Fire damages Old Stein Inn

Fron the Annapolis Capital/HometownAnnapolis.com:

The Old Stein Inn, a beloved landmark in Mayo [Edgewater, near Annapolis], was badly damaged by a three-alarm fire Friday morning.

 

Two passers-by called 911 shortly after 5:30 a.m. Friday, reporting smoke streaming from the restaurant at 1143 Central Ave., said Lt. Cliff Kooser, a county Fire Department spokesman.
Within four minutes, firefighters were on the scene and saw heavy smoke. Because the area does not have fire hydrants, firefighters ran two hoses about three-quarters of a mile down Mayo Ridge Road to draw water from Ramsay Lake on the South River.
Extra firefighters were brought in to man the hoses, and also to allow for frequent rotations because of the cold weather.
The fire went to three alarms - 40 pieces of equipment and 89 firefighters, including crews from Annapolis and the Naval Academy.
The fire was brought under control by 7 a.m., but dozens of firefighters remained on the scene through rush hour Friday morning. Traffic was getting by on Central Avenue one lane at a time.
Fire investigators were still determining the cause of the fire.
The fire likely caused at least $100,000 in damage to the building, which is about 100 years old.
The restaurant's owners live in another building on the property and were not injured, Kooser said.
The Old Stein Inn was opened in 1983 by Karl and Ursula Selinger from Germany.
According to Capital archives, the couple moved to the Washington area in the late 1950s, sharing a love authentic German cuisine and the dream of opening a restaurant. In the late '70s they were ready to buy the decades-old, 2,500-square-foot building on Central Avenue that was once one of the first southern Anne Arundel County gas stations, a general store and a residence.
By July 1983, they had gone to work turning it into Edgewater's own piece of the Rhineland. It eventually became known for its hefty beer selection and traditional German menu - including schnitzel, bratwurst and jagerschnitzel- a biergarten and German entertainment that often gets customers singing along to German beer-drinking songs.
Ten years ago, the restaurant made its national debut on "The Best Of …" a show on the Food Channel cable network that documents regional favorites.
The Selingers recently retired, and the tavern is now owned and operated by their son Michael and his wife Beth, according to the tavern's website.

(Photo courtesy Anne Arundel Fire Department and HometownAnnapolis.com)

The Former Brickskeller's New Name

WTOP Radio news in D.C. is reporting that the new owners of the former Brickskeller craft-beer emporium near Dupont Circle are renaming it The Bier Baron.  Opening is scheduled for this Wednesday at 6 PM.

If the name's not enough of a hint:

When the bar opens, there will be 350 different kinds of beers left over from the Brickskeller. Those beers will be part of a special "Brickskeller blowout" menu.
Five hundred other new beers have already been ordered as well.
When the Bier Baron opens, the beer offerings and the bar itself will look surprisingly familiar.
"We are keeping most of the staff, including the floor managers who are very knowledgeable about beer," Merrifield says. 

Christmas in Rural Retreat 1957

Train 42 'The Pelican' headed by Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 Class J 603 arrives at Rural Retreat, VA eastbound from New Orleans to Washington shortly before 10 pm Dec. 27th, 1957, and thunders off into the night. The Norfolk & Western Railway's own Class J was perhaps the finest of all express steam engines, and 603 is heard here in its last days of main line service with a consist of 17 cars. The photograph with the video is of Train 17 'The Birmingham Special' westbound arriving later that same night at 11.37 pm, being waved through by Agent J.L. Akers. The photograph and sound recording were by O. Winston Link and his assistant Corky Zider who operated a Tapesonic recorder and non-directional microphone; the Christmas carols on the chimes were played specially for the recording at the nearby Grace Lutheran Church by Mrs. Kathryn Dodson. Seven nights later, steam motive power would come to an end on the N&W main line through Rural Retreat and Bristol.

Merry Christmas for Wild Goose fans: Wild Goose brand bought by new DC nanobrewery!

Boy, I leave the computer for four hours, and all heck breaks loose.

But a good kind of heck.

I'm just going to throw up the press release from Ben Savage, Flying Dog's VP of marketing, and let us all read it:

LOGAN SHAW BREWING COMPANY SET TO PURCHASE               WILD GOOSE FROM FLYING DOG BREWERY

Frederick, MD – December, 23, 2010 – Logan Shaw Brewing Company, an upstart brewery out of Washington DC, has agreed to purchase the Wild Goose brand from Flying Dog Brewery.

