Baltimore Brewing Co. Reviews

kp	3.3 DeGroens Octoberfest Name: DeGroen’s Marzen Date: 07/23/1999 Mode: Bottle Source: Chevy Chase, DC clear amber, thin white head, rich sweet malt aroma, light malt flavor, slightly sweet, low bitterness -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: DeGroen’s Marzen Date: 03/24/2003 Score: ii to ii+ Words: Draft Words: Bardo Clear amber, whispy head, sweet cdrmel malt aroma, rich carmel malt flavor, clean Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 13/20 Rating: 3.3/5.0 Score: *+/4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.* Saturday, September 1, 2007
jeffin7	3.9 DeGroens Altfest Aroma and flavor are both an nice blend of banana, caramel, and raisin. Creamy palate. Wednesday, March 2, 2005
CaptainCougar	3.9 DeGroens Rauchbock GABF 2004: Clear copper brown with a thin off-white head. Aroma is wonderfully malty sweet with bold caramel and smoked notes. Mildly sweet and smokey body has a nice balance and semi-dry, lingering smoke finish. This is a really good rauchbock. Sunday, October 10, 2004
guzzler67	3.2 DeGroens Helles Bright amber appearance with a large white head. Modest nose that imparted a doughy aroma. Up front, the taste was malty with a touch of caramel. Developed some hoppiness as it finished. Light-to-medium body that was well carbonated. Not sure the "winter" seasonal label is appropriate, as it is brewed and released in mid-summer. Saturday, July 31, 2004
namtsorp999	4.2 DeGroens Rauchbock This was a really good smoked beer. The flavor was well balanced and malty up front, with a nice smoky finish. I could drink alot of this beer and recommend trying it if you see it. Monday, June 28, 2004
jeffc666	3.6 DeGroens Maibock Slighlty hazy golden amber with a small off-white head. Very nice fruity malt nose, berries primarily. Flavor is also quite fruity, as with some other beers from these guys it is not really to style but it is still a decent beer. Medium body with a lingering fruity finish. Friday, May 28, 2004
jeffc666	3.4 DeGroens Altfest Slightly hazed amber with a snall white head. Sweet aroma, sugary and fruity with an interesting hop component. The flavor is also very sweet, a bit atypical for thestyle but I still enjoed it. Medium-full body with a fruity/sweet aftertaste. Friday, May 28, 2004
guzzler67	3.4 DeGroens Maibock Cloudy, golden appearance with a fruity aroma that was reminiscent of ripe mangos. Lively carbonation fuels the fairly high abv. Short lived, malty finish. Thursday, May 20, 2004
fly	2 DeGroens Altfest Woops! What happened? Not a drain pour - or is it? Would say that something went way wrong here. Aaron suspected candy sugar, and I have to agree that it seemed present. With the ALT in the title I was expecting a certain tannic quality to be there somewhere or at least not be saturated with the type of swetness that did nothing to bring malt to mind. Didn’t taste infected, but perhaps an infection of another sort. What was being attempted here? Monday, May 3, 2004
fly	2.7 DeGroens Maibock Was rather puzzled by this one. The line up at DeGroens tends to the German side, if by just by name. Poor choice of malt is my speculation. Sweetness is there, but character and body that follows is not. Was a nice brew to a degree (and yes, Kathy, where DID the strawberry come from?). with this strength I would much rather be drinking another of their beers. Monday, May 3, 2004
argo0	2.8 DeGroens Maibock By chance this made its seasonal debut last night when I visited the brewery. Hazy amber body with off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, caramel, strawberry, biscuit. Taste is medium sweet, caramel, grain, and not much else until the finish, which has some alcohol, some cereal, and some astringency. Medium body, slightly sticky. Saturday, May 1, 2004
argo0	2.2 DeGroens Altfest Hazy amber with small off-white head. Aroma is sweet, candy sugar, caramel. Taste is very sweet, candy sugar, some caramel, lightly astringent. Sticky medium body with moderately high carbonation. I found this way too sweet, and in may ways it seemed like Belgium invading Germany -- not an alt like I’ve ever tasted. Saturday, May 1, 2004
guzzler67	3.6 DeGroens Altfest Murky, orange appearance with a small head. Fruity, sweet malt aroma that carried over to the taste. Well-hopped flavor added to the crispness and prevented this altbier from becoming too cloying. Clean finish. Wednesday, April 7, 2004
dirtymike	3.4 DeGroens Altfest Deep hazy gold with a small white head that quickly disapates into a lacing around the rim. The aroma is of toasted malt,fruit and sweet malt. The flavor is tart,with a tangy malt character using a earthy hop chararcter and spice to lend to it's dry finish. Sunday, March 28, 2004
scraff	4.3 DeGroens Rauchbock Great smoked beer. Somewhat orangeish with an off white head. A bit sweet and malty, hints of tobacco with obvious peat smoked malt. Flavors match the taste, but I would even throw in a bit of caramel and toffee as it warmed. Would be awesome on a summer day out on the deck grilling up all the favorites. A perfect example for this style. Monday, March 15, 2004
