Monthly Archives: July 2012

Heavy Seas Alehouse

Caroline: Before we left Baltimore, we went to Heavy Seas Alehouse for lunch with my dad. It’s in an awesome old industrial building that dates back to the civil war! They use seasonal food most of which is made with beer in some way. We felt right at home…

AAARRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!

Caroline: We got 2 tasting paddles to share between the 3 of us so we could taste as much as possible.

We had the Heavy seas classic lager, classic pale, golden ale, Märzen, their Peg Leg imperial stout, the Loose Cannon  American Hop3 IPA and a Belgian Tripel that was a recipe from a home brewer who had won a competition.

Kris: My 2 favourites were the Loose Cannon IPA and the Peg Leg Imperial Stout.

Caroline: DITTO. how boring of me, but those were my favorites as well. The stout had coffee and syrupy-ness and enough hops to balance it out. Yum.

Caroline: To start we had fresh oysters with a mignonette and cocktail sauce. They used their Heave Seas Lager in the Mignonette instead of the traditional cider vinegar. Delicious.

Kris: The Heavy seas lager was a great match with the oysters. They would also go really well with the Peg Leg stout. The oysters were super fresh and the mignonette made with beer was an interesting twist.

Kris: The Loose Cannon IPA battered onion rings with whole grain Dijon & old bay/saffron mayo were cooked perfectly and a great snack to enjoy with the tasting paddle.

Caroline: They marinated the onions in beer before they fried them. This made the onions nice and tender and prevented that annoying bite where the whole onion comes out of the batter when you eat it!

Caroline: The angus Beef burger was on a ‘spent grain’ roll, meaning they used grain from the beer mash to make the bread. How genius is that?? They also caramelized the onions in the Peg Leg Stout which gave them a more complex sweetness, it really added an extra something. We matched the burger with the Heavy Seas Marzen.

Kris: The Shrimp Salad Sandwich with thick cut smoked bacon and a side of organic greens was super tasty too. A great match for the sandwich was the Heavy Seas Golden Ale.

Caroline: To finish off the meal we got some complimentary spent grain choc chip cookies. Perfectly bite size.

Kris: Overall we had a great experience at Heavy Seas Ale House. Great Beer, Great Food and Great Service. If your still thirsty, I recommend checking out Max’s Taphouse in Fells Point which is a short walk from Heavy Seas. It has over 100 beers on tap and 350 by the bottle. Definitely one of my favourite Beer Bars in America!

Caroline:  Overall, lunch was extrARGHdinary!

 

 

Baltimore Crab Feast with Natty Bo

Caroline: You can’t go to Baltimore and not eat some Maryland crabs! The day before the wedding we had everyone over for beer, BBQ and steamed old bay crabs! Oh the tastes of home!

Kris: I can’t visit Baltimore without eating Maryland Crabs and drinking National Bohemian (Natty Bo). It was great to have a crab feast on the night before the wedding, especially for our friends and family visiting from Australia and New Zealand.

Kris: I am not usually a lager drinker, but I do love drinking Natty Bo when we are visiting Caroline’s family in Baltimore. It is a clean, crisp, refreshing lager and is a great match to steamed Old Bay crabs.

Kris: I thought it would be great to taste some interesting American craft beers on the afternoon too. My 2 favourites were the Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti and the Dog Fish Head 120 minute IPA. The Yeti is a rich Imperial stout with Chocolate, caramel and coffee characters with some piney/citrus hop aroma and a dry finish. It is also aged in Bourbon barrels which gives it a touch of oak and vanilla flavour. The 120 minute IPA is an extreme IPA! I have had the 60 minute and 90 minute IPA’s from Dog Fish Head before but this one takes it to the next level. A whopping 18% ABV, it is chock full of high Alpha hops. It is dry hopped for a month then aged a further month on whole hop cones. It is packed with sweet malt and huge aroma and flavours of the classic citrus and pine from the use of American hops. Definitely a beer to share with friends.

 

Caroline: The remnants of a Baltimore crab feast.There is nothing better than some fresh steamed Old Bay Crabs and Natty Bo’s shared with friends and family on a beautiful summers day. Even Winston enjoyed the afternoon.