Flying Dog Brewery inherited the Wild Goose brand as part of the purchase of the Frederick Brewing Company’s brewing facility from Snyder International in 2006, and has maintained the brand’s presence regionally ever since.  As demand for Flying Dog has increased over the past year (sales are up 40% nationally, with triple digit growth regionally in the mid-Atlantic in 2010), the brewery has moved steadily toward a singular focus on the Flying Dog brand.

Flying Dog began looking for viable options to secure the future of the Wild Goose brand in February of 2010, and the brewery was specifically looking for a suitor that was interested in the continued growth and success of Wild Goose.  In December 2010, Flying Dog decided that Logan Shaw was the best and most capable option to assume ownership of the Wild Goose brand.

Logan Shaw Brewing Company plans to pair the Wild Goose beers with the craft beers produced by Logan Shaw, under the Logan Shaw brand, beginning in mid 2011. "We felt that Wild Goose was a great brand for us as we get into the local craft beer business. It is a well-established brand known for great quality, taste, and consistency.  We thank Flying Dog for their support of the brand and their assistance through this process," says Jeff Harrison, president of Logan Shaw Brewing.

According to Loren Leroy, Logan Shaw Brewing’s head of production, "As a resident of the Chesapeake Bay area, I jumped at the chance to buy the Wild Goose brand.  It has always been one of my favorite beers, and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to grow such an iconic craft beer brand."
Logan Shaw Brewing Company will have Wild Goose contract brewed regionally until its own brewing facility is completed in approximately 18 months. 

ABOUT LOGAN SHAW BREWING COMPANY
Logan Shaw is an upstart nano-brewery based in the suburbs  of Washington DC.  Logan Shaw expects to launch their own line of beers in approximately 18 months. The name of Logan Shaw Brewing pays tribute to two historic neighborhoods: Logan Circle and Shaw, located in the heart of our Nation’s Capital. More information will soon be up at: www.loganshawbrewery.com/

Nope.  I don't know who they are, either.  The "website" is nothing more than a placeholder title for the moment.  But I'll be looking out for them very soon.

Md. Comptroller Releases Report on Direct Wine Shipment--but Beer Buffs, don't get excited yet....

Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot today released a long-awaited legislative report that wine enthusiasts hope will clear the way for legislation allowing direct wine sale shipments into Maryland.

The report is here, if you have business reasons for slogging through 257 pages in an Adobe PDF.

But beer enthusiasts eager to order prized beers not available in Maryland's retail markets may be in for a let-down:

Franchot's report does make a distinction between direct shipments from out-of-state wineries and out-of-state retailers. It says shipments from such wineries would be considered "exceptions" to Maryland's alcoholic beverage regulatory system.
But because shipments by out-of-state retailers would be "integral" to that three-tier system — producer, wholesaler and retailer — it pointedly says "allowing direct wine shipment from out-of-state retailers is incompatible with existing alcoholic beverage laws in Maryland."
Franchot said he personally supports a direct-sale law, but added that the report was not meant to dictate state policy. Maryland lawmakers, he said, "wanted the facts and that's what we're presenting today."

Indeed, the report explicitly recommends "Allow direct wine shipment for in-state and out-of-state wineries,
but not for out-of-state retailers."  The report cites several higher-court precedents for such distinctions in regulation.

Most craft breweries are not set up for direct retail sales, either legally or logistically, unlike wineries where traveling to the vineyard and purchasing direct is often an integral part of the experience.  If the above distinction is extended to applied legislation, there would be no exclusion for "beer-of-the-month" clubs or purchases from online retailers or bricks-and-mortar retail locations in other states--which would be the primary source of such retail sales, as I am to understand it.

Another factor at play: it's seldom worth the expense to ship two six-packs or a case of even an expensive beer, which would typically retail for less than the cost of a single premium bottle of wine or spirits.  There are exceptions, of course, starting with DuClaw Colossus (if you can find any left) and going up through mega-extreme beers by the likes of Sam Adams (Utopias, etc.), BrewDog, Dogfish Head, and the like.

(In an off-topic note, I noticed, while perusing the Comptroller's official website for a copy of the report that one of the images posted as background decoration is that of a Virginia lighthouse--Assateague Lighthouse, down near Chincoteague, Virginia.....)

Miller Lite subsidizes free MTA service on New Year's Eve

Craft beer enthusiasts usually have little to no use for "North American industrial lager" beers, particularly "light" beers.  Many craft beer aficionados lampoon the presence of a "light beer" tap at an establishment like Max's or Mahaffey's, or even the brewing of a "lawnmower light" or "mild ale" at a brewpub.

