BeerAdvocate Does Baltimore

Discussion in 'Mid-Atlantic' started by Jason, Oct 24, 2012.

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  1. Jason

    Jason Founder (0) Aug 23, 1996 Massachusetts

    Just a quick FYI the BeerAdvocate crew will be dropping into Baltimore on Friday, December 7th as a part of our Dogfish Head trip for the Extreme Beer Fest collaboration brew. We'll be taking a later flight out on December 8th so we'll have time for a couple more visits if not more.

    Places that are already on the list ...
    • The Brewer's Art
    • Max's
    • Of Love & Regret
    • Alewife
    http://beeradvocate.com/events/info/57861

    We will have room for one or two more stops ... as one or two of the beer bars will end up being late-night.

    Would love to hear suggestions, looked at previous threads ... anything new?

    Cheers!!
     
    #1 Jason, Oct 24, 2012
    CoolshipMike and Todd like this.
  2. AngusOg

    AngusOg Pooh-Bah (2,082) Apr 23, 2010 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Seems like you have most of the heavy-hitters covered. I will throw Pratt Street Alehouse in as a suggestion, as well as Mahaffey's and Hudson Street Stackhouse in Canton (within walking distance of each other).
     
    #2 AngusOg, Oct 24, 2012
  3. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Sounds like your dance card is already pretty full, but I also would recommend Mahaffey's as well. It has that quintessential Baltimore neighborhood vibe that you just don't find at too many other places. Also, unless you have something specific set up with Brian S. and Stillwater (or want to stop by to say hi to Ryan and Leigh), I might reconsider Of Love and Regret as well. I don't mean to knock the place, but Stillwater beers are readily available around town (Max's will likely have at least several on tap, and they typically have an excellent bottle selection as well), and personally, I don't think the food there is all that much superior to what you'll find at Alewife (but that's just my opinion). It's also a bit of hike to get to from the Inner Harbor/Fells Point area, where it sounds like you're focusing most of your time and energy.

    If you skip Of Love and Regret, then you can easily add Pratt Street Alehouse to your itinerary as well. It's very close by to Brewer's Art and Alewife, and I think the britsih style ales made there by Steve Jones would make an interesting contrast to the beers you'll find elsewhere in town. Just my two cents... welcome to Baltimore and enjoy your trip.
     
    #3 John_M, Oct 24, 2012
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  4. jgasparine

    jgasparine Initiate (0) Nov 17, 2007 Maryland

    I second the suggestions for Mahaffeys & Hudson Street Stackhouse. Mahaffeys for the reasons already stated, Stackhouse because it's run by passionate people and it has been consistently growing to be a great Beer Advocate in Baltimore City.

    One last suggestion- get in touch with Union Craft brewing and tour the City's newest underdog brewing company, which in my opinion, is making great beer!
     
    #4 jgasparine, Oct 24, 2012
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  5. scraff

    scraff Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2003 Maryland

    I would definitely add Pratt St. to the mix. Steve is making fantastic beer these days. Cheers!
     
    #5 scraff, Oct 24, 2012
  6. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I like Hudson St. Stackhouse a lot, but in all honesty, it's rare when I find something there that I can't find at Max's or Alewife. Assuming there's a limit to the number of places the OP can visit, I would reluctantly drop Stackhouse from the list.
     
    #6 John_M, Oct 24, 2012
  7. RichardMNixon

    RichardMNixon Maven (1,431) Jun 24, 2012 Pennsylvania

     
    #7 RichardMNixon, Oct 24, 2012
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  8. jjboesen

    jjboesen Pooh-Bah (2,054) Feb 1, 2002 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah

    I would substiitute Pratt Street for Wharf Rat in Fells Point: same beer, but more atmospheric (historical maritime tavern and all that...)
     
    #8 jjboesen, Oct 24, 2012
  9. gregkoko

    gregkoko Initiate (0) Mar 12, 2010 New York

    Never been a huge Wharf Rat fan, but will again echo the sentiment of Mahaffey's. Place is great
     
    #9 gregkoko, Oct 24, 2012
  10. wd09601

    wd09601 Crusader (416) Jul 29, 2012 Maryland

    If you don't mind venturing out of the city you can hit up the Judge's Bench (20 min away from the city)
     
    #10 wd09601, Oct 25, 2012
  11. DRBiser

    DRBiser Initiate (0) May 4, 2012 Maryland

    Combining the thoughts from my above BAs, I think that Steve Jones' British style ales would be a fantastic compliment to everything you else you will taste. But i also think that Wharf Rat is quite a unique pub and perhaps you would prefer it over the touristy vibe of the Alehouse. It certainly exudes history, and is a 2 minute walk from Max's.

