Continuing my Maryland Brewpub Summer Tour 2011…

Part 5: DuClaw Brewing Company, Hanover, Maryland

When Visited: July 23, 2011

Occasion: We decided to spend a blistering summer day inside at Arundel Mills. This has been an annual event for us and always includes lunch at DuClaw Brewing Company, a summer movie, and shopping (of course). This year we saw Cars 2, which was made better by the ample sampler rack I had with lunch at DuClaw right before the movie.

Beers Sampled: I ordered the sampler, which came with 12 house beers:

• Sawtooth, a refreshing Belgian White (4.8%)
• Bare Ass Blonde Ale, a light session beer (5.0%)
• Venom Pale Ale, a hoppy American Pale Ale (5.6%)
• Misfit Red, a drinkable Amber Ale (5.1%)
• Mayhem, a tasty Weizenbock (7.5%)
• Euphoria, an other-worldly Toffee Nut Brown Ale (4.8%)
• Bad Moon Porter, a Robust Porter (5.1%)
• Black Lightning, a roasty and hoppy American Black Ale; also served on nitro (6.4%)
• Imperial Rice Ale, from the DuClaw Exile Series, which feature small-batch, experimental brews (7.2%)
• Serum XX IPA, a well-balanced Double IPA (80 IBUs, 9.0%)
• Devils Milk Barley Wine, a dark, dangerous, and delicious strong ale (11.0%)

Best Beer:  The Serum XX IPA was amazing, but I really liked the flavor of Euphoria, the Toffee Nut Brown Ale. I love Nut Browns, and the addition of toffee to the flavor profile of Euphoria put it over the top.

I was most impressed with: The large number of house-made beers on the menu.  DuClaw offers an amazing array of interesting and excellent brews.  I also liked the drinkability of the strong ales. I love our annual summer trek to Arundel Mills!

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