Opening Day: the beer wasn't all that was cold
Opening Day of the major league baseball season usually provides a good excuse to sip beer in the great outdoors.
However, as soon as I arrived at Camden Yards Monday to watch the Orioles opening the season against the Tampa Bay (Don't Call them Devil) Rays, I took cover in a stadium bar.
The bar used to be called Bambino's and had an Irish theme, but now it is the Bud Light Warehouse. It looks out on Eutaw Street, beyond the right field fence. It felt like cheating, watching the game on the flat screen televisions rather than sitting the stands, battling the elements. But people in the pub were having a very good time. So I stayed put.
Along with the new name, the place had a few new beers on tap. First I tried a Stella Artrois, a pale lager from Belgium for $7.50. Like the weather, it was cold, registering 40 degrees on my instant-read thermometer. It reminded me of Heineken, not especially exciting or flawed. But it got the job done.
The atmosphere in the Warehouse was welcoming and skies were threatening, so after a brief excursion around the ball park, I found myself back in the Warehouse, trying another tap beer: Shock Top, a Belgian White for $6.50. This is an Anheuser-Busch product, with a thin head. It was 43 degrees, which was what it felt like outside. This beer started off with a sweet, citrus note and finished sour. I couldn't finish it.
I went back outside to Eutaw Street and ordered a Wild Goose Pale Ale, $6.50 at the microbrew stand. Good body, nice hop bite. The day brightened, but only temporarily. Soon the Devil-less Rays extended their lead to 6-2 over the Os. My mood darkened.
I craved a dark beer, a Guinness. So apparently did many other fans. By the sixth inning, the taps of the Guinness stand on the first level behind home plate had gone dry. No Guinness meant gloom and an Orioles defeat.
Opening Day left me with three questions.
Has anybody else tasted the Stella?
How about the Shock Top?
Finally, is it anti-American to drink beer in the comfort of a stadium pub, rather than sitting outside and sipping brews in the cold weather?
Comments
Rob-Stella is fairly prevalent in the bars i hang out in in Baltimore. It's just OK,in my opinion,nothing to rave about. Next time you're at the micro-brew stand order a Clipper City,you'll like it much more than Wild Goose,and you'll be supporting another local brewery.
Posted by: Don | March 31, 2008 6:55 PM
Must just depend on the liquor store you frequent, but Stella is a staple in my fridge. It's not an overly big beer, but one with a nice hop bite. Sounds like the one you tried was perhaps too cold? In my opinion, it was measures up nicely with other German beers.
Posted by: Mitch | March 31, 2008 8:51 PM
"Finally, is it anti-American to drink beer in the comfort of a stadium pub, rather than sitting outside and sipping brews in the cold weather?"
I wouldn't even consider that going to the game. That's no different then going to your local bar to watch the O's
Posted by: Steve | April 1, 2008 9:22 AM
Started off the day with a Bishop's Breakfast at Wharf Rat.
Tried and didn't like the Shock top. Had a couple of IPAs at the microbrew stand, which has since removed DuClaws excellent porter with a wolf in sheep's clothing macromicro.
Posted by: Mike | April 2, 2008 11:33 AM
I enjoy Stella quite a bit, its a good change when I'm looking for a better beer that's not too heavy.
I haven't found a Belgian white I liked, so I avoid them.
On a slightly different note from a past blog, the next time you are down south in Florida (or in Atlanta's airport), there is a new brew out of Atlanta called Sweetwater. The 420 pale ale is quite tasty. Their IPA has a bit more of a hoppy bite to it.
Posted by: Rob in the Redneck Riviera | April 4, 2008 8:46 AM
While bartending a few years back I had some British lads order a round of "beaters". I've heard all sorts of slang & nicknames for drinks/beers, but this was a new one to me. I asked them what they meant and they said that's what they refer to Stella as on the other side of the pond. When I asked why they said "because if you drink them all night you'll want to go home and beat your wife." Ahhhh, British humor....so subtle.
Posted by: Dave the wave | April 4, 2008 3:38 PM
I must say, the last few months my girlfriend and I have gone out of our way to sample over 150 various beers.
The Stella is not bad. I agree with you in that it does remind me of Heineken. Not too powerful and quite pleasant compared to most beers available in the stadium.
The Shock Top. Another that is ok in our eyes. Since we had the Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale, we thought this one would be just as good. Not really. It had potential but in the end it dissappointed. A better Spring beer would be to try Blue Moon Rising Moon. Nice and smooth with a hint of lime. Not overpowering but quite nice.
I also agree with Don. The Clipper City Pale Ale I find better than the Wild Goose. Plus I am byass to Clipper City. Love their Balto- MarzHon.
Posted by: Justin | April 9, 2008 2:25 PM