    Lastly, regarding food & bev as a whole, Jacks' Bistro in Canton is the best restaurant in Baltimore IMHO, and fortunately remains somewhat of a secret. Their German chef Ted Stelzenmuller is a mastermind and -- in addition to having some of the best food I've had in Baltimore/New York/London -- always has a well thought-out beer selection (he was going to split time and be the executive chef at OLAR when it opened, but no longer. I spoke with Brian the other night and they had an unfortunate clash of egos....fair enough - Brian wanted more control of the menu. But i'm actually pleased as he can maintain focus at Jacks!) But i digress...a few nice samples currently at Jacks are below:

    Kerstmutske "Triple Nightcap" Dark Ale - Belgium- $8.5
    Dieu du Ciel- rye peppercorn ( spicy ) - Canada- $8.5
    tSmisje whiskey matured "Grand Reserva" - Belgium- $9.5
    Nogne Winter Porter - Norway - $12
    St. Bernardus "ABT 12" (quadrupel) - Belgium- $8.5
    Pottelmereke- Special Dark - Belgium- $8.5
    Hofstetten "Von 1810"- Octoberfest - Austria - $8.5
    Weyerbacher "Autumnfest"- PA- $6.5

    Have a great time and enjoy this fantastic city! Cheers
     
    #11 DRBiser, Oct 25, 2012
  12. Jason

    Jason Founder (0) Aug 23, 1996 Massachusetts

    Thanks for the reminder ... Pratt Street Ale House will be on the list, not sure which day yet.
     
    #12 Jason, Oct 26, 2012
  13. TheFunGuy

    TheFunGuy Initiate (0) Dec 27, 2011 Virginia

    A third for Pratt St.

    Maybe to get a photo and a quick liter the beer greenhouse at Power Plant Live.
     
    #13 TheFunGuy, Oct 27, 2012
  14. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,518) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    STAFF Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah

    Sorry johnmichaelsen and bstill. I had to remove your back and forth in order to keep the focus on our visit, which we're really looking forward to.

    Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep 'em coming.
     
    #14 Todd, Oct 29, 2012
  15. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Not a problem Todd. I probably shouldn't have responded to his first comment (it's just that I so infrequently have someone tell me they love me...:-). Mea Culpa for that.
     
    #15 John_M, Oct 30, 2012
  16. copybingo

    copybingo Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2011 Pennsylvania

    Heavy Seas Brewery...
     
    #16 copybingo, Oct 30, 2012
  17. jimmy666

    jimmy666 Initiate (0) Jun 20, 2010 Maryland

    Another recommendation for Pratt St.,Jack's Bistro and Mahaffey's. I too would skip OLAR unless you have some sort of event planned, cheers
     
    #17 jimmy666, Oct 30, 2012
  18. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You might also want to consider the Heavy Seas Alehouse. In many ways it's similar to OLAR, as it's essentially a tied house, in this case serving nothing but heavy seas beers on tap (they have a few guest bottle selections, but for beer, the heavy seas stuff is the way to go here). Like OLAR, the Alehouse tries to portray itself as a fairly upscale restaurant, one that just happens to serve a nice selection of beer. Prices are a bit on the high side (as they are over at OLAR as well), and I don't think the food is quite as good as what you get at OLAR, but it's a good place to go to try a wide selection of Heavy Seas ales, and usually they'll have some interesting options on cask as well.

    The one real drawback to places like Heavy Seas Alehouse and OLAR (IMHO), is that both Stillwater and Heavy Seas beers are fairly easy to find around town, and most of those other places charge less than what you'll have to pay at OLAR and Heavy Seas. Nevertheless, both places are worth a visit for a first time visitor, especially if they have a particular interest in sampling Stillwater and Heavy Seas beers, and are not too limited on time. The Alehouse has the added advantage of being very close to Max's, while OLAR has the advantage of having more accessible parking.
     
    #18 John_M, Oct 30, 2012
  19. MeadGuyfromMD

    MeadGuyfromMD Zealot (562) May 23, 2007 Maryland
    Trader

    What time will the meetup begin? I am unable to make it to Rehoboth this year :-(
     
    #19 MeadGuyfromMD, Nov 27, 2012
  20. bierman2000

    bierman2000 Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2003 Pennsylvania

    John and all you people have TOO Many fine alehouses/beer bars in Bawlmer.. wish I was closer and Todd/Jason you hit Fells Point and then go SE from there and you're Golden !!
     
    #20 bierman2000, Nov 28, 2012
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