Well, apologize:

The Maryland Transportation Authority will offer free services on New Year's Eve thanks to beer conglomerate MillerCoors.
The MTA and Miller partnered to provide free bus, metro subway and light rail service on New Year's Eve throughout the Baltimore region - the first time residents have had free public transportation over the holidays.
The free services begin at 8 p.m. December 31 and will last until 2 a.m January 1. 
Kim Marotta, an executive at Miller Coors, said the freebie is to help Baltimore residents plan for safe rides home from New Year's celebrations. They're calling the program Miller Lite Rides, a name they've actually trademarked.
Miller has offered the free rides for 23 years across the country on different holidays, but this is the first time it's been offered in Baltimore.

Brickskeller finis

Farewell, Brickskeller of old.  I'll remember the good times.

I think I've finally come up with the right analogy, thanks in part to a Wall Street Journal article and the ensuing commentary and debate it prompted:

The Brickskeller was like Bob Dylan.

Legendary, but. . .    On a good night, terrific, as long as you made peace with the obvious flaws.  On a bad night, an embarrassment worthy of demanding a refund.  It/he changed the whole scene.  But........

More eulogies, by noted names in the industry, here and here.

Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg sued after patron drinks, drives, & kills

News reports (blog at the Washington Post and Fox TV stations in Washington D.C. and Baltimore) are covering the lawsuit filed Monday against the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, Md. after it allegedly let a patron buy and consume seventeen Corona Lights and three shots of liquor over a six-hour period; said patron then drove a Range Rover into the back of a Jeep on Interstate 270, killing a ten-year-old girl in the Jeep.

The lawsuit opens--once again--the long-running debate between the responsibilities of bar employees versus personal accountability.

But note that the Dogfish Head in question allegedly was serving this person Corona Lights--not World Wide Stout or any DFH beers or spirits.

Quick Firkin and News Updates

Tomorrow at Metropolitan in Federal Hill--what is supposedly the last firkin extant of this year's last-ever(?) batch of the now-fading/dying Wild Goose Snow Goose. Tapped at 6 pm.

Meanwhile at Max's usual Thursday Cask Night, they will be celebrating the 1500th firkin made by Heavy Seas. Hugh Sisson and the Heavy Seas Crew will be there in the celebration.
On cask: Heavy Seas Thank You Thank You Very Much w/ Special Wood, Heavy Seas Below Decks, Lagunitas IPA, Victory Hop Devil, Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Oak Smoke
On draft: Heavy Seas Thank You Thank You Very Much, Heavy Seas Below Decks, Heavy Seas Gold, Heavy Seas Loose Cannon (and, of course, dozens of other selections, including a lot of Christmas/holiday-themed beers).


I haven't had a chance to type up my thoughts on the Heavy Seas TYTYVM; I sampled it at its release party last week, and found it spectacular--extraordinarily hoppy and flavorful, with a diverse variety of hop characters without the heavily astringent and bitter notes of many imperial IPAs or heavily hopped ales (yes, West Coast breweries like Lagunitas and Stone, I'm glancing sideways at you).  By all means, go out of your way to sample this one-of-a-kind beer and hoist a toast to one of the region's best breweries and its longevity.

Meanwhile, The Sun's Dining @ Large blog reports an application to transfer the liquor license of the former DuClaw Brewing Fells Point location on Thames St. to a team from Mad River Bar & Grille of Federal Hill.

DuClaw Hires Heavy Seas Brewer

From a DuClaw press release:

Baltimore, Md. -- DuClaw Brewing Company, a Maryland-based craft brewery, today announced that it has hired Kurt Krol as brewer. He joins current DuClaw brewers Jim Wagner and Bo Lenck, and will be in charge of brewing, cellaring, and filtering the craft beer as well as prepping the beer for packaging.
"I am proud to welcome Krol to our DuClaw brewing team," commented Dave Benfield, founder and president of DuClaw. "As we continue to grow our craft beer flavors and expand our bottled beer offerings in 2011, Krol's experience makes him a key player in helping us create the best beer at a pace that can keep up with growing demand."
Prior to joining DuClaw, Krol was a brewer at Clipper City Brewing Company, located in Baltimore, Maryland. During his two-year period at Clipper City, he won five GABF medals and two World Beer Cup medals. A home brewer of more than six years, Krol graduated from UMBC with two bachelor's degrees.

Random Recent Photos

Stillwater's Existent on cask at Metropolitan last night.  In reserve for next week (the 16th):  Allegedly the last firkin of Wild Goose Snow Goose, ironically packed in a firkin from Williams Bros. of Scotland.....

