On our drive back from snow tubing at Whitetail Resort, we stopped for lunch at Brewer’s Alley in Frederick, Maryland. One reason why Brewer’s Alley is one of my favorite brewery restaurants: the sampler rack!  I brought in a growler for a refill, so I appreciate the five ounce pours, which give me plenty of time to explore the current beer menu and decide what to take home.

There were nine beers on tap, and my six-beer sampler included:

• IPA
• Nut Brown Ale
• Hefeweizen
• 1634 Ale
• Owen’s Ale
• Two Loves Chocolate Ale

The first three beers of my sampler rack are year-round beers, and they are all well-made. I thought the 1634 Ale was a seasonal brew; I wrote a post about this unique rye beer back in June 2009. I was glad to see that it is still being brewed. The Owen’s Ale was a decent English Bitter.

The highlight of the sampler rack was the Two Loves Chocolate Ale (5.7%), which was brewed with cocoa nibs. This beer was a light orange-brown color and bright-filtered. There was a subtle aroma of roasted cocoa. The flavor was rich malt with chocolate notes, with a full mouth-feel.

I didn’t have any problems deciding what to take home in my growler!