Denizens Brewing Co.

Denizens Brewing Co.

Breweries, craft beer, MD Brewery Challenge, , , , ,

For you loyal readers of this blog, (and I know all 6 of you) you know I have challenged myself to visit the 57 Maryland breweries that were members of the Brewers Association of Maryland on January 1st, 2017. I have been sorely remiss in pursuit of my duties in the Maryland Brewery Challenge. So, I called my brother and we headed out to 2 breweries in Montgomery County: Denizens and 7 Locks. 

Denizens Brewing Co

MD Brewery Challenge #17
Denizens sign
Denizens sign

Our first stop was Denizens of Silver Spring. It was a rather comical journey where we passed the entrance 3 times before actually spotting the sign. Parking was easy and free on a Saturday afternoon. We thought about sitting outside but the heat drove us inside.

outside Denizens
outside Denizens

Following my usual system when visiting a brewery new to me, I ordered a flight. Denizens Brewing offers 3 flights; we choose the one labeled “hoppy”.  All the tasters looked the same, with a golden hue. They were:

  • Lowest Lord – this ESB has lots of piney hops with a hint of malt
  • The Mack – An interesting spin on lagers. Hoppy with some tropical fruit.
  • Trainspotting – Some malty sweetness with piney hops
  •  Southside – Not a fan of ryes, but I’m trying to develop a palate. Nice spicy rye flavor blended with piney hops. Ryes are growing on me.

The guy sitting next to me was having The Mack, waiting for his girl friend. She was having her eyebrows lasered. He is a Prince Georges 5th grade teacher and had played basketball in Europe for a few years. I’m guessing this 6’4″ man has no disciplinary problems in his classroom. My brother is planning a trip to Prague, so he asked for some advice. Our new friend suggested visiting a place called Lubik, but we couldn’t find it on the map.

inside Denizens
inside Denizens

After all those hoppy beers, I wanted to try something different, particularly a sour and a Tripel.  Of course, the Brett was only available in 10 oz pours, unless we bought a flight, but then the Tripel was not in that flight. We (actually I) badgered the bartender until he gave me a sample. Here’s the next unique set:

  • Third Party – Honey sweet tripel with alcohol taste. A little thin bodied
  • Ponch’s Porter – Aroma and taste of coffee.
  • Brett Party – Nice tartness to this Belgian Tripel. It says it is aged in barrels for 4 months with some Brett. Worth the haggling.

On a hot Saturday afternoon, the crowd at Denizens was a diverse mix of generations and races.  We actually had an interesting discussion with a guy about whether Trump would win a second term. No Earth shattering decisions were made but we had a very entertaining discussion.

To be continued.

Cheers!

Warren