Another Brickskeller update

WTOP in Washington finally identifies the Brickskeller's new owners:

Megan Merrifield and her husband are buying The Brickskeller, a haven for beer lovers on 22nd Street in Northwest.
When Merrifield takes over the property later this month, they will be changing the name to "Rock Creek" - and that's about it.
"We are buying the Brickskeller with the intention to keep the regulars that are going there, going there. We will offer them their favorite beers," Merrifield says.
The bar may get some new hardwood floors and a facelift for the bathrooms.
"We don't intend to change much. We intend to keep it the institution that it is and just essentially do a facelift," Merrifield says.
The closing on the property is scheduled for Dec. 23.  Merrifield hopes the bar will reopen just days after the closing.
"The Brickskeller policy as I understand is to be closed Dec. 23,24,25 and reopen the 26th. So that's our intention is to reopen according to their schedule on the 26th," Merrifield says.
Merrifield also owns several D.C. hotels: the Windsor Inn, Embassy Inn and District Hotel.

I'm guessing they won't be able to redecorate in only a couple days off, and especially not over the holidays.

Are you a Stillwater maniac? Love cask?

Are you one of those Stillwater fanatics that loves every last beer Brian makes?  Could you not try every single beer that was debuted during Baltimore Beer Week?

Then you might want to join the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood at their next meeting tomorrow.

I'm jes' sayin'.

Meanwhile, over in Howard County.....

Baltimore Beer Guy has a nice round-up of stuff happening to our west and southwest, including the frenzied "soft opening" of Frisco Tap House.  Rather than repost anything, I'm just telling you to go over there and peruse the info there instead.

2nd DuClaw Beer Brunch: Bowie DuClaw, Jan. 9th

From their graphics-heavy e-mail of a few minutes ago:

The DuClaw Brewing Company Beer Brunch is headed to Bowie! TICKETS GO ON SALE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15TH, 2010 AT 9AM exclusively through our online store. Tickets are $45 each, and there are ONLY 50 AVAILABLE, so get yours before they’re gone!

The Beer Brunch is Sunday, January 9th, 2011 at 9am, at DuClaw Brewing Company of Bowie. Join us for 6 courses of scrumptious brunch fare expertly paired with some of our finest brews:
• Sweet Potato Pancakes with a Vanilla Almond Syrup topped with Fresh Homemade Cream paired with Cask Conditioned Vanilla Cinnamon Sawtooth Belgian Wit
• Spiced Pumpkin Waffles topped with a Cinnamon Cream paired with Cask Conditioned Double Spiced 31 Munich Dunkel
• Beer Marinated Steak and Eggs paired with Devil’s Milk Barleywine
• Cherry Strata paired with Cherry Black Jack Stout
• Beer Biscuits and Maple Sausage Gravy paired with Euphoria Toffee Nut Brown Ale
• Banana Crepes with a Chocolate Drizzle paired with 13 Degrees Hefeweizen

As an added bonus, DuClaw Brewing Company Brewmaster Jim Wagner will be on hand to discuss the pairings and answer your questions!

I don't have to tell you where to go to get the tickets, do I?  I didn't think so.  Now, considering the unpredictability of winer weather in January, I'm predicting this one will take, oh, about an hour to sell out.

DC's Brickskeller MAY be closing Dec. 18th..... or not.......... UPDATED

Well, you can't say we didn't give you a heads-up:  Rumors are circulating that the venerable beer institution of DC, The Brickskeller, will close it doors on Dec. 18th.

"Time, gentlemen, please............" as last call is sometimes traditionally called in Britain.................

UPDATE:  More from TBD.com 

UPDATE II:  More from WashingtonPost.com's Fritz Hahn, with speculation that you may have a few more days yet.

Max's Belgian Fest Feb.18-20, 2011: The First List

Just in case you're not one of the folks who have already booked a hotel room close to Max's in February, or you need to hear what's being promised before making plans, here's the preliminary list for Max's 2011 Belgian Fest.  Looks like a few new ones are on order:

