Columbia, MD November 24, 2018

Four of us are standing in a steady downpour, our feet are wet but we’re all strangely happy.

We are outside of the Second Chance Saloon, the last stop of the 3rd Annual Columbia Pub Crawl. After 6 hours, 5 miles and 4 previous pubs, we are ready for a hot meal and a cold one to celebrate our afternoon of insanity.

Ale House Columbia

It all started at 11:00 AM at the Ale House Columbia. I was surprised to learn that this Columbia restaurant cousin in the Oliver’s Brewing family actually opens at 10:00 AM  during the football season. It is an enormous place, with multiple bars, a nice craft beer selection, and good food.

We reserved the back room for about 20 people. The ominous weather forecast scared a few away, but 15 people still showed up. Our server, Jessica, ensured that we had plenty to eat and drink. I had a 5 oz. pour of an old favorite, an Oliver’s Brewing Speed of Darkness, a rich Russian Imperial Stout. The Ale House omelet, grapefruit brûlée, and a stout made a great brunch and a terrific start to the pub crawl.

Pub Dog

A light drizzle chased a few of our potential pub crawlers away. The 10-minute walk to Pub Dog along the pedestrian-unfriendly Dobbin Road took us over grass and mud paths, jaywalking across the road without crosswalks.

Pub Dog is a cozy and welcoming pizza bar. We were greeted by a warm gas fireplace and friendly staff. Several patrons sat at the long wooden bar. We grabbed a couple of tables and order beers from the bar. At Pub Dog, you never get just one beer, they always come in pairs, so I had the mild and creamy Yappucino milk stout, splitting the order with Jim. It went down too easily (and too quickly). Pub Dog’s beers are inexpensive craft beers, mild and very drinkable. I love the canine-related names like white dog, peach dog, black dog, muddy mutt, bloodhound, boxer and beagle.

Overall, Pub Dog is a fun place…I should visit and bone up on my sorry shuffleboard skills.

Frisco Tap House

The rain began to pick up on our 15-minute walk to Frisco. This is our usual Wednesday Pint Night haunt, where we collect pint glasses, T-shirts and belong to their mug club. This large pub with 53 beers (many world-class) on tap is also a brewery —Reckless Ale Works. Yesterday, they had held Barrel-Aged Black Friday featuring Bourbon County Stouts. I tried a Vanilla stout finding it delicious but still prefer the Orange version.

Sonoma’s

The rain really started to pick up. Only 4 raingear-clad pub crawlers remained. Others would drive ahead. The half-hour walk on the Columbia paths led us around the park-like setting of Lake Elkhorn. The beautiful walk finished in the Owen Brown Sonoma’s. It is one of the few remaining Columbia Village pubs. It has a limited craft beer list, specializing more in live music and showing sports on their many TVs.

Second Chance Saloon

The rain picked up in interest during our long walk to the 2nd Chance. The remaining 4 crawlers slogged through sidewalks and paths that had turned into small creeks. This 45- minute hike left us all soggy and tired.

The 2nd Chance is my neighborhood bar in Oakland Mills and like Sonoma’s, an original Columbia village pub. At one time, this was an amazing craft beer bar, known as the Last Chance, with 100 taps. This was back before craft beer became the obsession it is today. I actually attended an event with the great beer author and expert, Michael Jackson, at the Last Chance. Today, they carry a respectable 18 craft beers on tap. For food, I usually stick with the burgers and wings. BTW, Tuesdays are half-priced burger nights.

I had a Terrapin Moo Hoo Milk Stout, always one of my favorites. I love the milky sweet Yoo Hoo taste. It went well with a bowl of hot chili.

Cheers!

Warren