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.

DuClaw was actually my first stop on a recent trip to Maryland.  I wrote about Flying Dog first because I just had to get that off my chest. DuClaw was a refreshing and wonderful experience and I cannot say enough nice things about them or their beer.

I visited the DuClaw brewpub located at Arundel Mills Mall.  I never really realized how close this location was to the airport and may have to make this a stop next time I am in town as well. Literally, five minutes from the rental car pickup this is a must stop if you fly into BWI.

I did a six sampler flight of my choice during this stop. Unfortunately, I was by myself so I didn’t really think I should try all 22 beers that were available.

I started with the Grid Lock IPL. I have to admit I am somewhat fascinated by the concept of the IPL, as they are still quite rare and many are not distinguishable from an IPA.  This one was. It had a nice hop nose and bitter finish but was very light in color like a lager. It also still maintained that distinctive lager finish and flowery taste and nose.

Neon Gypsy IPA had a slight hop nose and was very bitter on the finish. It had a hint of a grassy, weedy flavor.  A solid IPA on all accounts.

Serum XXIPA was very, very bitter on first taste so bitter than I actually squashed up my nose as I wasn’t expecting it. I also detected a hint of that skunk flavor but you really had to taste for it. The bitterness here I found just a bit offputting and that it needed more sweetness for balance. My least favorite of the beers here.

Dirty Little Freak, on the other hand, may have been my favorite.  A coconut caramel brown ale this was a Mounds bar in a glass. There was a good flavor of coconut but it was not overpowering with a hint of chocolate on the nose and taste.  This reminded me of the Maui Toasted Coconut Porter that ranks in my top 10 of all time. I have to get this beer again!

Naked Fish is a chocolate raspberry stout and according to the manager, who came over to talk with me about the beers and brewery, the most popular seasonal beer. This one apparently won a silver at GABF. It smells and tastes like a chocolate truffle. Don’t miss this one if you get a chance!

Sweet Baby Jesus is probably the best known of the DuClaw beers. I have a bottle sitting in the other room and have promised about 10 people they can give it a try– guess it is gonna be a small pour. You will not find anything closer to a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in a glass than this beer. This chocolate peanut butter porter took bronze at GABF.

Guilty Filthy Soul is an imperial chocolate rye porter.  This didn’t have much of a nose to me and not as much chocolate on the finish as the other beers I tried. There was a underlying rye flavor but this beer tasted more of a dark malt with a more porter like flavor.

Retribution is a single bourbon barrel imperial stout. The bourbon nose on this beer was fantastic as were the bourbon flavors. The bourbon flavors here were bold not like those in a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout or Ale. In fact, the flavors here might be considered by some as a bit overwhelming. I am a bourbon fan so for me this was a very well done beer.

I highly recommend a stop at DuClaw. I think next time I might try to make it up to the actual brewery near Baltimore. The beers here are worth the trip and the staff at this location were fantastic. At the end of my visit, I wanted to buy some beer but they only sell full six packs. However, one of the staff directed me to the local Total Wine where I was at least able to get some Sweet Baby Jesus. Going out of your way means a lot to a visiting beer lover!