I went to the DuClaw brewpub at Arundel Mills during my January trip to Baltimore and had to stop by again. I really do love the majority of their beers– they are tasty and creative, just what you want in a brewery. I was also glad to see that, at least Sweet Baby Jesus, was readily available in many locations. My hotel, The Marriott at Inner Harbor, had it on draft in the hotel bar. The guys at the bar got a kick when I said “Sweet baby Jesus, they have Sweet Baby Jesus on draft!”

This second trip to DuClaw at Arundel Mills didn’t disappoint and being so close to the airport it was a great spot to stop for lunch before catching a flight.

Funk was a blueberry citrus wheat that was probably the closest thing I have found to my memories of Bar Harbor’s Blueberry Wheat. I hate wheat beers that are fruit and not beer. This was still a good wheat beer with hints of blueberry. The nose had just a light blueberry aroma. I really wish someone at Sea Dog would try this one so they would see how it should be done (sorry people who like this beer but it is disgusting and I am the biggest blueberry fan alive– I eat them almost daily).  The only problem with this beer was that I really didn’t get any citrus from it.

From the X-10 series, I tried the Cantalope Saison.  This beer really reminded me of the Cigar City Cucumber Saison– not sure why as a cuke should not taste like a cantalope.  It had an good underlying saison flavor but the fruit was a bit odd.

Sawtooth is a white ale.  This has a good Belgian style nose and interesting citrus flavors.

HellRazer IPA was not my favorite. It didn’t have a very strong hop nose and ended it with a very bitter flavor. To me, this was not a well balanced beer.

From the Hop Continum Series, we tried the Mosaic which was a hoppy red ale.  This had a good hop nose and a nice caramel flavor imparted from the malt– a very good beer.

Misfit Red is a solid amber ale with low hops and very malty, toasty and light caramel flavors.

Euphoria is a Toffee Nut Brown Ale. You get toffee immediately from the nose of this beer and the toffee flavors are also predominant. This is a very easy to drink and dessert like beer.

The Devil’s Milk with Bourbon is a barley wine aged in bourbon barrels. This is a strong beer with the high alcohol (10.5%) from the barley wine and strong bourbon flavors. This is a very solid beer but not for the faint of heart.

Dirty Little Freak is a really good coconut caramel chocolate brown ale. A little sweet, but still very drinkable, this beer has a hint of coconut on the nose and good coconut flavors.

From the Exile series, we tried the Coffee Stout which had a typical of burnt coffee. The taste was a bit off putting though as it tasted a bit like a cigarette put out in your coffee.

Black Lightning is an American Black Ale.  It has a solid hop nose with an underlying burnt malt. The burnt malt flavors come out up front but it finished with good hop flavor.

The Bad Moon Porter had a good solid porter nose and overall was a very balanced porter.

For those who don’t know, there is also a DuClaw in BWI airport near the Southwest check in (it is outside of security).  I went by just to see what they had and they still had Flying Fish. I had Flying Fish when I had come back in January and it was about the day it was released. It was fantastic– a raspberry chocolate truffle in a glass. Well, if you want to try this beer, make sure to get it near the release date– it doesn’t seem to age well. The raspberry flavors now tasted very artificial. It loses that fresh truffle taste and begins to taste that weird Nestle raspberry iced tea or like when you add the raspberry flavoring to coke at some of those fancy new soda machines. Don’t do Flying Fish old or it will ruin it for you.

Overall, Flying Fish aside, I have to say that DuClaw is one of my favorite breweries, just because they are unique and different.

Blue Lab Brewing Company is one of those breweries that I just love. Right in the heart of Lexington, within easy walking distance to bars, restaurants, and shops, this brewery is located in an older home that has both curbside appeal and charm.  I love to visit a brewery that isn’t located in a warehouse next to a railroad track. I always give kudos to a brewer that wants his brewery to have character.

No matter the location, I really wish that the beers here were better.  Everything here seemed unfinished– like it needed more time, a tweeked recipe, and more patience.

The Hefeweize had a light nose with hints of banana and clove.  This was a good solid hefe and probably the best beer of the lot.

