The second stop we made in Frederick was at another brewpub called Barley and Hops.  This location was not nearly as charming as Brewer’s Alley as it was located in a strip mall just outside of town. Staring at a Target, doesn’t do much for ambiance.

The beers here were decent though and once inside it was warm, cozy, and packed with people. The beers here also had great names based on Maryland landmarks and history. I always enjoy it when brewers give beer good unusual names.

We started with the Catoctin Clear Lager. For those that don’t know, the Catoctins are the mountains located just outside of Frederick. This was a pretty nondescript tasting and smelling beer with a good name. Unfortunately, this was too much like Budweiser for me. However, I am pretty sure that Bud fans would go for this one.

Lunch Break Brown was also a pretty nondescript beer. I didn’t get any nuttiness in the taste and really only got a slightly toasted and hop flavor.

FSK (i.e., Francis Scott Key– the guy who wrote the Star Spangled Banner) was a solid IPA. It had good hop flavor and a light hop nose.

Tuscarora Red was another beer that was not my favorite. It seemed way too sweet to me. You got overwhelming sweetness on each taste and only a hint of a toasted malt that should be evident in a red.

Schifferstadt Stout was a solid stout with good coffee flavors. This stout was a bit on the too sweet side for me too.

Snallygaster Dark Ale was by far my favorite here.  This had good solid hop flavors along with the coffee flavors from the dark malt. I think this was what my home brewed beer was supposed to taste like.

While at Barley and Hops, I also tried one of the guest taps, a Scotch Ale from DC Brau. This didn’t have much of a nose and tasted a bit too sweet and a lot like toffee. I hear great things about this brewery though. I might have to check them out next time I am in town.

After the fiasco at Flying Dog, we got on the internet and searched for other local breweries in the Frederick area.  We lucked out and found Brewer’s Alley which is apparently Frederick’s oldest brewpub and located in the historic downtown area. I hadn’t been to downtown Frederick in over 20 years so it was quite interesting to see how it had changed. The downtown is now thoroughly gentrified– filled with cute trendy shops and higher end restaurants.  Being that the downtown is about 300 years old, the area is cute and charming. In this midst of all this, we found Brewer’s Alley.

Located in an old townhouse from probably the late 1700s, this place exudes charm and feel. The beers were not spectacular and the service left a lot to be desired, but the atmosphere is worth the trip.

We started with the Kolsch which was very traditional and a solid representative of that style. It didn’t have much nose but just a hint of malt and light aromas of German hops. Not my favorite style of beer, but it was easy drinking and true to style.

The IPA on cask was the next one we tried. PLEASE DON’T PUT IPAS ON CASK!!!!!! IT RUINS THE HOP TASTE. I tried this same IPA on cask and not  on cask. I have to tell you that the silky mouthfeel from the cask and the lack of hops flavor ruined the IPA served on cask. This same IPA on draft was quite good with good hop taste but with a weak nose. A friend of mine couldn’t even believe they were the same beer.

The Weizen was a good solid wheat beer with that yellow, cloudy appearance and malty taste with hints of citrus.

21 Cherries might have been one of the worst beers I have ever had. I think they were going for a sour but this was not a sour– it tasted more like rotten cherries than sour ones.  I also would have expected it to have some sort of cherry nose, which it did not.

The Nut Brown Ale was not as nutty as I would have liked with little nose. There was only a hint of that toasty maltiness that you expect from this style of beer.

O My Gourd was a solid fruit beer. Made with butternut squash instead of pumpkin, this beer had a nose of cinnamon and nutmeg and subtle squash flavors. The beer was really nutmeg forward.

1634 Ale was supposed to represent the type of beer favored by our founding fathers. The beer tasted like rye bread in a glass with really forward flavors of caraway seed. I think I would have stayed away from beer if I was a founding father.

Three Kings was a holiday style beer. Although 3 different spices were supposed to be present, I found it very nutmeg forward with only underlying hints of cinnamon.

The Scotch Ale seemed very traditional with a classic sweet and malty nose. It was a bit on the sweet side in taste but still finished with the burn at the end.

The Oatmeal Porter was very nice with a toasted, burnt nose and good mouthfeel.  This was a good solid porter with traditional coffee flavors. The color made it seem a bit more like a brown ale than a porter, though.

Finally the Smoked Porter had a good nose with nice smoky aromas. However, the taste of the smoke seemed fake not from a real smoking process. It reminded me a bit of that fake smoke taste you get from a cheap smoked Gouda.

So, would I recommend Brewer’s Alley? Most definitely especially when compared to the other offerings in the area. Don’t expect anything great but do expect a nice atmosphere. Service was really lacking the night we were there, so make sure you are not in a hurry to move on to another stop.