Achouffe N' Ice Chouffe

Alvinne Bolleville

Alvinne Caper Fumatis

Alvinne Extra

Alvinne Gaspar

Alvinne Melchior

Alvinne Oak Kersaus 2008

Alvinne Oak Melchior

Alvinne Podge

Alvinne Wild Morpheus

Alvinne Wild Undressed

Blaugies Darbyste

Blaugies La Moneuse

Blaugies La Moneuse Special Winter

Boelens Santa Bee

Brouwkot Kalle

Brouwkot Netebuk

Brouwkot Vlaskapple

Bourgogne Des Flanders

Cazeau Saison

Cazeau Tournay De Noel

Chimay Cinq Cents

Contreras Valier Blonde

Contreras Valier Divers

Contreras Valier Extra

De Dochter Bravoure

De Dochter Embrasse

De Dochter Finesse

De Dochter Noblesse

De Dochter Noblesse XO

De Glazen Toren Angelquie

De Glazen Toren Canaster

De Glazen Toren Jan De Lichte

De Glazen Toren Ondinke

De Hoevbrouwers Toria

De Hoevbrouwers Toria Triple

De La Senne Equinox

De La Senne Taras Boulba

De La Senne Zinnebier

De Proef/Terrapin Monstre Rouge

De Ranke Saison De Dottignies

Smisje BBBourgondier

Delirium Noel

Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux

Dupont Saison

Dupont Moniette Blonde

Dupont Foret

Duvel Green

Geants De Noel

Gulden Draak Vintage

Het Alternatief Ambetantrik

Het Alternatief Bitter Truth

Hof Ten Dormaal Amber

Hof Ten Dormaal Blonde

Jandrian V Cense

Jandrian IV

La Rulles Cuvee Meillieurs Voeux

Leifamsn Cuvee Brut

Leifmans Fruitesse

Leroy Christmas

Malhuer 12

Palm

Pauwell Kwak

Petrus Aged Pale

Petrus Winter

Rodenbach

Scaldis

Scaldis Noel

Scaldis Cuvee Des Trolls

Scaldis Peche Mel

Silly Enghien Noel

Sint Canarus Triple

Slaapmutske Kerstmutske

Slober Rossa

St Feuillien /Green Flash

St Feuillien Noel

St Feuillien Saison

St Feuillien Triple

Stillwater Saison Darkly

Struise Black Albert

Struise Black Damnation Mocha Bomb

Struise Red Haired Jeanne

Struise Tsjeeses

Smisje Kerst

Smisje Sleedorn

Smisje Wostijnte

Triple Karmeliet

Troubadour Magma

Heavy Seas Oyster Fest Feb. 5th

Just go here.  300 tickets available; I'm betting a sell-out by the end of the week. 

Frisco Grille in Columbia Closes and Relocates as Frisco Tap House

From reader Paul M. in Columbia:

The Frisco Grille web site now reads, "The Grille has CLOSED. We will re-open at the earliest this coming Wednesday 12/8/10 at our new location: 6695 Dobbin Rd. (1/2 mile down Dobbin Rd. away from Rt. 175 on the left hand side)".

Someone took this picture of the sign on the door of the new Frisco Tap House which says they'll be open "Tuesday or Wednesday Night."

Baltimore Beer Guy had this video tour of the under-construction Tap House up last month. More at HowChow.

Open It! VII: 1995 Flying Scotsman Potables Holiday Ale (homebrew)

Again, why in hell do I still have this?  I'll make it worse: it's been in a former Beck's green bottle that was recycled through Wild Goose in its forst year or so before they switched to brown bottles!  Brewed to be on par with Anchor OSA with an English twist.

Rich porter color, bright if I leave that last half-inch of sludge in the bottom of the bottle.  Decent head retention once the head is coaxed out of a subdued carbonation.  Nose and mouthfeel are horribly thin; almost an easy-drinking Anchor OSA.  Very dry, with a tannic finish.  The sludge in the bottom of the bottle is actually chunky.  Sheesh.

Again, unless you're throwing a lot of sugar and alcohol in it, don't age a "holiday beer" this long.

Open It! VI: Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale 2004

Dammit, I thought I had a Hitachino Nest glass around here somewhere....  In its place, a Stillwater Artisanal Ales goblet. 

Ridiculously foamy and long-lasting head atop a rich, brown, hazy beer, with a bouquet distinct at several feet--orange peel, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla bean, almost incense-like.  This particular bottle says 9% abv; the brewery's website says the current version is 8%.

This beer is somewhere between a spectacular spiced barleywine and a train wreck of flavors mish-mashing against one another.  The effect is that of a heavily spiced Belgian dubbel with a lot of orange peel substituting for hop bitterness--as bitter, albeit in a different flavor, as a double IPA.  The six years in the bottle have been kind to it, save for some lees in the bottom of both the bottle and glass.

You have to be in the mood for such richness and bitterness, but it works very well for the age.

Open It! IV and V: Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon and Orkney Dark Island Reserve

At a friend's Hanukkah party last night: his Dark Horizon, my Dark Island Reserve.  There were lots of other beers present, including a Founders rye IPA, but these were the "Open It!" candidates.

The back label says it all: 17.5% (which conflicts with the company's English-language website page on the beer), on par with Dogfish World Wide Stout as presently brewed.  (There was a bottle of original DFH WWS we didn't make it to.)  The color and head matches, and it was an awful like WWS in character--once you get that high in alcohol and blackness, little else matters.

