Frankly, my dear, it’s time for another adventure! Warren’s Beer Adventures met up with Frank About Beer and filled the downstairs at Ellicott Mills Brewery.

Frank About Beer

Christian and Eric are Frank About Beer. About once a month, they arrange a meet up at a local bar or brewery. Or as they put it, “So, over a couple of pints, we decided there needed to be a simplified, down-to-earth and, well, FRANK and HONEST beer education site.”

Ellicott Mills Brewing Company Downstairs

We took over the cozy cellar bar. It is a totally different experience from the open and quiet upstairs dining I wrote about last week. The cellar has TVs showing sports on every wall. They gladly switched a few TVs to the Orioles when asked. Also, look for the unusual bat light shining on the wall.

Ellicott Mills has been making beer many years before the craft revolution. Their German-style beers are developed true to the style category. For our FRANK and HONEST beer education, the bartender provided 2 flights of all 7 beers.

• Pale Ale – Sierra Nevada like (Dennis comment)
• Marzen –  A solid, well-balanced beer. I love the juicy mouthfeel.
• Pumpkin Ale – Sweet pumpkin taste with lots of vanilla. Liquid pie.
• Dunkel – Sweet, dark lager, grainy and thin bodied.
• IPA – Nicely balanced IPA. Sweet and mildly hopped.
• Boomerang – wonderful Australian-style lager – crisp and citrus hopped.
• Paint It Black IPA – Smoky and hoppy. Nice!

Some of us had the steak special which received high praise. I had the elk burger which I found tender and tasty. It was a nice Frank About Beer night, where we all made a few new friends. We talked about next month’s event at Diamondback Brewery.

On the way out, I tried out their breathalyzer machine. After putting my dollar bill in the slot, I blew into a clean, plastic straw until I thought my head would explode. A light signaled a reading had finally registered. Surprisingly, it indicated my alcohol level was 0.0 after 2 beers. I’m guessing it didn’t work. Which brings up the questions, “Why aren’t breathalyzers available at all bars?” and “Why do we have to pay?” It seems Uber, Lyft or even taxis would love to have exiting bar patrons know their alcohol levels. Just a thought. Perhaps I’ll buy a key ring breathalyzer for myself. I’ll keep you posted.

We walked up the street towards our car in parking lot F, which is behind the Wine Bin. Although it is primarily a wine shop, The Wine Bin has a very nice beer selection in the back. A large refrigerator display case in the back showed off some cold beers, with a more extensive collection of beers along the wall. Their assortment of bombers is quite extensive. They even had a couple 4-packs of the in-demand Founders KBS. You can even make your own 6-packs. Behind the desk are 5 taps where you can fill growlers. This hidden beer store is a rare find.

Cheers!

Warren