Great, simple concept that will do very well in that location.

Yea!! I'm of the opinion that all the beers in all the world should be Belgian. But that's just me.

I got a glimpse inside the other day while walking the pup. The paneling is gone, down to brick. They're still renovating/destroying so I wouldn't count on them answering the phone just yet. You might have better luck with email? My understanding (3rd hand Hampden gossip) is they will be doing just drinks first, then expanding eventually to some food.

A welcome addition to the neighborhood- unique and using a space already underutilized!

Hampden doesnt have a real beer bar? What constitutes real? Last time I checked Golden West had at least 8+ on tap and another dozen plus in bottles.

Hampden doesn't have a real bar? That's ignorant nonsense. What are you talking about?

In addition to GW, I would call Rocket to Venus "a real beer bar" as well as Frazier's.
Nevertheless, I look forward to De Kleine Duivel.

Does the Facebook page offer a phonetic pronounciation guide? haha.

Key wording here, folks...
"real BEER bar."

Beer geeks are a fickle lot.

Just ask anyone who's come in between ADMIV and, well, anything.

My opinion of a "real beer bar" is somewhere I'm going to drive across town to and drink something I can't get at most other places. GW has a great beer selection, Rocket is pretty good too but I think beer first when their names are mentioned.

De Kleine Duivel is Dutch and means :The Little Devil"

De
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/de#Pronunciation_3
Kleine
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/klein
Duivel
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/duivel

THEIR IN AMERICA WHY AIN'T THE NAME IN AMERICAN?

they're

gw and rocket serve wine. does that make them wine bars? de kleine duivel seems to be featuring multiple belgian beers on tap-- something unique that you can't find many other places. for that, it's a beer bar. quit whining!

i'm looking forward to the opening and i hope this place succeeds.

Well Tomc, your definition of a real beer bar is pretty close to mine as well. That being the case, I guess there aren't many "real beer bars" in Baltimore (Max's of course, but then what... mahaffey's I guess... maybe the metro and abbey burger bistro, maybe Pratt Street and the wharf rat... but that's pretty much it).

However, the impressin I have is that a lot of folks definition of a real beer bar is a bit less retrictive then ours. Rocket to Venus looks to have a pretty decent selection, but I think calling Frazier's a real beer bar is a real stretch (number one distributor of natty boh on the East Coast? Seems to me they should probably lose points for that).

JohnM. I would also include Brewer's Art, Muggsy's, Racer's, Growler's(Baltimore Taphouse) and even Metropolitan as other beer bars in town. I am sure that there are plenty more. I think that this place will do very well.

To clarify, when I think of a "real beer bar" I'm thinking of a place that has a good number of beers on tap. Frazier's usually has 8+ kinds including a few good ones. Much more than your average dive bar. When I'm thinking of a place like Max's or Pratt Street I'd say that is a step above a "beer bar" and I'm sure they would too!!

And Sam, does that mean Slainte has to go too? Irish Dave may want to have a word wit' ya.

You linked to the wrong site for the source. The guy at BeerInBaltimore.COM posted this news hours before that other site. No biggie. Just noticed that one site seems to take the same stories from the other site a lot.

My bf and I love Belgian beer and are looking forward to checking out this bar.

Since when can't Baltimore handle more then 1 real "beer bar", give the guy a break Hon; he is living out his dream. Wants to bring something a little different to the area. I for one can hardly wait for something new and a little different. And by the way this guys pure Baltimore with a little travel for spice. See you at the "The Little Devil" Hon.

@Sarah -- I saw the BeerinBaltimore.blogspot.com post first, so I linked to it first.

Huh. So he did.

You probably would never believe me if I said I got my story independent of the dot-com guy--a fellow beer geek e-mailed me the Facebook and website and asked me "huh?"--so I won't bother. But as it is, we routinely steal from one another, anyways.

And besides, I'm the ORIGINAL "Beer in Baltimore" blog by about a year or so.

Okay, how do we define a "beer bar"?

As a card-carrying beer geek--er, craft beer enthusiast--I would define "beer bar" as "any bar where a beer snob/aficionado/geek could go to, sight unseen, and expect to find at least three beers to choose from that would be of interest to him. On draft.

Having one BA Resurrection tap isn't enough. But if you have Rezzie, you probably know/care enough to have the other two.

Every brewpub: automatically a "beer bar." Any place with a beer engine or an occasional firkin of real ale = beer bar.

Other examples from around the region, at random: Grand Cru, Judge's Bench, Ale Mary's, Frisco Grille, Alonso's, Hamilton Tavern, Elliott's Pour House, Cat's Eye, Duda's, Bertha's.........

Rocket to Venus is a borderline case. They do a great thing offering the "3 small beers for $X" special they have/had, but I had to hunt a bit to find stuff I wanted. And thus far, if I wanted decent beer out of Hampden, The Wine Source, a retail establishment, has more/better beer than any drinking establishment in the area, so.........

A Belgian brasserie in Baltimore is a stroke of genius. I have just one question: Any Jupiler?

I, for one, welcome our new Belgian overlords!

OK Alexander, you and I have very different standards for "beer bars."

We do agree that The Wine Source has more/better beer than any drinking establishment in the area! Love that place.

Ha! Thanks Sarah.

No biggie though.

I'll have photos of this place in a few weeks and will make sure to share them with Sam.

- Brad
@BeerInBaltimore

@brad: Not if I get there first! <:-p

@Baltimoregal: "When I'm thinking of a place like Max's or Pratt Street I'd say that is a step above a 'beer bar'..."
Let's talk serious understatement for a minute. That's like comparing, say a Stop Shop & Save with a Super Wegman's......

Corey likey

I met this guy the same night he was chatting with Brad (BeerInBaltimore.com), Brian Stillwater and the crew at Max's. Nice guy. His bar will be a welcomed addition to Baltimore.

Is it true that this Alexander Mitchell guy saw the story on the .com site and called the owner of this bar, yelling at him about not sending a press release?

For his sake, I hope it is not true. But for humor's sake, I hope it is.

Not true at all.

Nobody answered the phone. (I think Sam Sessa had similar luck.) And no one was in when I stopped by yestreday and knocked, front and back.

I did drop an e-mail through the website asking about "where's the press release?" with a smiley emoticon after it, if that's what someone wants to convert to "calling" and "yelling" through a beer-fogged imagination......

No real bar in the neighborhood?

Rocket to Venus
Frasier's
Golden West Cafe
13.5% Wine Bar
McCabe's

Woops.

Very excited about this place. I met the owner and his fiance who were very nice and friendly. I hope they have a few sour beers on tap.

Would someone kindly take "Raphael" out/aside and show him/her the difference between a "bar" and a "real beer bar"?

A great many bars have a bottle each of red, white, and rose wine stashed somewhere in the cooler, but that doesn't make it a "wine bar."

i had an allagash white ten years ago with a teaspoon of raspberry syrup in the bottom of the glass. been thinking about it ever since. i hope they do something like that.