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Red Brick Station takes Maryland brews to the Great American Beer Festival
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Something pretty to finish your day off right...
There is nothing quite like the taste of a fresh, clean beer straight off the tap at a local brewpub. When done right, you really can't beat the character of a craft-brewed ale or lager made on premises - mostly since beer doesn't age quite as gracefully as wine. But either way, you'll probably find no better representation of the flavor a certain brew can achieve than after throwing one back at the source. That's what makes the brewpub such a treat. In this age of mass-produced and globally-shipped beverages, it is always refreshing to find a good local product you can enjoy at its peak freshness. And this is why places such as The Brewer's Art in Mt. Vernon, Ellicott Mills Brewing Company in Ellicott City and Red Brick Station in White Marsh are so popular with the kids these days.
You know... the kids? With their skateboards and their sexting and their underwear showing and their love for craft-brewed beer...
Anyway, speaking of the local brewpub, I had the pleasure of visiting the operation up at Red Brick recently, and was given a truly informative look at the facilities behind-the-scenes by Brew Master Mike McDonald. The setup was tight and the beer was flowing mightily, but I won't bore you (or entertain you, depending on your interest in the art of brewing) with the science. Suffice it to say, there are a couple of great-smelling rooms back there where all the magic happens. And speaking with Mike at the bar after the tour, you could tell he was quite proud of the output coming from these mystical chambers of liquid gold. So proud, that they have entered four of their brews in the Great American Beer Festival happening in Denver in just a couple weeks (win tickets to the GABF).
I had the opportunity to sit down with Mike and sample these products and I was quite pleased with the tasting. Here's a little look at each of the beers and the style they are representing in the competition:
- Avenue Ale
Category: English-Style Summer Ale
Thoughts: According to Mike, this one is modeled more after a kölsch, a popular German-style light lager, but sticks with the English-style fermentation to keep it in the "ale" category. The final product is an easy-drinking, lightly hopped beer that will serve you well through a full-length evening of socializing. - Daily Crisis IPA
Category: English-Style India Pale Ale
Thoughts: This is Red Brick's best seller, and it's fairly easy to see (and taste) why. The Daily Crisis is a sharp, full-flavored brew with a moderate hop presence and a great finish. With a veritable explosion of super-hopped IPA's on the market, it's nice to find one that strives for balance over ballistics. - Something Red
Category: Irish-Style Red Ale
Thoughts: A fine example of the copper-colored Irish traditional, Something Red offers a smoother, maltier body and just enough hops to make it interesting. The red is a great step up for those who want a little something more to their beer than the usual domestic lager. - They Made Me Do It Blueberry Ale
Category: Fruit Beer
Thoughts: So maybe the title is a little quirky, but this is no candy-colored, sugary treat. Think of an Avenue Ale with just enough blueberry to lend a hint of hue and a smidgen of sweetness and you'll have a They Made Me Do It. So maybe it's far from my favorite, but a well-done addition to the stable... and that's coming from a guy who usually cringes when the term "fruit beer" gets thrown around.
So these are the four sumptuous selections for the upcoming Great American Beer Festival. Hopefully they will do the state proud and show up big time against the ridiculous number of entries in this year's competition. Whatever the result way over there in Colorado, you can rest assured that you can still find a fresh, tasty beverage right here in Maryland at your local brew pub. And if you're ever in White Marsh, swing by Red Brick Station and check these fine ales out for yourself.
Happy drinking, Baltimore... and good luck, Mike and the crew at Red Brick!
Mark Burlet
Drunken Intellectual
Not only does Charlie Papazian, Great American Beer Festival founder, write for Examiner.com, but we have dozens of other craft beer experts covering hops and barley. Follow their coverage throughout September of one of the world's largest beer festivals. Click here for Charlie’s take on beer, GABF articles and details on how you can win tickets to the festival!
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