Drinking like ‘a Revolutionary’ at some of Anne Arundel’s breweries

Aiming to take advantage of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Anne Arundel County tourism officials brewed up a number of ideas to draw visitors to Annapolis and the county.

There’s Annapolis itself “where the echoes of 1776 still linger,” according to Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County website. Officials created an America250 Exploration Trail and a Drink Like a Revolutionary cocktail crawl between historic and modern taverns in the city.

Given the ongoing success of the crawl, officials thought to expand on that idea with the county’s craft brewers, said Heather Ersts, the agency’s director of tourism development.

The breweries quickly bought into the agency’s beer idea and together they’re now promoting a handful of America 250 Beers.

Colonial-era recipes inspired some of the brews, Ersts said, while others leaned into historical themes and local ingredients.

The Banner decided to review the brews, and collect some thoughts from our staff.

Crab Crab Revolution

Crooked Crab Brewing and Forward Brewing

Crab Crab Revolution is a Maryland-focused beer. According to the brewers, it uses a pale ale malt from Bear Branch, a fourth-generation Carroll County farm It has a light, refreshing citrus flavor and clocks in at only 4.8% ABV, making it possible to quaff a few without going overboard.

This beer was my personal favorite — I like something easy to sip on, and something I could imagine drinking on my back deck or on the beach.

It also had, by far, the best label art of the bunch. I simply cannot resist a crab that looks like Uncle Sam, and I’m rarely disappointed when I judge a beer by its cover.

Pamela Wood, a Banner politics reporter and Anne Arundel resident, told me she liked the beer and said it was nice to drink, if a little difficult to distinguish from “other solid American pale ales on the market.”

But, she told me, she’d still buy a six-pack.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Cherries

Pherm Brewing Company

I thought this was a nice shandy, but it was controversial in the newsroom. The cherry flavor was there, but not overwhelming, in my opinion. Much like Crab Crab Revolution, I could imagine myself drinking this by the pool or down the ocean.

Sapna Bansil, who covers Baltimore County for The Banner, told me she struggled to pick up the cherry flavor, but called it “light and refreshing.” Camille Bugayong, a Banner intern, told me she’s not normally a big beer drinker.

But the cherry shandy, she said, was something she’d drink again. It was crisp and a little sweet, she said, “but doesn’t taste colonial.”

This beer was made with traditional ingredients and “inspired by historic Chesapeake recipes.” Those ingredients include Maris Otter (a barley) and East Kent Golding (a hop), that are traditionally grown in England.

Beers of the Revolution 250

Chesepiooc Real Ale Brewery

Call Chesepiooc an over achiever. This Crofton brewery didn’t stick with one recipe. For the collaboration, it created four historic ales.

And all four had clear historic ties. The “centerpiece” is George Washington’s Tavern Ale, brewed closely following a surviving recipe that Washington himself used, according to Chesepiooc.

Thomas Jefferson’s Secret Porter is a dark, malty ale that uses Virginia honey, paying a homage to the third president’s own brewing at Monticello.

The Sons of Liberty is a strong golden ale, named in honor of the patriots in Boston (and up and down the coast) who inspired the Revolution. And lastly is the Secretary of Beer, a wheat beer named for a cabinet position that President James Madison wanted to establish, but never got. Yes, really.

The only of these I really can speak to, given my own personal tastes with beer (I want something light or crisp, not dark or heavy) is the Sons of Liberty, which I found tasty. But at 6.9% ABV, it is strong despite its light taste — imbibe carefully.

For the others, I leaned on my editor, Christopher Dinsmore, who’s also a huge beer snob enthusiast.

Washington’s Tavern Ale has a nice, amber color and has a molasses-y taste that I could easily imagine being served in an Annapolis tavern during the days of the Revolution.

Dinsmore called it really good, and said he’d “love a tankard of it.” He said it reminded him somewhat of Resurrection, a popular beer from the now-closed Brewers Art.

The rich, dark color of Jefferson’s Secret Porter is matched by a strong honey flavor. I’m not a big fan of porters, but the honey finish mellows things out.

“It’s not a strong porter, but it is a very tasty one. The honey takes some of the roasted edges off of it, and gives it a nice mellow flavor,” Dinsmore said.

He told me he travels around the region to try a beer, and has been meaning to check out Pherm Brewing. Having sampled what Chesepiooc created for the 250th celebration, Dinsmore said, he’s adding it to his list.

Secretary of Beer was the least popular of the Chesepiooc beers The Banner tried. I’m not a fan of wheat beers generally, so again, I defer to my editor.

“It’s a little on the grassy side, in my opinion. It’s a wheat beer, it’s just not my favorite,” Dinsmore said.

We did all give the brew some bonus points for its great name and history, though.

Oatmeal Molasses Porter

Old Barn Brewery

We didn’t move fast enough to try this beer. Old Barn Brewery is small, and only brews limited amounts. The Arnold brewery released this molasses porter in the middle of May, and supplies had run dry by July 1.

The beer, according to Visit Annapolis, was created with oat and dark molasses, creating velvety porter with a distinct sweetness, hearkening back to early American brewing traditions.

Reached online, a representative with Old Barn Brewery said they may brew another batch in the fall.

The Banner’s Pamela Wood, Christopher Dinsmore, Krishna Sharma, Jerry Jackson, Camille Bugayong, Sapna Bansil and Izzy Sy contributed to this report.