LordHedgehog	4.2 DeGroens Rauchbock Sweet, slightly smoky aroma. Medium orange color, with a moderate head. Flavor is mostly smoked malt, with just enough hops to keep it on the malty end of balanced. Sweet and smokey, like a good smoked sausage. Slight alcohol taste. Not overpoweringly smoked, a great introduction to the style. Sunday, February 22, 2004
Ladyhedgehog	4.4 DeGroens Rauchbock A dark ambery-topaz beer with moderate head. A strong aroma of sweet smoke that lends perfect compliment to a smooth flavor. Decent amount of well presented malt. Much less sweet than most of DeGroen's bocks. And did I mention that it was smokey? A totaly excellent experience. Friday, February 20, 2004
guzzler67	4.4 DeGroens Rauchbock This years (2004) offering is the best I have had so far. The aroma is a little more subtle, but still smoky. Smooth, leathery, smoky malt taste that is so true to the style. Unique without being offensive. If you like rauch beers, you will love this one. A must if you ever get the opportunity. Sunday, February 1, 2004
jeffc666	4 Baltimore Brewing Edelweiss Hazy yellow-amber body. Nice pillowy white head. Big yeasty aromas, bubblegum with a slightly acrid aroma way back in the mix. The flavor is big bubblegum, quite sweet with some vanilla in the finish. The alcohol (9.5% on the 2004 vintage that I tried) on this monster is totally hidden. Medium slightly sticky body. Quite a nice beer. Thursday, January 15, 2004
Kaya161	4 DeGroens Octoberfest Buttery/yeasty aroma. Flavour is very Belgian, yeast wise with a distinctly German maltiness. Very kind!! Tuesday, September 9, 2003
boto	3.5 DeGroens Helles Draught: Sampled at the CTRiver Brewers Festival. The beer pours a hazy golden color. Fairly typical malty, yeast nose. Good, balanced taste, but did I detect a hint of clove in there? A bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. Intriguing taste. I may have to try this again later. I thought this was good! Monday, September 8, 2003
Hopistotle420	3.5 DeGroens Helles Draught at HolyokeBrew Fest: Poured a hazy golden hue. Yeasty malt nose. Sweet, pale malts, light to medium bodied, finishing yeasty with pleasant bitterness. Sunday, September 7, 2003
austinpowers	4.4 DeGroens Rauchbock IN-SANE! Massively smoky, like eating a side of bacon that sat in a smokehouse for a month. Outstanding, though the bockiness didn't shine through much. Moderately malty. This may be better than Schlenkerla Urbock! Monday, July 7, 2003
wilkie	3.4 DeGroens Rauchbock Smokey bacon aroma--brown and see-through. Good but less body than I had expected. Needs more malt, but it is one of the best rauchbiers that I have had that wasn't German and from Bamberg. Friday, June 27, 2003
Braudog	3.1 DeGroens Maibock Light in color with a sugary aroma. Predominant alcohol-malt character. OK. Friday, June 13, 2003
Holdwine	3.8 DeGroens Maibock This is a great maibock. Wow. Light gold in color. Nice white head. Clear, super crisp. Fruity aroma with pear, apple? Alcohol is nicely masked with great malting and then the hops zoom in. Fun beer if you can find it. Tuesday, June 10, 2003
beerluvindave	4 DeGroens Rauchbock Very nice smoked malt with a smooth presentation. No one component is too overpowering of the rest... nice balance of flavor. Monday, May 12, 2003
dolemike1	4.3 DeGroens Rauchbock I was really impressed with this one. The smoke doesn't overpower the sweet malts, thank god,thus leading to an eminently drinkable beer. This ones delicious. Much better than that Schlerenkerla ... or however you spell it... crap. Monday, April 28, 2003
ravidesai	3.1 DeGroens Rauchbock amber , orange color, a very nicer smoke beer where the smoke malt complements the caramel sweetness of the malty bock base instead of dominating. very smooth , one of thye better microbrew rauchbiers. leaves abn oddly sour aftertaste Sunday, April 13, 2003
urbnhautebourg	3.4 DeGroens Altfest Draught. Bartender noted it was sweeter than in previous years. Certainly sweet, but the body held up this sweetness nicely. I always thought of altbier as a lot dryer. This one emphasizes "Fest" more than "Alt". Think of it more as a Marzen. Wednesday, March 19, 2003
LiebeBier	3.3 DeGroens Altfest Draught - The beer had a nice copper hue with a slightly malty, hoppy aroma. Taste was crisp with a sweetness coming from the beer. Tasted great, but it wasn't a typical alt Beer. Wednesday, March 19, 2003
urbnhautebourg	3.7 DeGroens Rauchbock Fine smoke superstructure (ooh--Marxian word choice) over a body that I believe might be a bit too thin to accomodate. When drinking this one, I tried to block out the smoke to taste the underlying bock--which is excellent. Enjoyed as a whole, the beer is fantastic. This brewery really doesn't make too many mistakes. Friday, January 24, 2003
