We're not THIS bad, are we?

This cartoon above (click here for a bigger version) showed up in the midst of a somewhat controversial blogpost at the website of the UK's newspaper The Guardian. 

The blogpost--addressing the perceived failures of marketing real ale in the UK--is worth a serious read, but the comments--203 and counting--will take a lot of time to properly peruse.

Latest Baltimore Beer Label Art

For the next Stillwater Artisinal Ales release, "Of Love & Regret"............

SPBW at Judge's Bench Thursday, and Other Local Events

The usual SPBW group e-mail hasn't shown up in my inbox, but I know that the monthly "flash mob" is scheduled for the Judge's Bench in Ellicott City on Thursday evening.  Cask ale to be offered for certain.

Here are a bunch more "local" events; for more across the region and nation, go to http://www.brewingnews.com/calendar/index.shtml .

Wednesday, April 7th: Dogfish Head Aprihop Release Party – Stop by Union Jack’s in Bethesda for free glassware and specials. 6pm. 301-652-2561 or www.unionjacksbethesda.com.

Friday, April 9th and Saturday, the 10th: Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival – Join in at the Timonium Fairgrounds for a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. 60 beers, 40 bourbons, and lots of bbq. Your admission buys you a sampling glass to enjoy an all-you-can-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. Some of the best bbq vendors on-site if you get hungry all while enjoying seminars in the tasting theater and live music all day. Tickets and more details at http://beerandbourbon.com/matyland/show-info.

Friday, April 9th: Olney Village Spring Fling – Hosted by Olney Village Fine Wine. Enjoy beer and wine from several breweries and vineyards including Heavy Seas. Details at 301-774-7593 or olneyfinewine.com.

Saturday, April 10th: ESB Homebrew Competition – At Ellicott Mills Brewing Co., Ellicott City, Md. 410-313-8141 for info.

Tuesday, April 13th: An Evening of Food and Beer presented by Fishpaws Marketplace – Featuring beers from Fordham and Dominion Breweries with special guest speaker, Walter Trifari, Brewmaster. Along with dinner at Carrol’s Creek, they’ll be offering a bus trip to the Fordham and Dominion brewery in Dover, Delaware, that includes a brewery tour and lunch on Saturday, April 17th. Join in to see the brewing process from start to finish; production, bottling line, and beer tasting. Rsvp by the 7th to Kim, Kurt, or Angela at 410-647-7363 or info@fishpawsmarket.com. $50 dinner only, $75 dinner, brewery tour, and lunch.  954 Ritchie Highway, Arnold, MD 21012, 410-647-7363

Wednesday, April 14th and Thursday, the 15th: Duclaw’s Sawtooth Beer Release – All four locations celebrate the release of their 4.8% Belgian White Ale. Draft specials. www.duclaw.com.

Friday, April 16th: Heavy Seas Ladies Night at Clipper City Brewing Co., Halethorpe– Beer vs Wine – Join the gals from Heavy Seas for a ladies only event at the brewery. This educational beer tour will give you the excuse you need to hang out with your friends and learn the similarities and differences between beer and wine. Included is a tour of the brewery and a souvenir pint glass. $10 in advance at www.hsbeer.com/ladies-night-beer-vs-wine. 6-8pm.

Tuesday, April 20th: Beer Club -- Stoudt’s Brewery Night at Lure’s Bar and Grille, Crownsville, Md. – $38.50 includes Beer, Buffet, tax, and gratuity. 6-8pm. 410-923-1606 or www.luresbarandgrille.com.

Tuesday, April 20th: Beer Dinner with Hugh at AgroDolce, Germantown – Join founder, Hugh Sisson, for a culinary exploration of beer and food. Contact the AgroDolce directly for reservations and pricing. 7-9pm. 301-528-6150.  http://www.agrodolcerestaurant.com/

Saturday, April 24th: City Paper’s 14th Annual Brew Fest, Fells Point, Baltimore – Sample 30+ beers from local and regional microbreweries. Plus, music, food, and prizes. $30. 1-5pm. Tickets at www.missiontix.com/events/product/8719/city-papers-14th-annual-brew-fest.

Saturday, April 24th: Corsendonk Beer Tasting at Fenwick Beer and Wine, Silver Spring, Md. – Come out between 4-7pm for this free tasting. Located 2 blocks from the Silver Spring metro, Fenwick’s offers the largest selection of craft beer in Montgomery County (360 at current count with more to come!). Free parking in front. 301-650-5770 or www.fenwickbeerandwine.com.

New Brewery in Highlandtown/Greektown--again......

I've been trying to flush some hard confirmation (read: seeing the guys and stuff for myself in person, seeing the brewing equipment, holding a test bottle, etc.) on this report/rumor for at least two weeks now, and finally did enough first-hand shoe-leather (well, sandal and car) work to confirm enough to follow up with the readers here:

Bawlmer Craft Beers LLC has set up "shop" in the former Crown Cork & Seal industrial complex (yes, the former bottle-cap factory) south of the "Greektown" block of Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown, Southeast Baltimore.  According to a report by Scott Dance in the Baltimore Business Journal, the company is the project of former water-treatment engineer and consultant John O'Melia, along with $250,000 in private investment.  Plans are for potential production of 2,500-4,000 barrels a year, beginning with three flagship beers: Amber's Ale, Hon, an amber; Formstone Ale, an American Brown Ale named after Baltimore's ubiquitous cast-concrete faux-stone rowhouse facade material, and Crabby Abbey, a dark Belgian abbey ale.  Initial plans are for only local distribution to the beer neighborhoods of Southeast and South Baltimore, with possible expansion north along the York Road corridor, according to the BBJ article.  The website reports that the company has on hand a 20-bbl. Peter Austin brewing system complete with open fermenters.