The Special Bitter was a bit strong for a bitter and didn’t have much nose. The Special Bitter was also served on cask (why I don’t know).  It was better on cask with a milder hop/bitter taste.  The smoother mouthfeel was also an improvement.

The Irish Red Ale was not a good Irish red as it was very bitter up front without much taste of toast or caramel from the malt. You could get a very slight toasty malt aroma from the nose, but overall the nose was also weak.

The IPA had a mild hop nose with not much citrus.  The nose also seemed slightly off and this was more evident in the taste as it was not well balanced. Up front there was an odd taste but it did end solid hop flavors.

PDX-LEX was a double red IPA. This beer had a slight caramel nose without much hop, as would be expected from a double IPA. This beer was absolutely horrible, the finish was sweet mixed with some sort of taste that reminded me of vomit. No one at my table could drink this one.

The Irish Stout had a good coffee nose and was the beer that really should have been served on cask.  This was a solid stout that would have greatly benefit from that silky mouthfeel.

The Coffee Chocolate Stout had very good coffee notes with and underlying hint of dark chocolate.  The flavors of both were maintained in the beer and were very solid. Overall this was a good beer.

So what do I say to sum up Blue Lab— give them a chance. Some of the beers have potential and the location is worth a stop (if you should ever find yourself in Lexington, VA).

So, there has been all this hype about how great Devil’s Backbone is and how great their beers are– so, of course, you are expecting a totally stellar experience. I mean they have won awards, been featured in articles like 29 Breweries You Must Visit Before You Die, and on and on….

However, I just did see or get it.

Overall the beers were pretty average, nothing stuck out except a couple of the collaborative beers that were available in the bottle (and you have to wonder if that has to do with the collaborator). I call this phenomena the Cigar City effect–average beers hyped up by someone (who does this) to make everyone around the world want the beer but anyone who is local will characterize them as “oh they are ok”.

The staff at the brewery tasting room in Lexington was less than stellar too.  I had to wait and wait for someone to help me and then they pour about 5 tastings all at one time and did a group introduction to the beers. I found that a little off-putting as there was little individual attention to the customers.

What did impress me though was the size of the facility– it is huge.  I assume that they want to do some major distributing. It was about the biggest brewery I had been to, in terms of square feet. I don’t even think Magic Hat in Burlington was that large.

Anyway, on to the beers…

The Vienna Lager is one of their long time award winners and I would compare it strongly to Motorworks Vienna Lager which is also an award winner.  This has a traditional malty lager nose with a slightly sweet taste up front that ends in more maltiness. A solid beer– however, not so sure it is that distinct.

The Dark Abbey did not have a strong Belgian nose but had good herbal Belgian flavors with a bit of toasty malt. My father in law loved this one.

The Wood Aged Dark Abbey Dubbel was the best here and most unique.  This had a nice oak flavor that contributed nicely to the herbal flavors in the beer itself. Vanilla was also prevalent. To me, this was a chardonnay beer!

The Schwartz Bier had a nice toasty, burnt nose with prevalent coffee notes. Although the coffee flavors were strong in the beer, you still go a hint of underlying malty ones.

Aviator is an amber lager.  The nose was slightly sweet but the beer itself didn’t have much flavor.  There were no real caramel malty flavors that I expect from an amber.

Striped Bass Pale Ale has that slightly tar like nose prevalent in beers made with German hops. It has a very German taste as well with only a slight bitterness at the end.

Cattywompus is characterized as a Belgian inspired IPA.  It seemed to have a sort of weird piney nose that might have been a combination of hops and herbal notes but there were underlying hints of citrus.  This is a mild beer with a mild hop flavor and underlying tastes of citrus.

Eight Point IPA is well rounded, very sessionable IPA that finishes with good hop flavor.

Now on to the collaborations….

Devil’s Tale is a collaboration between Devil’s Backbone and Coronado Brewing.  A Black IPA with a nice aroma of coffee (not an overwhelming one) and a hint of hops, this is a really good beer. The hop flavors and coffee are also prevalent in the taste.

