Beer Bonanza Around the Corner

Some friends at work told me about a new bar in town with some 30 drafts.  They said that the owners rotated the tap lines frequently and that there was always something new on tap.  I said I would check it out, expecting a lot of Anheuser Busch or Saranac products, mixed in with Guinness, Stella Artois, and Smithwicks.  So when I got the opportunity the other day, I gave it a shot.  And boy was I wrong. 

The Bier Abbey (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/The-Bier-Abbey/136963939674123) has been opened for about two months, and they had a full Belgian menu, seating outside and inside, TVs at a very crowded bar, and a fantastic selection draft selection.  First off, they indicated that will always have a different beer on cask.  Today it was Schmaltz Human Blockhead, a dry hopped bock, on cask.  I got a 4 oz pour (all of their beers come in 4 oz. pours!) because there were plenty more to try.  Their local beer expert came over and we chatted for about a ½ hour, telling me that they were going to start storing vintage bottles. 

I ordered a BLT with frites, and then proceeded to try 3 beers from Danish brewer Evil Twin.  First was the Hop Flood, and American brown ale that was around 7% ABV.  Next was the Soft Dookie, one of their versions of an Imperial Stout.  Finally I tried their Freudian Slip, an American Barleywine that packed quite a punch.  The BLT was delicious, on sourdough bread, and the frites were Belgian style (they even had different dipping sauces).  My next beers were Saisons, Saison Dupon Biere De Beloeil, a strong saison or pale ale, and Stillwater’s Existent, a black saison from the Maryland brewery.  All were delicious.

I bumped into a friend there and made some new ones.  Their Facebook page background is all the beers on draft and they update it daily.  And best of all, the bar is practically on the way home from work.  I still love Mahar’s (I’m invested there with over 6000 beers), but I think I’ve found a new beer mecca closer to home (my near neighborhood pub?).  Here’s hoping that they can keep it up.  Skol!!! – 6100/12675

 
“The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far away, but I will walk carefully.” – Anonymous (Old Russian Proverb)