TWIB – Dead Presidents, Wedding Drinks and Delicious Beer

This Week in Beer (TWIB) is a feature where I’ll highlight some craft beers I had during this past week mixed with some related (and unrelated) thoughts. Yes, it’s a play on the name of the show This Week in Baseball which I grew up on and loved.

It is wedding season. Still. I attended my second wedding in less than a month (Here’s a recap of the first wedding). This time I went north to Philadelphia. Traveling, especially out of state, gives you a chance to really branch out when it comes to beer choices.

I wandered the streets of Philly and ended up where?

What do I love most about weddings? People from all around gather to celebrate the love of a common family member or friend. Meaning that if you don’t know someone attending the wedding, you have a better chance of getting along with him or her than a random person. I met another bridemaid’s significant other and hit it off with him. We had the whole day to ourselves while our ladies were doing whatever bridemaids do the day of the wedding so we hit the streets of Philly in search of cheesesteaks and beer.

TWIB – Anniversary in Annapolis

This Week in Beer (TWIB) is a feature where I’ll highlight some craft beers I had during this past week mixed with some related (and unrelated) thoughts. Yes, it’s a play on the name of the show This Week in Baseball which I grew up on and loved.

This was a special weekend for me. My wife and I celebrated our first anniversary. We took a trip Annapolis, MD, a place we’ve never been to before.

Fordham Brewing Company

Well I was in charge of planning the trip and right off the bat when we arrived Sunday afternoon I took us to get lunch at a restaurant that doesn’t open until 5:00pm. Nice work. So plan B kicked in and I walked us around until we found the most crowded spot which ended up being Rams Head Tavern.

I ordered the Fordham Brewing Company sampler. It consisted of 6 of their beers:

• Rams Head IPA
• Rosie Parks Oyster Stout
• Copperhead Ale
• Helles Lager
• Tavern Ale
• Wisteria Wheat

The Copperhead Ale was my favorite by far. It was complex and flavorful. However, it was the only one I’ll ever get again besides maybe the Oyster Stout. The rest were average at best.

Boulevard Brewing Company Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

Even though I struck out with lunch I hit a homerun with dinner. We went out to Severn Inn and feasted on seafood while sitting on the water.

I’ve had Tank 7 before and knew it was a winner. This beer is one of the few Saisons I enjoy. It’s dangerous at 8.5% ABV so I only had one while my wife took down a delicious white wine sangria.

Boulevard is relatively new to being distributed to where I am in Virginia so I’m just beginning to have their beers and hear about the company. From what I’ve seen these guys “get it” and are doing things right. I mentioned them in a post last week Why a Brewery Needs an Online Video Presence.