MilkmanDan	3.3 Baltimore Brewing Edelweiss Cloudy yellow-brown. Odd nose. Very peppery, also get a strange pungency similar to steamed asparagus. Also has a taffy-like sweetness to it. Quite sugary, a bit like liquid bubblegum. Very spicy, has loads of pepper, some nutmeg and clove. A bit thin on the palate, could use a bit more heft. Does mask the alcohol quite well. Frankly, seemed a heck of a lot more like a tripel than anything else. Reminded me of a vaguely wussy Don de Dieu. Friday, January 17, 2003
urbnhautebourg	4.3 Baltimore Brewing Edelweiss Big fluffy white head which disapates, leaving good lace. Argo"s description of big clove, banana, pepper and bubblegum in flavor and aroma is right on, though I found no astringency whatever. I found the body to be rather thick, lending perfect support to the tremendous flavors in this Weizenbock. Brilliant. Friday, January 17, 2003
argo0	3.6 Baltimore Brewing Edelweiss Hazy amber with minimal white head. Aroma is clove, bubblegum fruity, banana, peppery -- very sweet. Taste is at first sweet, pepper, fruity, but the banana and clove make their presence known as the beer warms. A trifle astringent. Fairly light body, and it goes down nicely with an alcohol warming (no burn). Friday, January 17, 2003
spicedad2	3.6 DeGroens Helles I'm not a huge fan of german lagers, but this was a very good, fresh tasting german lager. It was a hot day in Baltimore when I sampled this one, and it hit the spot. It has many of the typica helles (odd) flavors of licorice. Thursday, January 16, 2003
dukefan	4.3 DeGroens Rauchbock Oh my God! Great smokey, attack beer! Rarely on tap and no longer in bottles, but this is possibly the best American made German beer available. Friday, January 3, 2003
Volgon	3.6 DeGroens Rauchbock On tap, GABF 02: Aroma of smoked malts...what the heck, oh its a smoked beer. Dark orange in color, very smooth tasting. Heavy smoked malt finish. Nice without being overpowering. Saturday, October 12, 2002
PhillyBeer2112	3.3 DeGroens Rauchbock GABF 2002: Subtle campfire aroma. Bright orange color. Nice malt upfront and a decent campfire flavor. Not overly smoky. Somewhat watery finish. Monday, October 7, 2002
urbnhautebourg	3.7 DeGroens Maibock Update: 06/03. Big beautiful white head. When cold, all this shows is alcohol. Fruitiness comes out a bit as it warms up. Lighter and a bit less rich than I'd like in Maibock, but really pretty good. Old: See Venom's excellent description. Sampled at the brewery, where two construction workers were drinking this 6.8% brew out of 1 liter mugs. They had several. Fitting tribute to a fine beer, I thought. Thursday, September 19, 2002
urbnhautebourg	2.3 DeGroens Helles Sampled at the brewery. Probably their least satisfying offering. In previous years, this was malty and swell. This year's batch hadn't much flavor at all. Thursday, September 19, 2002
HighGravity	4.1 DeGroens Helles (Served from a growler) Very malty and light. The palate is dominated by malt. The beer finishes smooth with a touch of hops. Well crafted and yummy. Thursday, August 29, 2002
MilkmanDan	3.7 DeGroens Maibock Very light gold. Nice, thick head. Odd carbonation, tasted almost like it was nitro poured. Noticeable German hops give a slightly bitter backbone. Main flavor is a apple/peachy maltiness. Quite refreshing. Saturday, August 17, 2002
fuchebu	4 DeGroens Helles nice bite in the finish, lots of character, good summer brew................ Saturday, August 3, 2002
VENOM	3.9 DeGroens Maibock Golden straw sheen. Thin, dense white head. Tiny bubbled and restrained carbonation. Estery alcohol aroma mixed with spicy German hops, clean water and faint malts. Delicate yet in your face flavors of fruity alcohol, grainy malts and spicy hops. Medium bodied. Brash alcohol is not indicative of it's strength, but flexes its muscles here and there. Clean and well lagered. Adequate balance. Pear juice fruitiness. Finishes with a malty surge and alcohol smack. A good example. Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Holdwine	3.7 DeGroens Rauchbock Very nice when fresh. Love that smokiness. Just a great all around, special brew. Not for all occasions. A nice amber color. Just a hint of fruitiness to work with this smoky bock. Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Bov	4.1 DeGroens Altfest dark orange colour, nice creamy head, beautiful lace, buttery, fruity aroma (peach), very smooth and sweet, lot of carbonation, long sour and fruity finish - complex and very good but don't tell me it's an altbier ?!? Saturday, July 27, 2002
Gusler	3.2 DeGroens Altfest Tea colored, quite chill hazed with a nice frothy head, sheets of lace. Nose is earthy, malt, sweet and the start also has a malt sweetness to it. Top is light, the finish is lightly hopped, mildly carbonated, dry, drinkable, but not great. Friday, June 14, 2002
HighGravity	4 DeGroens Maibock A very attractive beer when poured into a glass. The aroma is malt driven. Flavors are mainly malty and sweet. A good hellerbock. Saturday, June 8, 2002
HighGravity	4.6 DeGroens Rauchbock Holy smokes. Put another log on the fire. A wonderful smokey aroma is filling the room. The palate is rich and smokey. A great example of a love or hate style. Not as smokey as last year. Thursday, June 6, 2002