Better Late Than Never! FNP #7/52

Seems like Friday Night Pints has turned it to mid-week posts!!  Oh well, all for the love of beer! 



Ayinger October Fest (Marzen)
5.4%

 Unfortunately I "rushed" through last week's Friday Night Pint since I was on my way to pour beer for Blue and Gray Brewing at the St. Benedict Oktoberfest.  So, just some quick thoughts on Ayinger's Marzen (October Fest)...I love fall, but am often not the biggest fan of Oktoberfest beer.  This one holds it's own however with a nice medium body and that earthy, spicy hop flavor and aroma you would expect.  A thin lacing coated the glass throughout, but it wasn't in the glass for long!  Overall, a nice representation of the style, and a good choice if you are looking to venture into the land of fall seaonal brews.   

Now, on to bigger and better things!  I spent the rest of the night at my first Oktoberfest (state side of course!) pouring three selections from Blue and Gray Brewing.  We had our Oktoberfest, Fred Red, and Stonewall Stout to offer the revellers, who by far preferred the seasonal brew.  Even members of the local distribution company raved about it and wanted to know why we weren't part of their family (geez, I don't know.  Maybe because you won't give small breweries the time of day you big bullies!).  Stonewall was a close second and Fred held his own (but I think his feelings were hurt...he's usually the preferred brew).  I planned on spending a couple of hours at the Festival, but ended up there until after 10 o'clock wondering when, if ever, the crowd would disperse.  Then it hit me...if you pour it, they will stay!  It wasn't until after the unfortunate news that the beer would no longer flow that the celebration began to wind down.  The pictures below were taken just as the festival began.  No time for pictures later...too many people wanting beer!

Ummm...yeah. You know what's on my Christmas list now, right?



We might have had fewer offerings than Brown, be we're more fun! 

Now I won't bore you with too many details about the rest of my weekend, but I must say, it kicked ass.  Not only was I able to spend some quality time with the boys, I got to visit the Marine Museum (instead of just driving by and commenting on the view from 95), watch the Orioles actually WIN a game at Camden, tour some old warships in Baltimore Harbor, AND visit THREE NEW brewpubs! 

 

Ok, so I lied a little.  I'm only going to bore you with the beer details...just a few, so don't panic!  First stop on the way up was Hops in Alexandria, VA.  We had a gift card, so it was free, and really, how does it get better than free beer?  This place is a bit too commercialized for my tastes (I prefer those rustic brewpubs in the middle of nowhere...), and the beer is good, but nothing that warrants a "wicked good beer" stamp of approval.  My pinter in crime and I shared a sampler to start.  The samples were served in standard sample glasses (I really should be better about photos....) on a "placemat" that gave descriptions of each style.  I liked that aspect because then I was able be a total beer dork and try to guess what was in each, and find out if I was right!  I know, you are wishing you could have this much fun.  The samples included Clearwater Light (OMG, awful!), their Oktoberfest offering, leftover summer wheat, Lighting Bolt Gold, Thorougbred Red, and Alligator Ale (porter).  My favorite was the Alligator Ale, followed closely by the red.  So we ordered one of each to have with lunch.  Yes, we had food too, but who cares about that.  I also took a brief tour of the brewhouse with the manager on duty.  His tour left a little be desired ("First we put the stuff in here, then it goes over there, and then into the storage tanks out back").  Again, WHY am I not better about taking pictures!  Anyhow, not a bad place for a beer and a quick bite if you are in the area.

 

Prior to the O's game we stopped in to the Pratt Street Alehouse.  This is a great little place not far from Camden.  I had been there last fall as well for a reunion with some old friends and the Sox/O's game.  I had the Punk IPA which was a pretty good English IPA!  Great flavor, served at the right temperature, and perfect carbonation for my tastes.  Not too prickly on the tongue, but not creamy like a stout either.  I was a little disappointed not to get to try the ESB cask ale, but how long CAN you expect an 8 year old to sit quietly anyhow. 

 

The family seated next to us at Pratt Street found great humor in the fact that I was sporting my Red Sox shirt, Brady his Patriots sweatshirt, and Aaron in his, uhh...Yankees (suck) hat.  The gentleman asked, "So, how does that Yankees hat work over there?"  I replied in a very serious tone "Not real well, but when we met the SOB lied and told me he was a rich Red Sox fan".

 

Ok, the last beer stop of the weekend was on the way home.  It's a place my husband had raved about, having visited several times while travelling for work.  I must say, it was worth the delayed arrival home.



Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse
Columbia, MD

Other than the location (sort of a stip mall buried in an office park), Pub Dog is my kind of place!  Dark wood, sort of rustic.  I LOVED the fact that their beer offerings were on huge wooden boards, easily visible, and with descriptions of each (tough to know what you are getting when the beers are name after dog breeds).  They had every NFL game on (good thing too because there were no fewer than 4 different jerseys in the house), but the tvs didn't dominate the atmosphere (they were actually hung with the beer signs...picture here would have been nice, huh?  I'm such a dumbass.).  And the beer was fantastic!  I had the IPA (Hoppy Dog), the Imperial IPA, and the Dirty Dog (a blend of their brown and pale ales...interesting).  Pub Dog only serves pizza, which is fine with me.  They have a great selection, so going with a standard cheese or pepperoni was out of the question.  I chose the Thai Chicken pizza, and ate the whole darn thing (they are individual pizzas FYI).  If I hadn't had to drive home, I would have loved to stay to watch more football and drink good beer!  But alas, the responsible adult in me won over.  Mostly because I knew more beer awaited me in my own fridge, along with a comfy couch and the Pats on t.v.!!

 

So, if you managed to make it through this whole post, thanks for reading!  Now when you are planning your next visit to Richmond, you'll know where to make your pit stops!

 

Next up...this weekend's 9th Annual Oktoberfest at Blue and Gray Brewing in Fredericksburg!

Cheers!

Becky