The Orkney Dark Island Reserve, by comparison, was more drinkable, with lots more ale and fruit esters present, with hints of treacle, stone fruit, and--of course--peat smoke.  Much more palatable at 10% abv.

Bar Culture in NYC, London, D.C.--and Baltimore?

Megan McArdle has an interesting blogpost (and resulting "discussion" in the comments) at the website for The Atlantic; in it she attempts to make the case that onerous government regulation negatively affects the nightlife/bar scene in Washington D.C., and, yes, is why you can't fight your way into ChurchKey on most evenings.

There are comments from a Baltimore resident about the comparable-yet-different bar scene in Baltimore in the article's comments.

Open It! III: Harvey's Christmas Ale

Glass:  La Chouffe Houblon glass.  I have two of them; who wants the other one?

This 275ml bottle is undated and has been sitting around in the cases for an indeterminate amount of time.  Easy pickings.

Pours stout black but bright, albeit bwith thin carbonation and no head to speak of.  8.1%.  Nose is elusive, seemingly mostly fruity English ale yeast as opposed to malt or hops.  Initial sips reveal a malt sweetness not present in the previous two beers.  Rich flavors blending a dose of tannin, raisins, stone fruit, and fruitcake, with a nutiness that adds to the "fruitcake" character.  The mouthfeel is reminiscent of a diluted port wine, fruity and rich.  A sipping beer, to be sure, even if it's not as strong as the bigger names in big beers.  Also a definite hop bitterness, even if any hop nose is largely gone now.

I would easily get more of this if the price were right.  And it holds up well aged.

RateBeer ratings here.  Brewer's website here (not much there).

Open It! II: Anchor Our Special Ale 1992 (Yes, 1992!)

There is no good reason that this beer should still be extant.  And now it won't be.

Anchor's annual holiday/Christmas beers are an easy target for the novice to try aging.  It's readily available, it's "special," and it's different.  But the alcohol content is low, and the "special" attributes of this beer are especially volatile, so this is really not a beer to age.  So why do I still have it eighteen years later?  Inertia.


Beer pours with razor-thin carbonation and dismal head retention.  Deep porter color.  Nose is lots of black pepper with notes of licorice, blackstrap molasses, and used cinnamon sticks.  Flavor is dry, spicy, but stale and a bit oxidized.  Bottle has a heavy coat of sludge on the bottom, but sample is bright.  Extremely tannic finish, like sucking on tea bags and cinnamon sticks.

If you learn nothing else: Don't age this beer.

RateBeer goes back to 2001 for this beer.

Glass: 2002 Anchor OSA glass, rimmed with gold leaf and an actual pint-holding shaker pint glass, as indicated by the 12 ounces shown.

First "Open It!": Corne de Brume Biere des Iles

I've decided to up the ante just a bit by pulling out well-buried, seldom-used beer glasses in which to pour the beer.  First one of those: a thistle-shaped Unibroue Raftman glass, for their long-discontinued peat-smoked ale.  (Ah, the memories of that one....)

Corne de Brume Biere des Iles ["Foghorn Scotch Ale"], as the name implies, is a beer from Quebec.  That's literally all I know about it.  At first glance I thought it was a beer brought back for me by a friend who went to Quebec City and asked me for suggestions before he went, but that was a 500-ml bottle as I recall--I can't find that at the moment, and if I do it's another prime target.  This has a sticker with the U.S. government warning and the address of an importer in Virginia, so I'm guessing I got this during a visit to the Loose Caboose gourmet store
in Ashland, Va. while my friend was bidding on vintage motorcycles on eBay at the nearby library. (I talked him out of the running after he'd exceeded his price by $500.)

DEEP mahogany red, bright and clear with no lees--color-wise, one of the prettiest beers I've seen of late.  Average head retention, not great or sorry.  Nose of rich malt, tobacco leaf, dried stone fruit, molasses, and a hint of fall leaves burning.  (My wife says "Samichlaus?")  Flavor is rich malt, semi-dry with a lot of smoky hints/character and indistinct woody spice tannins.  Distinct alcohol burn in it, no mistaking that this is a 9.0% beer.  This would go brilliantly with a nicely grilled leg of lamb or steak, with green beans or Brussels sprouts.  But its smokiness and dryness demands that something else follow it, such as a sweeter, heavier beer or a dessert.  (Wife says, "Well, give me some chocolate, then!")

