Leaving Maryland

So I greatly enjoyed this trip to Maryland, although I did NOT get to Brickskeller AGAIN! I'm beginning to think this place does not exist. On the flight back I was hoping to hit Ram's Head or something in the airport, but we were rushed for time. Turns out I was spending 10 minutes rearranging my bags so that neither weighed more than 50lbs. Before Continental switched to the Star Alliance, you could pack as much as 70 lbs per bag with no fee if you were OnePass Elite. PERFECT for loading 'er up with local beer. So we barely made it without paying any extra.



Th flight really sucked, as I was stuck all day without any craft beer. They are charging $5 for like a 10oz can of Bud Light. I should just load up on those mini-bottles of Jack D and Bacardi before flights so I can get a buzz while on the plain. Also, I saw an elderly woman knitting a blanket while on the flight. I'm surprised they didn't shoot her on site when she tried to get through security. Some idiot Nigerian terrorist tried some crap in Detroit, so chances are we'll lose even MORE freedom, and you won't be to so much as scratch your nuts 1 hour before a flight lands. I'll take my damn chances and get some freedoms back. Including getting more beer.



We land and no beer was broken in my bag. Kinda glad b/c I need to wear that suit one more time. I'm pretty fired up about getting back out to the East Coast in June for our family reunion. Turns out we're taking a cruise out of B-More, which means we'll be back up that way, and dammit I'm coming in a day or so early just to beer it up in DC. No two ways about it. There ain't jack else I'm trying to do out there. We beered it up strong today and are looking forward to getting to Lafayette tomorrow. Holla

So Much Beer, So Little Time

I'm sitting here in the Dentist's office while the wife gets some wisdom teeth pulled. Luckily I can hop on some random wireless network so I can blog about nothing in particular errr get some work done. We are doing pretty well right now I'm looking at my beertinerary for our upcoming trip to the Mid-Atlantic, and I am blown at how much opportunity we'll have.

First off we will fly out of Bush Intercontinental, so we can prep with some Heineken on draft. Not great, but we land in BWI and they have a slew of brewpubs and beer bars in the Baltimore/DC area. I don't care who your daddy is, we're going to Brickskeller in DC. They say it's the best beer bar in the city. Maybe I'll get my main man Obama to come have a beer with me. But I'm looking at hollering at Fell's Point once again in Baltimore and just wallow in the good beering.

Afterward we're taking a trip to Long Island for a wedding. While we're there, we'll be down the street from a meadery, and just a couple miles from places like Bobbique's for some good beering. Turns out a brewpub out there has Watermelon Wheat in a can from 21st Amendment. Almost worth the trip to find that beer.

After a couple more days back in Maryland, we hit up Lafayette, LA for another wedding. Probably just relax at Zea and party it up for New Year's Eve. And then we'll relax.

Um what else is going on. I've lost just over 4 lbs after getting back on Weight Watchers. Good stuff, but we're racking up on beer b/c I only have points for maybe one 12 oz a night.

I tried some Old New Orleans Cajun Spiced Rum. Had a LOT of alcohol in this one, but not enough to overpower all the random spices they threw in this thing. Formal review coming later. Holla.

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.

Welcome To the Beer Brotha

Good evening to all in the Web 2.0. I'm sitting here just working the buzz of a fantastic Brown Ale, so now it begins.

In this blog, your boy the Beer Brotha will give reviews of beer, brewpubs, and breweries. I will utilize my witty prose to lace in the events of the day at the same time. I typically try to try one new beer a week, but it doesn't always work out. For one, I'm training for the Paris Marathon in April, so there will be month where I swear off drinking to keep from passing out in front of The Louvre.

My major rule that I routinely break is no more than 3 beers tasted in a normal session. You'll learn that I've gone up as much as 15, but then again, it was some English Bitter and my 2 yyear old nephew (by marriage) was acting a damn fool, so we had no choice but to do it all with nothing but some Fish and Chips to cleanse the palate.

I hope you enjoy the blog, and please comment and tell me how right I am for my various reviews. First up is what I did for my Winter Vacation, the lovely state of Maryland awaits.