The Devil Went to Georgia is a collaboration of Devil’s Backbone and Ninkasi. I was really looking forward to this one but a bit disappointed. This was supposed to be a Rye IPA but I didn’t really get any rye on the nose– the nose was that of a typical IPA. There was also only a little hint of rye at the onset of each sip but it did finish with a nice hop flavor. I’ll stick to Ryeght Angle from Fat Point.

Double Gooch was collaboration between Devil’s Backbone and Fat Head. Classified as an Imperial International Pale Ale, this beer had a good hop nose and bitter finish at the end with a bit of a burn from the alcohol. It is a solid Imperial but need just a touch more sweetness to balance the bitter.

Since my in-laws live in Lexington, VA, just a few miles from the brewery, I am sure that I will be there again. Maybe next time I can figure out what all the fuss is about.

Next stop was Heavy Seas to give some of their beers a try. I didn’t do Loose Cannon or Double Cannon as those are easily available here and both good solid beers. I tried to stick with those that I hadn’t had.  Also got an oyster on the half shell because it is a required thing to do while in B’more.

The Heavy Seas Gold was a unique beer. Apparently this one won a gold at GABF in 2010 and I can see why. It has lots of flavor unlike a typical Gold which is generally is a glorified version of Budweiser. This beer had a slightly sweet and malty nose with hints of vanilla. The finish was also sweet and it is an easy drinking beer with notes of vanilla and caramel. I would recommend this one on a hot day.

Powder Monkey was supposed to be a Pale Ale but I found it very disappointing.  The nose didn’t have much hop aroma and the taste was also more malty than hoppy.  It didn’t seem well balanced, needing more hop and less malt.

Cutlass Amber had a toasty malty nose and the taste was slightly sweeter than most Reds.  It had good caramel undertones. I am not generally a Red fan and I found this much better than most.

Crossbones has a nice but lightly hopped nose. The taste is that of a very balanced session style IPA with a good but of hops but still very drinkable and light.  My husband thought the hops added too much lemon taste but to me it was quite refreshing.

Small Craft Warning had no nose and didn’t have a traditional Pilsner taste. In fact, there was not much taste here at all. This beer was too weak.

Smooth Sail was another beer without much nose but did at least have a solid malty taste.

Peg Leg had good coffee and chocolate notes of a classic Imperial Stout. However, I found that the beer was a bit bitter on the start. It did, however, finish with good strong coffee flavors.

Blackbeard’s Breakfast was aged in bourbon barrels and had a great bourbon nose. The nose also had lots of coffee which was prevalent in taste, as well. It was quite well balanced as many bourbon aged beers have too much alcohol burn– this one however did not.

I’ve always been a fan of Heavy Seas I just never do drink any of their beers on a regular basis. Double Cannon is a very solid Imperial IPA and Loose Cannon is a very solid IPA. Maybe I should add them to the regular list.

I ended up at Of Love and Regret because of a recent article circulated on Facebook giving a list of 29 breweries that you had to visit before you died.  Stillwater Artisanal Ales in Baltimore was listed on that list.  Upon googling this brewery, I learned they only sold their beer out of their brewpub, Of Love and Regret, located on Brewery Hill in Baltimore.  Well with all that publicity and praise, I had to give them a try.

I loved the atmosphere, the brewpub sits in the basement of a little old townhouse at the top of the hill, across from where National Bohemian is made. The beers here were worth the trip across town even in rush hour traffic. Even though they were mostly Belgian style, which are not generally my favs, these were spectacular.

I started with Cellar Door, a whit beer, which had a great nose smelling of sage, bananas and clove. These flavors were also prevalent in the beer, which ended with a hint of mild citrus..  Overall a great beer– in fact, I have a four pack sitting in my house right now.

Stateside Saison had a hint of an herbal nose and good balanced Belgian flavors.

Existent had chocolate and coffee hints on the nose with good coffee flavors and an underlying touch of herbs. This was also very smooth and well balanced.

Stereo, an American IPA, had a sweet nose with a hint of hops but upon taste was actually a very bitter and strong IPA. It was very dry and not as well balanced as the others.

Mono, a single hop lager, had not much nose but did have lager, malt tastes up front along with a hint of caramel and sweet. It finished with a bit of hops.

