MD Brewery Challenge #29

Rockville, MD

Four of us gathered at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in the Town Square in Rockville for a few beers and a light dinner. I knew Gordon Biersch was an American chain, so I imagined safe, run of the mill food with average beer. Boy was I wrong. 

New to dining in Rockville, I was impressed with the broad, brick sidewalks and outside dining. Our table under a canopy of umbrellas and trees was surrounded by a steady stream of pedestrians on one side and light auto traffic on the other. There was even a Gordon Biersch patron challenging passersby to a game of chess – we saw no takers.

Gordon Biersch makes their beers on the premises. So, I’m at a German brewery, famous for their German lagers; naturally, I order their Flanders Tart Red. It’s like ordering seafood in Kansas City – not a wise decision. I was quite pleasantly surprised; it was nice and tart with a hint of fruity sweetness. It’s not a Rodenbach Grand Cru but very well made.

We ordered their beer steamed mussels (full pour) and some Brat sliders. All was very delicious, although we sure could have used a few more mussels.

Other beers sampled at the table were the Printemp Saison and the Small Hours I.P.A. Both had a toasty, German beer quality tasting extremely fresh. The Saison was not as smoky as our Saison connoisseur, Christina, likes but I found it quite yummy, although a bit sweeter than most Saisons. The IPA was, for me, the hit of the evening. It was a delicious blend of sweet malt and floral hops with notes of fresh grain. I am tempted to make the trip back to Rockville, just for that IPA.

Our server suggested her favorite, the Festbier. I had a small taste and again, liked its fresh, toasty taste with quite a bit of malty sweetness.

I’m now on the Gordon Biersch bandwagon. I’ve since learned that the Annapolis restaurant is also quite good, recommended by my friend, Pierce.

For those of you new to this blog, I have challenged myself to visiting 57 Maryland breweries this year. I derived the list from the Brewers Association of Maryland’s web site on January 1st of 2017. As a one-time cartographer, I love maps, so I keep track of my impossible Maryland journey using Google’s My Maps – visit my Maryland Brewery Challenge map. I have had a little help, 3 breweries have closed since this started: Chesapeake Brewing in Crisfield, Assawoman Bay Brewing in Ocean City and Growlers of Gaithersburg. Also, I am sorry to say, it looks like Bulk Head Brewing in Columbia will never open.

Cheers!

Warren