Bending Tradition part 2: Baltimore Maryland.

I broke this piece up into two parts for a couple reasons. First, I really did spend an unusual amount of time at Pratt St. and it just seemed that one post would be too long. Second, my next stop was Palm Springs California. This is where old millionaires go to die. There is nothing in the way of craft booze. There's nothing in the way of craft anything. The whole place is filled with just enough entertainment to distract their elderly patrons from the grim reality of their own mortality. So... back to Baltimore.

3 Spires Ale: I very rarely find a beer that just doesn't click with me. This is one if them. The aroma was nice, it was sweet smelling with a fruity cider aroma. I went to take a drink, made a face and wondered aloud if they meant to do that. It was like a hoppy apple cider. In my mind the English herbal hops they used just didn't go with the slightly sour taste that comes from the malt. I am assuming here that they didn't have an infection in the keg.

Ironman Pale Ale
Time to go back to basics, and thus is about as strait forward as they come. Except for a slight citrus flavor at the top this is about as classic an English pale as exists. Clean with herbal, grassy hops. Fairly dry. Nothing special but good for a pale session beer.

Coventry Cream Ale: I think the best part of this beer was watching them pour it. It came out an opaque straw color with a rich foamy head that resembled a nitrous stout. It had a very light fruity aroma, but was way hoppier than I could have imagined. There was some slight sweetness that was quickly taken down by a whole lot of herbal hops.

Cask Aged Vanilla Oatmeal Stout: Pratt street offers selection of rotating cask aged ales. This was one of thier selections. It has a very strong chocolate and coffee aroma. The vanilla really comes out in the flavor to the point that it overpowers the rest of the beer. True to the nature of Oliver Brewing, it ended with a generous amount of English hops. It wasn't overpowering, but it did seem out of place.

Back to the Midwest next week. Cheers!