Website for the beer and brewery here. RateBeer.com page here (99th percentile, #4 Scotch Ale as of this posting).  I guess it's all downhill from here.
The Google translation of the French description is a hoot:

The foghorn is a Scotch ale at 9.0% alcohol. From a deep brown with hints of ruby, she dons a mocha mousse aspects. In the mouth reveals Fog Horn all its depth. A wall caramelized flavor stands before us and envelops us warmly language. This dance caramelized and lascivious binds with bitterness deaf to form a waltz which combines heady wild fruit and malt. Shortly thereafter, bitterness loosens its grip on our taste buds to slowly bring us back to reality.  Beer to age very well

Tomorrow Never Comes--Open It! This Weekend

Several bloggers have been discussing this, and now it's my turn to promote it.

Most hardcore beer geeks have at least a couple excellent beers that they've put away for aging, in many cases waiting for "just that right time" to open that bottle or raid the horde.

Tomorrow never comes.  Open up that damned bottle.  This weekend.  Now.

The idea was apparently first postulated by Mark Dredge, author of the UK's Pencil & Spoon blog in October and November blog posts.  Others have joined the cause, including regional blogger A Beer in the Hand, and now it's my turn.  There's also a Facebook page for the project, and a Twitter feed for those who just must be instantaneous with their pronouncements in 140 characters..

No excuses.  Advance warning is beside the point.  You were not supposed to run out and grab something special.  You're supposed to go dig your way back into the cellar, crawl way back under the steps where you stashed that barleywine you brewed ten years ago, or dig back in the back of the fridge.  Wherever you keep that extra-special stuff.  (Okay, you have a point if you--like I did for a while--keep your good stuff in a friend's wine cellar across town.  You still have all weekend.

Pencil & Spoon:

Does any of the following sound familiar… Lots of unopened bottles at home, special bottles, rare bottles, expensive bottles or just bottles that aren’t ready to be opened. Most of them are waiting for ‘special occasions’ but these occasions don’t come around or aren’t special enough. And the bottles build up, they get added to, a hierarchy develops, things get pushed up or down. But all you really want to do is drink these beers and you know you should just get it open, drink it and enjoy it. Instead they wait, gathering dust, not getting any better, just because we are waiting for the right moment...

So here’s the idea: let’s create a special occasion. Let’s call this special occasion Open It! and let’s drink the good beers. Let’s find a bottle from the depth of the cellar and open it, drink it and then tell others about it (in blogs, blog comments or twitter or facebook).

Open it alone or open it with others; hold an Open It! party or take it to the pub to see what people think. Most importantly, get that bottle open and drink the thing and then tell everyone about it. 

Don’t hold back thinking that a worthy special occasion will come along soon, that you might get a new job next week, a promotion next month, win the lottery, get married, have some kids, whatever. They don’t come very often and the last thing you want is to go to that bottle in a year and find that it’s past its best. This is the chance to make a special occasion just to open that bottle.

Now I'm off to the beer stock to see what's going to get opened tonight.  I also have the luxury of a party invitation tomorrow for an "Almost Hanukkah Party" at a fellow beer aficionado's house.

Stay tuned for tasting notes.  And go and raid your own stock.  NOW.

"Most Expensive Retail Beer"? Nope..........

Some recent blog traffic and beer-forum postings erupted on the Internet over an Australian brewery's supposed claim to the "Most Expensive Beer" in the world, Nail Brewing's Antarctic Nail Ale, selling the first of only 30 500-ml bottles produced at auction for $800.

Ignore this.  Left out of the hubbub are some very pertinent facts that disqualify this supposed "record":

1) The first-cited record has already been broken: the second bottle auctioned went for $1,850, and a third for $1,200.

2) The dollars are Australian, not American,  The conversion amounts to US$783, US$1,811, and US$1,185 as of today, meaning that the first auctioned bottle broke the US dollar price of BrewDog's twelve "The End of History" bottles by a mere $18.  Of course, the second auction just blows the record out of the North Sea completely.

3) It's a freakin' charity fundraiser, not retail.  The bottles are being auctioned to raise money for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization whose stated mission is "to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species."  So of course people are going to throw money at it for a good cause, not because the contents are worthy of such spending.  Never underestimate the willingness of people to bleed their hearts, especially for nature.  (I have a flashback of Doonesbury's Boopsie screaming to B.D. in an early strip, "Did you hear me?  Baby ducks!!!")
I wonder what BrewDog would have garnered for their 12 "End of History" bottle-stuffed taxidermy projects had they auctioned them for the benefit of a selected charity.  (I highly doubt the RSPCA would have been interested in the proceeds.)

But, hey, more power to Nail Brewing for milking extreme-beer mania for a good cause. Now, how long before someone posts tasting notes on one of the beer-rating sites?


