I love beer.
Ever since my friends and I sneaked our first cold ones at the end-of-year swim team party when I was 13 years old, I have loved beer. I started out on Buds and National Premium (it’s back!) – basically whatever we could pilfer from mom and dad’s fridge.
I had my first beer in a bar years later at the Mt. Washington Tavern. (MWT is slated to reopen in November 2012, having been completely leveled by fire last year.) My friends and I decided to try the Tavern after reading about it in The Preppy Handbook. We couldn’t believe our good fortune while drinking in the bar: guys were buying us beers! We could get used to this! We were a little naïve.
Many years later, I am quite used to drinking in bars…but now I am partial to craft brews, especially hoppy, bitter IPA’s. In this category, a couple of my favorites right now are the Green Flash IPA (Wow! Super bitter!), Stone IPA, and Heavy Seas Loose Cannon IPA, which is brewed here in Baltimore. By the way, the brewery tour at Heavy Seas is a lot of fun – the drive to Halethorpe is pretty quick, and the beers are cold and delicious.
We are very lucky now to have Union Craft Brewery right in Hampden/Woodberry. Their Duckpin Pale Ale is crisp and refreshing…my favorite so far. I also like their Baltimore Altbier and the small batch Old Pro Gose. Union’s tasting room is open Saturdays 1-4 PM; you can taste whatever is on tap, and maybe take home a growler too! (Growlers are shown above -and Union will be part of our Beers & Spears event on September 9th!)
I also really enjoy the beers my husband brews at our house. He started brewing in 1994, and has really stepped up his operation recently. I now know what a fermentation chamber and a keezer are, as well as a stir plate and a carboy….he has geeked out on the brewing, and the results show it! My favorite beers from his brewery (Lyford’s 188) are the maibock, rye IPA, smoked porter, American pale ale, and a great Bell’s Two Hearted Ale clone.
Even though I enjoy craft beers, I have to add that another favorite this summer is the Miller Genuine Draft 64. It’s super-light and has decent flavor for a watery domestic. It’s good for an all-day drink-a-thon, or enjoying on the porch on one of those 90+ degree evenings. Mmmmm. I’m no beer snob — I love beer.
Posted by: Katie J
Katie J. has been working at Trohv for about 5½ years. She enjoys reading, movies, swimming, and a really hoppy IPA.
TROHV 