Port City Brewery

Dan and I just got back from the Port City Brewery tour.  Dan had gone last weekend, but was determined to bring me along this time around.  I have to say, I was impressed.  Their four staple beers are a wit, an IPA, a Pale Ale and a Porter.  Given five tasting tickets, I tried all four and went back for another round of the Monumental IPA.  Anybody who knows my taste in beer would be shocked.  I opted for more IPA?  It was a big surprised to me when it came out of my mouth, considering how much I liked the porter. 

My impression was that they are going to do really well in this market.  There were a ton of people there for the tour and the owner mentioned he may have to add a third tour to keep up with demand.  They had a board up with all the retail locations that serve their beer and the list was long and filled with quality stores and restaurants.  It seems they're off to a good start.

Since it was so busy, we only got a few minutes alone with the owner, but I will certainly be pestering him in the coming weeks about offering my services this summer to help out.  Any experience in a brewery is better than no experience at all.  And since Dan wants to model a future brewery after this one, the experience could pay off.

Tax Day Beers

Went out to Meridian Pint for the DC Brau event debuting their Public Ale.  One thing is obvious, there is a huge demand for craft brew in DC.  The place was packed - a line at 5pm to get in and lines to get in throughout the night.  I wasn't in love with the beer, an IPA.  I'm not a hop-head.  I can appreciate hoppy beer if it's done well and balanced overall.  This beer had a bitter, citrusy finish that didn't do it for me.  Meridian Pint had a Baltimore beer event on Wednesday, so they had a few left over on tap.  By a few, I mean it seemed like half their beers were Baltimore beers.  I ended up with a Brewer's Art Three Peppercorn Tripel, an Olivers/Stillwater cask Channel Crossing #3 and Hot Monkey Love.  I'm not ashamed to admit that the Hot Monkey Love was my favorite of the night.  An old English-style ale, it had a lot of flavors going on from start to finish.  All-in-all a good night at Meridian Pint (I haven't had a bad night there yet).   The night ended badly however.  My beloved Yankees fell to the Texas Rangers 5-3. 

Tomorrow I may be taking the Port City Brewery tour before we all get together and celebrate a glut of March/April birthdays at a house party.  Unless Coors Light has become a craft beer, I won't be partaking in any tomorrow night.