Besides our trek to Yellowstone, we’ve been staying close to home this summer. Not by coincidence, I’ve been visiting my local Maryland brewpubs. So I’ll call this my Maryland Brewpub Summer Tour 2011.

Part 1: Ruddy Duck Brewery and Grill, Solomons, Maryland

When Visited: 2011 Memorial Day Weekend

Occasion: Our annual Memorial Day camping trip to Point Lookout State Park in southern Maryland. I love this campground because of the crabbing pier and the beer! We caught crabs every day and washed them down with the Sierra Nevada Best of Beer Camp 12-pack. But after a few days of camping it’s nice to go out for meal. Ruddy Duck is a short drive from the campground and a can’t-miss whenever we camp at Point Lookout.

Beers Sampled: Ordered a sampler rack, which included:

• Rudd Light, a low-carb light beer (5.1%)
• Belgian Wit, infused with orange peel and corriander (6.0%)
• IPA, a dry-hopped amber ale (7.2%)
• Munich Helles, golden-hued German lager (5.0%)
• Fest, a Marzen-style lager (5.3%)
• BPA, a Belgian Pale Ale (5.5%)
• Porter, traditional English-style (4.9%)

Best Beer: I thought the Fest was exceptional, which surprised me because it didn’t fit the season and I didn’t think I would be in the Fest spirit.

I was most impressed with: The food — this isn’t your run-of-the-mill pub grub, its pub grub plus. I had the Bella Luna pizza, made with Chorizo, Chimicuri, and mozzarella.

Notes: Ruddy Duck’s Munich Helles won Best of Show in the 2010 Maryland Breweries Governor’s Cup – impressive!

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