The BBJ article does delve into the background of the current craft beer environment, including comments about the recent shutdown of Clay Pipe Brewing and the expansion of Heavy Seas' market.

Baltimore beer fans with longer memories may remember that Brimstone Brewing was similarly set up in 1994 in a corner of the former National Brewing plant nearby, now part of the Brewer's Hill real-estate and commercial development.

PS: Don't go driving around the old Crown plant trying to find it yet.  You won't, and the place isn't really set up for serving or entertaining the "public" anyway.

Olivers: The Beer Blend To DIE For

All you need to know:

On cask at Pratt Street Ale House RIGHT NOW: the first of the Cherry Blossom Ale.

On draft FOR NOW at Pratt Street Ale House:  The LAST of the heavily-chocolately-infused Bishop's Indulgence.


Thanks in part to a certain obnoxious customer a short while ago, the bar staff now understands the potential of the two of them blended together.


You have maybe 24-48 hours before the Indulgence runs out.


You can thank me (and the bar staff) later.

Olivers Cherry Blossom on cask at Pratt Street Ale House

As per Facebook report a few minutes ago.  Perfect timing as local cherry blossoms are at max blooming.  I should grab a sample en route to Max's.......

April/May Mid-Atlantic Brewing News is out

First spotted tonight at Judge's Bench in Ellicott City.  Expect the usual other venues to have it now or within a day or three.

Another Belgian Brewer To Visit Baltimore

Not doing anything Saturday?  Max's Taphouse is offering a last-minute alternative:

MAX'S SPECIAL EVENT

 

MEET THE ST FEUILLIEN BREWER

 

Max's is proud to have the brewer from the St Feuillien brewery in Le Roeulx, Belgium here.

Tomorrow, Saturday April 3, 2010  3pm.

 

We will be featuring St Feullien Saison and St Feuillien Triple on draft. We will also have St Feuillien Brune in bottles. This is a great chance to meet one of Belgium's finest brewers.

Camden Yards 2010 Draft Beer Lineup

Got a sneak preview of the new draft line-up for Camden Yards this spring/summer.

In addition to the "usual" macroswill at the stands and being served by the walk-around vendors, there will be a bar on the upper level serving drafts and cans to the fans.
The offerings will rotate between the following:
21st Amendment (cans)
Oskar Blues (cans)
New Belgium (cans)
Evolution Craft (aluminum bottles)
Tuppers Hop Pocket (draft)
The Raven (Orkney Brewery, Scotland, draft)
Duvel (draft)
Chimay (draft)
Samichlaus (draft)

Ommegang (draft and plastic bottles)

More info available at http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/bal/ballpark/guide/beer.jsp

BrewDog Declares End to Beer Strength Wars, and more "Historic Ale" from Scotland

Oh, yeah--you all DID figure out this was an April Fool's joke, right?

Now that it's been publicized, I can now let loose the news that James Watt leaked to me during his visit to Max's last week.

He and partner Martin Dickie have decided to declare an end to the ever-ratcheting "beer strength wars" by brewing the beer to end it all: a 100% alcohol-by-volume beer.  The beer, to be named "M.A.D." for the acronym for "mutually assured destruction" (the Cold War tactic of increasing armament and parity in missile destructive power), will be released in a limited edition release of 200 limited, numbered 90-ml bottles to be auctioned in a special "Dutch auction" in June with a starting price of a mere £1,500 ($2,250) each.

"We acknowledge that the price is expensive, but it really reflects our costs and efforts," said Watt in an e-mail to me confirming the release.  "We had to contract with a large pool of migrant hop pickers from the South of England to root through the concentrate and individually pick out any remaining molecules of water, lest the batch not end the record for all time.  Besides which, isn't the price worth it to drink such an affirmable record breaker?  History has shown that people will pay for the privilege of drinking the strongest beer available, and we are honoured to be the ones to bring it to an eager public, and to bring the title back to Scotland once and for all, never to fall to those pretenders across the water again."

Details of the beer, along with a pending all-brewing, no-distillation 30% beer brewed in answer to American brewers who decried the freeze-distillation technique used by the brewery in past beers as "cheating," are available in the brewery's latest blog post at http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article.php?id=AprilFirst .

Meanwhile, from Bruce of Williams Brothers, the makers of Fraoch Heather Ale, Kelpie Seaweed Ale, and others, comes word that they are brewing up another "historic ale" recipe and relegating Grozet gooseberry-wheat beer to "regular beer" status.  Look for Capercaillie, a new ale featuring a dose of capercaillie in the brewing, to be on store shelves this summer, helped in no small part with an ad campaign in Scotland featuring music by by the Scots Gaelic band Capercaillie.....   More details when I get time to write up the last couple bar visits and tours..........