Columbia, MD March 17th, 2019
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! A few days ago, I got together with my friend of many years, David, to celebrate his birthday which happens every year on Pi Day, March 14. We got together at Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House.
Guinness Open Gate near Baltimore makes some terrific beers. I tried a flavorful Guinness 2.7 IPA (pictured above) as well as a Garnet Ale (rhymes with “darn it”). Both are flavorful low ABV beers: 2.7% and 2.3% respectfully.
St. Patrick’s Day
Today, David will be celebrating his birthday, as he has for many years, in Las Vegas with his wife. He’ll be celebrating at an Irish Pub (or two) today. Happy Birthday, David. For me, this St. Patrick’s Day will be, oddly enough, alcohol-free. We’ll be showing our 19-year-old cousin around Baltimore today.
Below are a few St. Patrick’s Day links for those of you looking for ideas about what to do and what to drink.
Esquire, Drink a Stout Brewed with Chocolate Ice Cream on St. Patrick’s Day.
Mail Online, Some delicious alternatives to Guinness on St Patrick’s Day.
The Takeout, Guinness really is the best St. Patrick’s Day beer.
Elite Daily, Here Are 7 St. Patrick’s Day Drinks That Aren’t Beer, But Are Festive Nonetheless.
Gather, Drink, Repeat
As promised in a previous post, a few of my neighbors got together for another walk to our local brewery, Sapwood Cellars. It is only an 11-minute walk but due to the poor walkability of my neighborhood, we must jaywalk across MD Rte 108. We’re asking the state of Maryland, Howard County, and the Columbia Association to put a crosswalk on 108 at the light at Red Branch Road to make our journey a little safer.
Remembering Lorna
I’m dedicating this post to my mother, Lorna. This Saint Patrick’s Day, my mother would have turned 90-years old. Although a life-long teetotaller, she took great delight in being born on St. Patrick’s Day. She may be responsible for my love of beer. During my early teens, when I could not legally drink, I convinced her to help me make beer. I appealed to her adventurous spirit and pride in her home economics degree. The beer was terrible and ended up exploding in the back shed, much to my father’s distress. She passed away on March 14, 2018, Pi Day and David’s birthday, last year. Happy birthday, mom.
Cheers!
Warren