…so little time. As some of you may know, Thursday was the start of the city’s 1st annual Baltimore Beer Week. Basically what that means is, from October 8-18, there are a plethora of tastings, specials, and events designed to celebrate “all things beer in the Land of Pleasant Living.”
While it’s impossible to check out all of the events, I got to attend a few this past weekend. My first stop was on Thursday night to Five, the bar at Christopher Daniel in Timonium. For the entirety of beer week, Christopher Daniel is doing $1 Natty Boh bottles, half-price drafts, a special beer-themed menu, and beer cocktails. Yes, you read that right. At first, the thought of combining liquor and beer seems just wrong. But after trying Christopher Daniel’s fall flower (Stoli Raspberry, St. Germain Liqueur, lemon, and Clipper City Organic Raspberry Wheat Beer), I was pleasantly surprised. The carbonated cocktail reminded me a lot of flavored soda and went down just as smooth. These would be great in warm weather, but worked just fine in the fall.
The following night I went to Three in Patterson Park, where they were hosting Evolution Brewery. A couple months ago, I actually visited the brewery in Delaware, which wasn’t much but a small bar, kegs in the back, and a handful of people sampling the products. I remember loving their pale ale and the fact that they had growlers. Three had a pretty sweat deal: your first beer was free and you got to keep the 22-ounce Evolution glass it was served in. On tap, they had Evolution’s porter, pale ale, IPA, and ESB (extra special bitter). You can try EVO beer for yourself later in the week at Abbey Burger Bistro, Ropewalk Tavernn, Mick O’Shea’s, and Alonso’s.
As if I hadn’t had enough ale, I rolled over to The Wharf Rat, who I think is offering one of the best specials this week. For nearly all 10 days, you can get any three beers for $5. The beers have to be different and they’re served in Pub Dog-style mugs. The special is a great way to sample the various Oliver Ales, pictured, and was obviously working for the bar, as it was packed on Friday night. I recommend their spicy Harvest Ale and Hot Monkey Love (just so you can say the name, really).
There are still five more days to enjoy Baltimore Beer Week, with events like tomorrow night’s brews and blues night at The 8×10, Thursday’s pre fixe six-course beer dinner at Brewer’s Art, and countless beer tasting and sampling throughout the Baltimore region. So what are you waiting for? Drink up!