Alewife

In the theatre district, and packed after a show. Huge selection of local and regional beers on tap. Solid bottle list too. Noisy but great energy and good music. Bartender was super on, and the roast beef dip sandwich was delish! Awesome vibe, beers and food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know what constitutes a "dodgy" area in Baltimore, where the boarded up buildings and flaming trash cans start appearing less than a quarter mile from the downtown's poshest area. The bartender here advised me not to venture out on foot, for what that's worth.

So Alewife is maybe a gentrification effort? And it does a good job at that. The insides are old and gorgeous, with decently maintained fixtures, high ceilings, and large mirrors hanging weird and silent above the bar.

It's dark and quiet and warm. A good date place.

I visited on a Wednesday evening around 8 PM. There were people, but it was far from busy. The crowd was youngish and they all looked like they had jobs. There were no TVs and if there was any music playing I don't remember it. I sat at the bar and tried to get work done.

The bartender was friendly. The food was good. The selection was wide and reasonably priced.

So everything was good, really. The minimalism provides a great deal of character. If I were in a better mood at the time, or with someone I loved, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Overall a great bar. Only problem is the insanely high prices.

My favorite place to go to in Baltimore. Before reviewing everything, alot of the negative reviews of this place seem to be attributed to the fact that individuals were seated at a very busy, yet small environment. Service can obviously be lackluster even in slow times when the personnel are prepping for peak hours.

Vibe: A bit chilly, but beautiful. There is definitely a dark and sinister atmosphere to this venue where dim-lighting and close-quarters bring a tight-knit and open-ended resolution to the joint. Nevertheless, a diverse crowd always comes out, be it visitors, tourists or local beer-snobs. Love going there late at night when it's generally packed and everyone is enjoying their time off.

Quality: Exceptional. Be it food, drink or service, this place is top-notch. Their brew selection is phenomenal ranging from international players down to the local one-offs. Fantastic rotating tap with roughly 40 beers always ready for your enjoyment.

Service: Love all the bartenders that I meet here. They are welcoming, appreciative of good conversation.

Selection: Incredible. For such a small venue, I could not be more satisfied. A definite hot spot for anyone in the business center of Bmore. Well-priced and free-flowing.

Food: Phenomenal. Had a few of their artisanal dishes. Was impressed by the presentation, balance and overall flavor. Although the food may be a bit pricey, the quality definitely speaks for itself. Portions are on the short side, but it's not leaning towards greasy big-portion bar food, so much as catering to delicious pairings. Loved the mac n cheese along with a particular fresh scallop dish.

Overall: Will always visit whenever I'm in this great city.

Edit: Not to scare anyone, but this place is haunted for sure. Be wary.

 

 

 

I have been to Alewife several times and each time I wonder why I keep going back. I think they have a decent selection of drafts and bottles. The problem each time I have been there is the service. On a weekday afternoon while sitting at the bar you should not have to wait 15 minutes to be waited on. There are plenty of other great places in the city to frequent. The food is ok but overpriced and a very limited menu. Each time I go is a disappoint which sucks when they have pretty good beers on tap.

 

 

 

 

I've wanted to visit Alewife for awhile and finally got the chance. We specifically stopped by to sample a few beers they had on tap based on their website. When we arrived we were told the beers were no longer available and that approximately 5 taps were dry. We were also told that there were beers in the cooler that could be put on the taps but that they were waiting for the weekend to start tapping them. Very disappointing.

 

Good beer and food (and cocktails). Interesting building--old bank--which explains why it doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies. Loud, too, but I like the low light. The location can't help them, but I love me some Bmore and don't scare easily. I wish I was more compelled because it's around the corner from the light rail. Still, I recommend.

Great food and equally matched draft list. Oh and LOTS of bottles. But then hey, who goes to a bar and drinks bottles when the tap selection is on point?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not that one but the other one. Yes, Baltimore, for work at drink and now transitioning to at drink for play. Did the blind stumble about town but found my way, some way, anyway. Parked a sweet slander spot, fed the poser muni-meter wannabe, and assessed the shadybag factor (high)...

