Oktoberfest One Of My Favorite Times To Drink Beer

 As I pondered over some of the things I thought about and discussed over the last week in beer, I was still left curious about what I wanted to write about this week for the blog. And then the light bulb went off or maybe since my focus is on beer, I should say the tap started pouting. Yes, I like that more. The tap started pouring and I was like, bang, it's the start of Oktoberfest all around the world. What could be better, and yes, the simplest things are sometimes those right in front of us as shown yet again.

I do really enjoy the Oktoberfest season which I really started to enjoy more over the more recent years. The great beers, the delicious foods, the fun people, and the always fun atmosphere tends to have me looking forward to it every year now. Although, for me, it is now settling in that this will be my first time outside of Cincinnati to look to enjoy.

Oktoberfest originated on October 12, 1810, as a festival of celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, later King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Wow, I am so glad my last name is Jones, imagine having to learn to spell that as a kid, ha. But from that great day, we are still reaping the honor of it and having great fun doing so.

Well, what many may not know is that Cincinnati had a large German heritage that settled the area, in fact, right across the river is Mainstrausse which was a settled area for many Germans and the effect can still be felt and enjoyed today. Places with great beer and food abound, and over in Newport, Kentucky, the first Hofbrauhaus in the states was actually created with ties to the family in Germany from what I have been told. Sidenote: If you haven't been to Cincinnati for a beer trip, you need to and that is all I am going to say about that.

But going back a couple of paragraphs, I mentioned that this is my first time to really enjoy it in other areas and see how it may be celebrated. I am curious to find out but I do miss the Weiner dog races, the watching of Joey Chestnut devouring some sausages as he cruises to another eating championship fun, the stein races, and some of all of the other pageantry. Now, I know I may see some of these types of things here and sure they will still be some fun times, but Cincinnati was the number 2 spot behind Munich for Oktoberfest festivals in the world. It was actually number 1 a couple of years ago thanks but not really thanks to Covid, and averages around 500,000 people that come to the event each year from all over the world and that was always one of the coolest things, enjoying beers with strangers over some good conversations. This is what really made it fun for me, and hopefully, this will continue for me in Baltimore as well. 

What do you enjoy about Oktoberfest? Let me know by leaving a comment and if you haven't been to one of the festivals then I recommend you do so. Nobody ever said, what a bad Oktoberfest that was, that I ever heard! 🍻

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Guinness Open Gate Brewery Visit

This past weekend, I finally had the chance to make the long overdue trip down to the Guinness Open Gate Brewery here in the Baltimore area. And I must tell you, it was definitely worth visiting and checking out. From the great feel of the exterior to the nice warm feeling of the interior to the well-designed space, the brewery itself definitely created its own tone to make it distinctive.

So I and my old friend Keith decided to connect up here to grab lunch and catch up now that we are both in Baltimore. You see, Keith is one of my longest-living friends that I still connect with as we go back to when we met many years ago when I was in 7th grade and he was in 5th, and we were pretty much neighbors growing up. There are many stories I could share of the fun we had back in the day as we reminisced but that's maybe for another time, but since moving back to the east this was a great time for us to catch up again and neither of us had a chance to check out the Guinness spot so it made a perfect choice.

So as we met and headed into the parking lot, it was easy to just be amazed at the look and the design of the brewery to which I alluded earlier. This huge entrance sits at the top of the steps and just beckons you to step inside. A large courtyard outside with a huge space that it would be easy for football or in America a soccer game to break out if it wasn't for the chairs and tables occupying it. Had it not been for the rain showers that we were underway on this afternoon, we could have easily enjoyed some of the spots outside as well.

This being said, we entered the brewery, and just as nice as it was on the outside, the inside did not disappoint. Funny thing on the way in, I was asked for identification. Lol. that hasn't happened for many years, it must have been the shave from the new razor, lol. But, walking in, Keith already had a good corner spot at the bar and so we were ready to rock and roll.

As we discussed the brewery, Keith like myself had been a Guinness drinker for a number of years. So talking with each other and knowing the parts of the Guinness history that I did, I shared some of that as we spoke, and Keith was intrigued as he himself had also been a Guinness fan to which I wasn't aware. 

Now the cool thing about going to a brewery and why I also recommend people to do so from time to time is that the brewery experience can be that much more for fans of beer. The tap list offered many offerings that you would not see in a store or even a bar, you have to go there and the collection of beers on tap they had was across a nice beer diverse spectrum. Also in talking about diversity., this also transcended into the staff as well which was great to see and all were welcoming.

So, getting into the beers, my buddy Keith pretty much kept it on the Guinness IPA which he was enjoying. I, myself, well, of course, had to mix it up. So as I almost always do, I decided to start with two flights that they were offering with one being more of a hop flight and the other being a mix of ales that included an amber, porter, brown, and stout. All of the flight beers were part of their experimental beers as also was my capper of the Old Fashioned-Inspired Ale which I went full size on. Although. full size on an 11.5% ABV meant 1/2 size of a large snifter, lol. It worked though.

We both went with the burgers for lunch although the English breakfast was almost the selection to go with which may be the choice the next time I go. For that, you must order between 11am and 2pm, but it looks to be a little loaded mini-feast. The burger though was done well though, came out medium as ordered and was juicy as can be. Coupled with their Guinness-style chips which were like french fries done in chip form and were perfect for dipping into their homemade ketchup, along with a good size pickle too.

Overall no real complaints about the food or the beer, although the one thing I will say about the pricing is that I do feel the beers were more costly than some of the other breweries that you may be accustomed to visiting. Maybe, this is just part of the Guinness experience but at $15.50 for one flight and $18.50 for another, they were the most expensive that I have ever paid anywhere on the flight level. The Old Fashioned-Inspired Ale wasn't bad at $11.25 considering and the burger at $18 was a little higher than average but not really too crazy. Overall, it was a great experience, and definitely would recommend a visit if you are in the Baltimore area and want a brewery to check out. Keep in mind, that it is the only Guinness brewery in the states so that alone makes it that much more attractive for a visit in my book.

Cheers! 🍻