Book tour day ten - Washington and Baltimore

I awake on Sunday feeling much better. So much so that I suggest we go to the Pancake House for breakfast. I'm feeling back in a bacon mood.

The breakfast is pretty good. If slightly odd, as it includes bacon, fried eggs and a pancake but no toast. It's bit weird mopping up the yolk with a pancake. We can't linger long as today's event starts at 14:00.

It's at a homebrew shop but has been organised by the Free State Homebrew Club Guild. Much like yesterday's event, hombrewers have made some of the recipes. The format is the same: I improvise around the riff of the recipe for a while, as everyone samples the beer. It works well. And I'm in much better form, the food poisoning having been thrown off.

The turnout is smaller than yesterday, when I drew more than a hundred. Probably about half that number today. It's fun talkiing to an audience of home brewers. They ask intelligent, relevant questions. And mostly ones I have answers to. They're always the best type of question.

Someone has brewed a Grätzer. It's sour. Luckily the brewer realises that's not how the style usually is, so there's no need for me to rant. I tell him it's more like a Lichtenhainer.

I'm really happy that the 1839 Reid IPA has been brewed. Even happier whern I taste it. There's that magical effect of a shitload of Goldings. It's a flavour I'm learning to love. When will a professional brewer pick that up? OK, Dann has done in the past with the 1832 XXXX Ale. But where is a regularly brewed beer stuffed full of Goldings?

Show over, I do a fair bit of book signing. And chatting. I'm more in the mood for chatting today.

When we're done, we head over to Victoria Gastro Pub for a bite to eat. And a few beers, obviously. The selection is pretty good. I go for something Pale Aley. I can't remember what exactly. And I wasn't taking notes.

Worryingly, there's a snow storm predicted overnight. I've got a flight to Boston tomorrow afternoon. I hope it flies. Wouldn't want to get stuck in Washington.







The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewers-Guide-Vintage-Beer/dp/1592538827



The Original Pancake House
7703 Woodmont Ave.,
Bethesda.
Tel: 301-986-0285
http://www.ophrestaurants.com/


    
Maryland Homebrew
6770 Oak Hall Lane,
Suite 108, Columbia, MD 21045     
http://stores.mdhb.com



Victoria Gastro Pub
8201 Snowden River Pkwy,
Columbia, MD 21045.
Tel: +1 410-750-1880
http://victoriagastropub.com/