Brew Dog (Scotland) Reviews

Brew Dog The Physics (660 ml bottle, 5.0%)--yes, decidedly tame and amber, carries hallmarks of Scottish beer, namely the emphasis on malt, a lovely sweet/caramel body without being cloying...... some nice noble hops lurking there, but a well-balanced beer....

Brew Dog Punk IPA (660 ml bottle, 6.0%)--light, almost pils color, better head retention than most, minimal nose.... rich straw flavor, rather dry and bitter--oh, hell, let me quote the bottle label:

This is not a lowest common denominator beer.
We don't care if you don't like it.
We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.
This beer is in no way mainstream or commercial, it is proud to be the alternative.

It goes on for three more paragraphs in such a vein, like Groundskeeper Willie on a bender and a rant. As for the beer: Proof that a golden beer can be nicely hoppy and chewy, even bitter, without being pedestrian. The "straw" character--grassy, almost a bit "cabbagey"--would turn some folks off, but I can see a place for this beer on a hot summer day, preferably at sundown. My friend characterizes the hops as "obviously American--Cascade, Amarillo....."

Brew Dog Paradox Islay (330ml bottle, 10%, split with friend in snifters): black, low head retention, nose as charred as a mesquite charcoal pit! Flavour (note the British spelling, thanks): cross an aggressive rauchbier with a rich imperial stout (I'm thinking Stone or Dogfish). Many folks would compare this to licking a cigar ashtray. Not that I would know. Impact-wise, you HAVE to be in the right frame of mind to drink these beers--it's not like a JW Lees Harvest, which will swiftly PUT you in the mood. This much smoke should not have survived in the wood, should it?

Brew Dog Paradox Speyside (330ml bottle, 10%, split in wine glass): equally black, low HR, in contrast a rich, sherried, barleywine nose. Now THIS is what folks should expect: HUGE all around. Rich, almost buttery, lots of toffee... rich as honey, considerably "over the top"..... order this when you want to recreate the infamous scene from "When Harry Met Sally"....... "I'll have what she's having...."

We passed around my order of the only (draft) beer I thought could stand up to these monsters: Oskar Blues Ten Fidy: Ka-boom, ka-boom...... yadda dadda dadda daddy ka-boom, ka-boom....... Enormous, huge.......

And finally (I PRAY)....... Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30-Year (8.0%): compzared to the other "features" of the night, considerably more subdued--but that probably works in its favour. Big character, well rounded, but just a bit less spectacular that the above beers...... all this really says is what a wretched embarrassment of riches I'm surrounded by, rather than any negatives about the beer itself.....

And my friend (who shall remain unnamed) quaffs the JW Lees Harvest on cask: He compares it (quite rightly, I think) to an over-the-top clover mead. "Though I never met a clover mead with a one-minute finish..."

New Real Ale Maker in Town!

The Dog Pub--formerly the Thirsty Dog Pub--in Federal Hill has undergone an apparent maturation in the past couple months. Formerly a "faux" brewpub that sold re-branded Old Dominion beer, they were all but forced to snap up their own brewery--the former Clay Pipe facility in Westminster--and start brewing in order to fulfill their mission of serving house beers. Since then, they've expanded as well, with a second location in Columbia, Md. (across the parking lot from the terrific Frisco Grille).

I have yet to hear a "beer geek" sing the praises of these beers--not because of any fundamental flaws, but simply because the beers seemed to lack any real character, aimed more at the "average Joe/Jill" beer drinkers than aficionados (and, in the case of the Federal Hill location, dog-walking "average J's"). The image of beers flavored with fruit syrup after their pouring didn't help their image any, either. But their two-mugs-for-$3 special (has it been raised yet?) was a welcome dose of variety after the late Sean Bolan's closed a while back and Ryleigh's (the former Sisson's, site of Maryland's first modern-era brewpub) finally stopped pretending to have house beers at their much-renovated location.