Why Can’t IBU?, a hoppy saison, (yes I had to drink this for the name– hats off to the brewer who likes the Cure) had a saison nose of corriander and herbs but finished with hopes.  Overall a very good beer (because of or in spite of the name).

Vacuum, a smoked black IPA, had a slight smoky nose with a nice smoky taste without being overwhelming or tasting artificial. It also finished with a good amount of hops.

Unfortunately, this was just a small sampling of their menu. I would have loved to try more but I had several stops to make and had to drive across town. If I got back to Baltimore anytime soon this is a definite stop. I have a couple of bottles that I brought back that are not on this list. When I try them, I will try to update this blog.

Yes, I know I have been taking my time but life has kind of gotten in the way.  Today, I start my first blog about a recent trip to Maryland and Virginia.  I am a Marylander but rarely do I have an opportunity to get downtown and check out the variety of establishments in that area.  This time I did though.

My first stop was actually The Ale Wife, a little downtown restaurant in an old bank building that featured a pretty good beer selection.  It wasn’t an actually brewery though but I did get to try a few local brews while there, including Flying Dog’s Dead Rise.  Yes I know I said I would never drink their beers after a recent horrible experience, but I couldn’t pass up beer with Old Bay (as a Marylander one of my favorite things). I really loved this beer and it hint of Old Bay spice. A very well balanced beer that had the potential to be very wrong. With a crab cake sandwich, there is nothing better.

In addition, I got to sit in the vault while at The Ale Wife. This is an experience. There are no overhead lights, just Christmas bulbs, and the thick walls make every sound echo. Absolutely unique experience! Don’t let them sit you in the main hall but ask for the vault.

Now on to the actual topic of this blog, Pratt Street Alehouse. Located just across from Camden Yards, this place is packed on a game day.  The beers here aren’t bad but nothing really all that special (next blog features the ones that are really special from Stillwater).

The Blonde Ale didn’t have much nose and was slightly sweet on taste with a hint of vanilla.  It also had a tinge of some sort of hydrocarbon taste. This one was not very good.

The Irish Style Red had a hint of a caramel nose but not as strong as I would want from an Irish red.  The taste was that of a traditional red and here the toastiness and caramel did come out.

Draft Punk, an American IPA,  didn’t have the nose of an IPA– there was very little hops.  The beer did have a good hop flavor but there was a bit of hint of chlorine in the aftertaste.

Ironman Pale Ale from the menu I expected a hop presence on the nose but I didn’t get it.  It had a hoppy taste that was a bit too bitter and not well balanced.  There was also a hint of a sour aftertaste.

Dark Horse, an English Dark Mild, was a good brown ale with a toasted malt nose and hint of coffee on the palate. It was just a hint more bitter than I would have liked.

Modern Life is Rubbish, a Victorian Porter, had a nice nose of coffee and a overall was a very nice beer with very balanced light coffee flavors and just a hint of bitter.

3 Lions, a Strong Brown Ale, was sour on the end and didn’t have much nose. The aftertaste was a bit offputting with sour bitter flavors.

Bishops Breakfast, an Oatmeal Stout, was served on nitro so it had a smooth mouth feel and a nice look of tight bubbles.  The beer didn’t have a strong stout nose but did have good flavors.

Coventry Cream had a good cream taste up front but finished bitter. As an English Bitter, this was pretty good.

Sea of Spears, a Red Wheat Ale, was very bitter at the end with hop flavors. I wouldn’t call this a wheat and even the menu description seems to imply a red IPA, not a wheat. There are no wheat flavors here.

Burial at Sea, a Ruby Mild Ale, had the same nose as the blonde. In fact, this seemed to be the blonde with most toasted and caramel flavors from the malts.

Cherry Blossom Ale was an interesting beer and the most daring that I tried. Using cherries has a huge potential for a fruit beer that is too strong in fruit flavors. This beer had a nose with just hints of cherry but still maintained wheat flavors.  The beer was well balanced and not overly sweet.

Only some of the beers here are made in-house, as they are brewed by Oliver Breweries. There are several locations around the Baltimore area that serve their beers, so you don’t need to come all the way downtown to try them.