My friend, John, passed on an email about a DuClaw event happening the Saturday before Father’s Day. The event was a release of their DIPA, Dad Bod.
Brewery #16
DuClaw‘s tasting room is only open for special events, so I jumped at the chance to visit the brewery. Besides, it is listed on my Maryland brewery challenge. It will be number 16. I sent out a last minute invite to the gang. Lucky for me, Laura was available; it was sort of a pre-Father’s Day thing. So we headed off to try their Dad Bod DIPA.
I know DuClaw from my Harford County days, but they have made a few changes over the years. They have outgrown their original brewpub in Bel Air, moved to Abingdon and now to Rosedale, MD on Yellow Brick Road. What a great street name! Their beer is distributed from Florida to NYC and west to Indiana. They have about 20 employees. Their taproom room is only open for rare events but has plenty of games and TVs.
The Jolly Pig
We grabbed some tacos from The Jolly Pig food truck. All were pretty delicious but the Al Pastor with pineapple really stood out. It went well with the resiny Dad Bod.
All the tables were occupied, so we shared one with a nice couple, Mr. & Mrs. Johnny Peppers. Johnny & I are both gardeners and beer fans, so we had a lot to talk about. Laura and I shared stories about our Philly trip since the Peppers are from PA. He talked about Tired Hands and how I should try their MilkShake IPAs. I showed them the picture of my one and only Tired Hands experience. He, on the other hand, had many pictures of Tired Hands Milkshakes. It turns out Johnny Peppers is a beer trader and frequents the beer releases in the area. The Dad Bod release had drawn him to Rosedale that day. Tired Hands beers are in demand around the country. He is such a big fan of Tired Hands that he encouraged me to visit both of their Ardmore, PA locations: BrewCafe and Fermentia.
We tried 2 of DuClaw’s beers based on Johnny Peppers recommendations: Resurrection #4 and Gose O’s. Resurrection #4 is a very limited stout. I loved the smooth mouthfeel and cocoa flavor. It’s a blend of multiple years of this beer. With its orange and black colors, Gose O’s is a Baltimore Orioles beer. Gose O’s is a cantaloupe Gose made with black salt. Perhaps a bit too salty for a full pint, but I really enjoyed the initial salty cantaloupe taste.
DuClavy vs DuClaw
I asked the bartender about the origins of the name DuClaw. She said there was a fictional story that the owner used to tell but it never caught on. Laura recalled how on a recent date, her companion mistakenly called it DuClavy. While explaining to some of our new friends at the bar how the “w” with a tail could be seen as a “vy“, I DuClaw sign to show them. Some of the decorative tin foil fell off – oops!
Cheers!
Warren