Well, an e-mail from the just-around-the-corner Metropolitan Coffee House and Lounge reveals that the Dog Pub has supplied them with a firkin of Hoppy Dog, their hoppy (well, duh) pale ale.

The Dog Pub going to cask-conditioned beers? This bears checking out! More details as they become available...... meanwhile, the firkin is scheduled for tapping Thursday, June 5th at 6 PM. See you then.

UPDATE: an online report indicates that the Health Department may have finally caught up with this place, banning the dogs in what used to be as dog-friendly a place as you were likely to find (everything but a beer tap for the dogs).

In Defense of the Three-Tier System

The three-tier liquor distribution system mandated by most states in the Mid-Atlantic region is a favorite "whipping boy" of pseudo-libertarian-minded beer/wine fans who grouse that "the system" prevents the completely open market of direct shipments of beer/wine to the consumer, etc.

Brewery owner and fellow blogger Hugh Sisson, who's been in this business for 20 years or so, chimes in with his thoughts at his blog (as with others, linked at the list at the right). Having just come from a state where beer is seemingly everywhere--drive-through liquor stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, big-box super stores, you name it--I can see his points. It always seems much harder to find good local/craft beer in such states than in this market.

True story: I was told a certain liquor store in central Maryland, which I formerly would have regarded as second-rate at best, had changed hands, and might have a slightly better selection, and "would you check it out and see if it's worth our trouble?"

I found a Normandy cider. At a good price. That sure satisfied the cider fan who had asked me to check out the new selection.

Get Your Wood On!

If you're a fanatic of wood-aged beers, your presence is mandatory at Max's Taphouse tomorrow night (Tuesday, June 3rd).

At the Tuesday Night Beer Social (upstairs in the Mobtown Lodge beginning @ 6 PM), Casey is pouring four new-to-the-region beers from the year-old Brew Dog Brewery in Fraserburgh, Scotland:

Punk IPA 6.0% ABV "post-modern classic Pale Ale"/IPA

The Physics 5.0% ABV ("Laid-back Amber Ale")

Paradox Islay 10.0% ABV Imperial Stout Aged in Ardbeg Casks (Batch 009)

Paradox Speyside 10.0% ABV Imperial Stout Aged In Glen Moray Casks (Batch 005)

Meanwhile, down on the beer engines, you may choose between the J.W. Lees Harvest Ale aged in Lagavulin Casks and the Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 Year. Both of these beers are stupendous in bottle; on cask they're arguably better than even the vaunbted Samuel Adams Utopias. (But I would be remiss in not noting that, as far as I can tell, Mahaffey's in Canton got their cask of Ola Dubh on first.....)

Not enough for you? Also on draft are--among other wonderful beers--Oskar Blues Tenfidy, Stone Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard, Smuttynose Jack Daniels Porter (about which I know nothing, but assume bourbon barrels are somehow involved), and Allagash Curieux. And I'm wagering there's another one or two wooded beers somewhere on the drafts I missed.

See you there--maybe with some tweezers for removing tongue splinters.

Back from Arizona

Hello, folks, I'm back.

Spent close to a month in Arizona, with a little beer drinking/pubcrawling thrown in (nowhere near as much as many readers here would do, but then I wasn't driving, and gas prices ARE high....).

Will comment and try to get caught up as time allows..............

Yummy Smuttynose

Metropolitan Coffeehouse in Baltimore's Federal Hill is pouring another of their one-off treats this week for the Firkin Thursday: Smuttynose's IPA, 6.6%, on handpump, dry-hopped in the firkin with Simcoe hops. Now, normally I'm not a Simcoe fan--Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe a few years back left me almost wincing in semi-pain as just too "over-the-top" in more ways than one--but this works nicely. Hazy golden, rich head, outrageously distinctive hop nose--it's neither piney nor grapefruity; I'm inclined to compare it to white grapefruit, if only because I had terrific pink grapefruit with breakfast this morning, and that ain't it. Okay, call the nose grilled grapefruit drizzled with honey. Flavor: lots of hop bitterness, but well balanced between grassy notes, pine needles, dandelion, and white grapefruit. Maybe it's the cloudiness, but I get a touch of dandelion wine in the body and finish. (And yes, the thought occurs to me as I type this: how many readers of these words have ever sampled dandelion wine??) Outrageously complex and full-flavored, but dangerously drinkable. Do come and drink this richness and relish in the lovely day and beer that it is, but be careful.