Old corner bank looking place in a not that great ‘hood. It is a beautiful fucking room though. Mad vaulted ceilings, tin pressed black with crown moldings, with a single center spiny, and squared drop hexagon paneled glass chandeliers. Blood red walls over black lowers with tall arched windows, some stained glass and an arched window forward where the door once was. White tiled floors with black diamond borders along the bar and slat wood floorings beyond. Framed wood balcony to the rear, the rails lined with garland & baby colored holiday lights and wreathes mounted below.

‘L’ dark wood bar with a framed panel base, and my feet left to dangle. Seating for 18 on hightop wood chairs. Row of 16 taps on the barback center and a pair of box towers along the bar with a dozen taps each. Tiered booze to both sides of the tower on the barback fronting horizontal mirrors, and glassware shelved countered and below, and more dangling from a slat rack lined with wrapping white. Large slanted horizontal mirrors above. Long drop baby spots in a row over the bar and fewer on the opposite wall, and lantern things along the bar.

Flats mounted in 3 corners, bright colorful art, and a blackboard listing tap selections on the far wall not even remotely updated or attempted. Neons in the front windows, and a Christmas tree where the door used to be. More art heavily packing the back room, and a baby faux fireplace there; it’s giving off some heat. I do not understander.

A pair of 8 stooled bar counter dividers off the bar and a baker’s dozen mix & match tables; highs and lows, singles and in rows, on the far side. Small back room with 10 tables and another small small small room with a single table there. And a handful of tables up there in the rear clock tower balcony.

40 taps, a mix of everything local (Full Tilt Berger Cookie Chocolate Stout & Baltimore Pale Ale), regional (Flying Dog Pumpkin IPA, DogFishHead Indian Brown Ale, 60 Minute IPA, & Sah’tea, Victory Golden Monkey, Prima Pils, & Headwaters Pale Ale, Yards Pynk, Troegs Perpetual IPA & Dreamweaver Wheat), New England regionals (Smuttynose Old Brown Dog, Allagash White, Black, Dubbel, & Tripel, Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale), Midwest regionals (Oskar Blues Old Chub, Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, New Belgium La Folie, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale), West coast regionals (Rogue Double Dead Guy, Ballast Point Sculpin, Stone Ruination & Double Bastard, Bear Republic Red Rocket, Grand Am, & Racer 5, Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout, Green Flash Double Stout & Green Bullet Triple IPA, 21st Amendment Back In Black), a handful of imports (Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Monchshof Schwarzbier, Kulmbacher Eisbock, Schlenkerla Rauchbier Oak Smoke Doppelbock), and ciders from near (Millstone Farmgate) and far (Original Sin). I drank the Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale, & New Belgium La Folie, You would have too.

And bottles, 64 of ‘em, by the look of things. They do a list, I looked it over. Priciest items are Firestone Walker Parabola, Bruery Tart of Darkness, & Oude Gueuze Tilquin a L’Ancienne, all at $45 a pop. Things look to be reasonably priced overall, although it’s hard to tell without my standardized price gauge (lovely) Orval.

Was looking for some din & done gave the menu a-lookin’ at. Something light me thinks; not too much, but enough. The blue catfish tacos (Potomac River blue cat, chimichurri, blistered corn salsa, chipotle cabbage slaw, sweet potato strings, one of those things makes some heat). They were perfect. I had been on the fence between them tacos and the smoke burger, airliner chicken breast, Maryland crab cake, & wild boar sliders, but I think I chose well.

We have been sucked into trivia night activities and we “guys at the bar” are not faring too well. Round 2, not much better. Caught a great meal, and would like to take in another. And the beer... Boulevard, New Belgium, & Oxford (fuckers!) Yeah, I’d do this again.