Baltimore Beer Week Kicks Off!

Yesterday Baltimore Beer Week kicked off with a tapping ceremony and lots of events spread out around the Baltimore area.  Little did I know, the city and surrounding areas have several breweries (many with national brand status). 


I had some time this afternoon to kill in between touring the city for class and studying for next week's exams, so I decided to head over to Union Craft Brewing for a free tour.  Free is always good when you are in school, not working and living on a budget.  Despite opening only a few months ago (Spring 2012), their Balt Altbier beer just took home the gold in the German Style Altbier category at Denver’s Great American Beer Festival.

The first step was finding the place.  The front door as pretty hidden, but I am apparently not the first person who has had trouble finding the front door.

After a quick brewery tour around the place, I tried the Duckpin Pale Ale and the Balt Altbier.  I did enjoy the first, but the second was a bit too dark for my taste.  Their beer is all over Baltimore so I will have to keep an eye out for it when I am out and about.

Pic care of Union Craft Beer

I am the first person to tell you that I don't know much about wine/beer, but I do know what I like and what I don't like.  So when I got home I did a bit of research to learn about what exactly I was drinking.  Here is the quick and dirty:

• Altbier beer means old beer and refers to the pre-lager technique of using warm top-fermenting yeast (VERY dark)
• Pale ale were originally made from malt dried with coke

I am hoping to get a few friends from DC to do a beer tasting tour and this will definitely be on our list of places to visit!