Owner/manager Bruce Dorsey stops by and tells me about a couple brewpubs in Argentina he had chance to sample as part of an Argentine wine vacation. Well, bully for him--but is this Anglophile still holding it against Argentina for the Falklands War in1982? I guess not.

And how does Metropolitan manage to score such incredible firkins? They took a proactive move that I think more places should adopt.

Mixing Politics and Beer: Is There ANY Hope?

Lew Bryson's comments on the Pennsylvania primary and some beer images that popped up as a result (primarily Barack Obama quaffing an ESB sample at Bethlehem Brew Works) and the hubbub that erupted in the blogosphere at Hillary Clinton supposedly partaking of a Canadian whiskey in a photo op (instead of, say, a Kentucky or Tennessee whiskey) leads me to a somewhat obvious conclusion:

Is there really ANY booze of any kind that a presidential candidate could consume that would have nothing but a positive connotation, or at least that some twit couldn't twist or misconstrue in some fashion?

Frankly, I think Obama's photo op is about as close to "safe" as someone can come: Let's see, locally-made beverage, "working man's drink," no packaging means it's a "green" choice...... but maybe it's a non-union shop, or BBW doesn't compost their wastes, or.......

Supposedly Ms. Clinton was reported in the Philly Inquirer as being fond of Blue Moon with a slice of orange. Throw aside all the implications of "chick beer" that screams...... a Coors product, from a company run by a very ardent Republican supporter? I'm surprised that the Democratic blogosphere hasn't crucified her already (or maybe they have and I just don't pay attention to them).

But seriously, what else? Are any of us still boycotting the French because of the whole lead-up-to-Iraq thing? (I know at least one bloke that is--in more serious economic terms than just not buying a beer or wine.) Drinking at all--does that turn off the Bible-thumpers or the MADD/AA crowd? (Being a supposed teetotaler hasn't apparently hurt Bush 43 in any way that I can see.) And we're still suffering the long-term ratifications of Jimmy Carter's brother: "I have this six-pack of Billy Beer in unopened mint condition, how much is it worth?" What if a candidate ate sushi and drank sake?

German beer: Might offend those few Jews that might prove said brewery was a participant in Nazi horrors decades ago. Japanese beer/sake: ticks off Pacific WW2 vets or those carmakers displaced by Japanese carmaker successes. South African wines: will probably cheese off African-American activists, even if for no good reason. Tequila, vodka, rum, or any spirits? Probably "corrupting our youth as a bad influence."

Looks like the only choice is to go to a brewpub. That, or very local wine.

Got a better answer?

City Paper Brew Fest

The 12th annual City Paper Brew Fest is this Saturday. It really needs no plug from me; it usually manages to sell out absent anything but a monsoon, and last year the line for admission to the fest wrapped completely AROUND the entire Broadway square at Fells Point. In spite of advance ticket sales.

One brewery on the list (see ad at link above) that's still an enigma for us: St. George Brewing of Hampton, Va., which despite being around since 1998 has yet to make any inroads into the Baltimore or Maryland market that I can tell, in spite of also being present at last year's City Paper fest.

I always liked the mysterious-looking, vaguely Aztec-like bird that is part of the promotional graphics. But of course, the obvious question: Given that the City Paper runs Tony Millionaire's "Maakies," wouldn't Drinky Crow (above) be a better mascot?



Okay, maybe not.

