The Cult of Beer
It wasn’t until I moved to Maryland that I made the acquaintance of real beer geeks. Like the most serious wine collectors, these guys search high and low for the rarest of the rare, the most micro of the micro brew, the scarcest of the imports. At a shop I worked at prior to Mills, I would get strange phone calls asking about the arrival of certain seasonal beers. The following day a group of young men sat in their cars outside the shop until the beer truck came for our delivery. They lined up at the register and bought every case of beer off the truck.
It’s hard to find the right soil and climate for making good wines, but good beer can be made just about anywhere. Because of small batch productions and lack of distribution in different parts of the country, networks of underground beer traders have been formed on the internet. People buying their local favorites to trade with others and then posting photos and tasting notes of their trades online.
Some of the most highly-sought after beers are fairly hard to come by in the state of Maryland. However, we’ve managed to put together a pretty solid beer collection that will no doubt please the hardcore beer geek as well as the every day folks who just want to suck some tasty suds.
Here are a few you might want to try;
Ommegang Brewery Biere de Mars, Cooperstown, New York
(rate beer 96 points)
Ommegang Biere de Mars is a fine Belgian-style amber ale with a bit of magical space dust woven in: Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, a wild yeast which imparts added tartness, extra zing, and a touch of funk – while dry hopping enhances the hop aroma.
Stone Brewery Russian Imperial Stout, Escondido, California
(Beer Advocate “outstanding”)
One of the finest American-made Imperial Stouts. Thick and rich aromas and flavors of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate but still retains a hoppy bitterness on the finish. A fantastic beer for winter.
Jolly Pumpkin “Noel de Calabaza”, Dexter, Michigan
(rate beer 96 points)
Jolly Pumpkin is very hard to come by, but we were lucky enough to get a case of their Christmas beer. Even though Christmas has come and gone, it’s a perfect time to enjoy this dark and oh so rich ale. (or stash some away in the cellar!) Woodsy and smokey with hints of black currant, raisin, and cherry. It’s aged in oak barrels, so it has a lot of nice toasty oak on the finish. Delightfully different and delicious.
Deus Brut de Flandres
(Beer Advocate “Excellent”)
Brewed in Flanders and then sent to France where it is polished into a bright and brilliant Champagne-styled beer. Bloomy aromas of spice, hops and apple and creamy layers of fruit. An exquisite and rare treat.
