Cask returns to Federal Hill

Cask ale has been notably absent from Federal Hill since the closure of Sean Bolan's a couple years ago. Now, thankfuly, cask ale has returned to the "other" side of the harbor.

The Metropolitan Coffeehouse and Wine Bar, 902 S. Charles St. (formerly One World Cafe), has been discretely serving high-quality craft beers alongside its wine and coffee. As of the beginning of this year, it's now serving Firkin Thursdays, subject to availability of course, beginning at 6 pm in their upstairs bar. Recent firkins have included Otter Creek Sea Otter Baltic Porter (allegedly the only cask of it to get out of Vermont), Wintercoat Cockney Imperial Stout, a round of Williams Brothers (makers of Fraoch Heather Ale); and coming up this Thursday, Troegs Nugget Nectar from Harrisburg. This place bears watching. Website: www.metrobalto.com ; there's also a blog and MySpace site (93 "friends" already)......... Gad, now I have to add Thursday nights in Federal Hill back to my "to do" list.......