The Case Against Pa.'s Liquor Control Board

I'm a Pennsylvania native. When folks asked why I moved to Maryland years ago, one of my standard jokes was that I was getting away from Pennsylvania's Liquor Control Board and its antiquated business models--beers only available by cases from mostly dusty and seedy-feeling "distributors," a bureaucratic and monopolistic State Store system, etc. I despised the fact that, to get a decent beer selection, I had to drive to visit my friends in Delaware and then duck across the state line to State Line Liquors in Maryland, then technically break the law by driving home with "foreign" beers. In a case of bitter irony, though, one of the best brewpubs in the nation (in my opinion and several others') opened in my hometown several years after my departure.

Well, fellow beer writer/blogger Lew Bryson is now so fed up with the PLCB that he went this far.

A stand-alone blog attacking the PLCB.

Up and at 'em, Lew.

Federal Hill Update

A request from a reader basically kicks my posterior into updating and highlighting some new places at the same time. Specifically, I was asked about any places to drink in Baltimore's Federal Hill.

First, the new place: I was informed by Ken Krucenski, the former owner of Sean Bolan's in Federal Hill, that he and partners basically "repossessed" the former bar at 1236 S. Light St, which had been operating as Clayton's for the past year or so. It has been re-sold, this time reborn as Muggsy's. I visited the other day; if you remember the original Sean Bolan's, you'll be right at home. They've got a nice selection of craft and craft-like beers (the most unusual when I was there: Saranac Pomegranate Wheat) in both bottles and draft, and a decent-looking menu.

Next, the other new upstart in the neighborhood, Metropolitan Coffeehouse and Wine Bar. Well, not really new--you've seen a mention or two on this blog already. The former One World Cafe at 902 S. Charles St. has a limited but good selection of drafts and bottles to complement its coffees, teas, and wines.

An old standby for good beer in the neighborhood is the Ropewalk Tavern at 1209 S. Charles St. This place has long had a dependably large selection of bottles and drafts, but at the same time has the distinction of being possibly the only venue in the nation to demand its removal from the popular Pubcrawler website, allegedly over a long series of (possibly politically motivated) bad reviews and their attempts to have same removed from the website. Others simply don't seem to care for the overall atmosphere in the bar; it seemingly attracts a somewhat gregarious, affluent, and "yuppie" crowd that doesn't seem to sit well with some beer consumers.

Illusions, at 1025 S. Charles St., is an interesting diversion from the usual bar scene--a magic-themed lounge serving a high-classed clientèle, as well as Magic Hat beers. Oddly, no draft beer yet, but probably one of the more interesting experiences you're likely to see in Baltimore's bars. Watch out for a weekend cover charge and dress code (no sneakers or baseball caps).

I would be remiss if I didn't mention what is technically Federal Hill's only "brewpub", the Dog Pub at 20 E. Cross St. They don't brew the beers on premises, but instead own the former Clay Pipe brewing facility out in Westminster, where they brew for both this location and a new site in Columbia, Md. They formerly served re-badged Old Dominion products before the sale of OD to Coastal/Anheuser-Busch and their dropping from the Maryland market, forcing them to "brew or die". Happy hour gives you two beers (10-0z. mugs) for $4; the beers are at least distinctive and a definite step up from macro-swill or NAILs (North American Industrial Lagers), but almost completely overshadowed by the other "players" in town. But the pizzas are terrific. (Nope, no website. Try an Internet search for more reviews.)

If you walk by 36 E. Cross St., pay tribute to the original site of Maryland's first new-generation brewpub, Sisson's. It's now two generations past, operating as Ryleigh's Oyster House, and though the old taps were still there last I looked, the place has nothing left of the original claustrophobic shoehorned-in brewery (which is now in service in West Virginia as Mountaineer Brewing, run by Brian Arnett, the last brewer at the Ryleigh's brewpub). Sisson's, of course, mutated into Clipper City Brewing Co., still run by Hugh Sisson in Arbutus/Halethorpe.