By the way, if you love the Sea Shepherd cause and/or need to brag, feel free to bid on the next bottle Nail Brewing has put up for auction. #3.  One wonders if the price will increase what with worldwide opportunity to get in on the bidding, though no information on the legality of overseas purchase is given in the listing.  Note that the lot is being offered by the Sea Shepherd Society, not the brewery.  (Sorry, they can't ship it to Maryland, you know.  Pesky state laws, and all that.)

Wine Enthusiast Top 25 Beers for 2010 includes Heavy Seas Loose Cannon; Draft Magazine says to watch Stillwater

Wine Enthusiast Magazine released its "Top 25 Beers Tasted in 2010" list.

#13 was Heavy Seas Loose Cannon.  Depending on how hard you look, about half of the 25 are available in the Maryland market, including most of the top ten.

Meanwhile, Draft Magazine issued a list of "Twelve Breweries To Watch in 2011."  Highlighted locally was Stillwater Artisanal Ales, as well as Evolution Craft Brewing in Delmar, Del. and Devil's Backbone in Roseland, Va. (former Wharf Rat brewer Jason Oliver).  The latter, incidentally, has plans for a production brewing facility, raising the prospect that we may see Jason's beers return to Baltimore eventually.  Meanwhile, the article states that "Evolution plans to expand its facility four times the size of its current brewery."

Lures Xmas Beer Club Dec. 14th

Lures, down on Generals Highway near Crownsville, is holding its monthly Beer Club--buffet, tax, gratuity included for $38.50--on Dec. 14th with Southern Tier Old Man Winter, Rogue Santas, Ommegang Adoration, Avery Jubilation, Anchor Our Special Ale, and more.  No reservations needed, 6-8 PM.

Free weekend parking in Fells Point this month

Shamelessly swiped from Michael Dresser's "Getting There" blog at BaltimoreSun.com (typos corrected):

Fells Point Main Street Inc. is reporting that the Baltimore Parking Authority will allow the group to offer free street parking in the neighborhood for four weekends in December.
According to Main Street, the free parking will be allowed between 8 p.m. Fridays and 8 p.m. Sundays December 3-5, December 10-12, December 17-19 and December 24-26.  The group said it is working with the city to see  that meters and meter boxes in Fells Point are bagged during those times.
The group encourages anyone who knows of problems with the program to call the Fell's Point Main Street office at 410-675-8900. 

 Now, not that we encourage drinking and then driving..........  but just so you can't use the cost of parking as an excuse to not come up/out and check out the beer scene in Baltimore's most diverse beer neighborhood.....  (Yes, you D.C. denizens whose only experiences with Baltimore are through the HBO series The Wire--I'm talkin' to you....)

But I thought they opened back in September......?

Alewife Baltimore is running full-page ads in the City Paper--and Facebook posts--announcing its "Grand Opening Week" from Dec. 1st through the 5th.  All draft beers are $4, all food discounted $3; happy hour specials 4-6 PM.  According to their website, after the "grand opening week" happy hour policy will be "4pm-6pm every Monday thru Friday all drinks are $1 off and all food is $2 off (except sides). There will also be a $4 Bartender’s Choice Draft Special."

I suppose September, October, and November counted as the "soft opening."  Hey, as long as they don't do what a lot of restaurants and take-out joints do, leaving up a "Grand Opening!!!" sign for months.......

Rodenbach Re-Release and Program @ Max's Dec. 7th; Holiday Beers the 14th

Belgian beer fans will want to be at Max's Taphouse on the evening of Dec. 7th, when fellow beer blogger Chuck Cook will be hosting a program (along with Devin Arloski of Latis Imports) in the upstairs Mobtown Lounge to mark the return of Rodenbach to the Maryland market:

I plan to show some of the 500+ images I have from my 2008 and 2010 visits to the brewery, as well as talking about the history of this Belgian national treasure. I'll also discuss the brewing process. There should be Rodenbach, Rodenbach Grand Cru, and Vintage 2008 on hand. Several Steenbrugge Abbey Ales (Dubbel, Triple, Blonde, and Wit) and Palm will also be available that night.

If you can't make it there, just check out this lengthy blogpost--it almost doubles as a major beer-tasting presentation in its own right!

On Dec. 14th, Max's is holding its Holiday Beers sampling, with eight beers from He'Brew (the Jewish-themed brewery out of NYC) on draft.

A Second DuClaw Beer Brunch Planned

My flippant remark was close:  DuClaw company owner David Benfield reports they sold out of the Dec. 19th beer brunch at Arundel Mills in fourteen minutes.

As a result, he says, "We are working on a second date to accommodate the people who couldn't get tickets."  He'll keep us posted.