beers like this and the 31 that have made Oktoberfests and Fall Seasonals my current favorite style. With the weather in Houston, the coldest it ever gets is "Fall" to most others.

Misfit Red (Amber Ale):
deep amber color with some malt and hops.

Food: ah the Thai pasta is here. Seafood with some serious hot thai spice. Probably the reason why I now like taste bud assault by pairing spicy food with...

...Nightmare Venom (Pale Ale):

Venom is this stuff they put in the beer that make the beer very hoppy. Some call it hops, other call it hops. Cute name, but this stuff is IPAish hoppy, ubersmooth, bitter, with a long lasting lacy head. It had to be a good hour that it had been sitting there and that head remains. Venom is a great marketing name. As a FAMU Rattler (class of '02), I can really appreciate it.

Venom Pale Ale (American Pale Ale):

we got ourselves another PA, with a hops aftertaste and some sweet cinnamon in there. Looks like I shouldn't have tried this one and Nightmare back to back, hard to get a gauge on it. We'll get it right on the next visit. Though knowing my luck, there will be another 6 beers on seasonal that I'll be too scared to miss, and by the time I make it to the Pale Ales, my palate will be shot like Jamie Lynn Spears' career on Nickelodeon.

Bad Moon Porter:

very dark brown with a roasted malt thang going on. I'm tasting serious coffee flavoring with a smooth full dark body like my lovely wife.

Blackjack (Imperial Stout):

Black with brown head. lightly hopped with something like white sugar in the flavor. I taste it again and the words cherry liquor come to mind, very thick.

And we're done. The boy is such a brat, he would go nuts if we tried to take off his little gloves. So he ate his fish sticks and fries (with ketchup) with his cotton gloves on the whole time. FYI, Uncle Beer Brotha don't play that mess, and by the end of the trip, he was much better behaved.