The Baltimore Beer Guy landed in this area in February 2008, coming from Pensacola Florida, a place he describes as a "beer wasteland."

The Beer Guy, whose real name is Brian (last name withheld by request), knocked around San Diego and Los Angeles before his exile in Pensacola.  "I really miss the bright hoppiness of the West Coast beers.  But I think the beer scene here is kind of thriving.  There are a lot of places here that I think would be right at home in other beer capitals in the United States - Portland, Denver, San Diego, Philadelphia.  Baltimore's maybe not quite in that tier, but is maybe just a step below, like a Triple-A ballclub."

Brian launched his blog a few weeks after hitting town.  "When I first got here, I didn't find a whole lot of resources online for me to find out what's here.  So I put together a bunch of links and maps as I explored the area so I'd remember what I found.  And I started thinking if I put the stuff out there, other people might find it helpful, too."

And helpful it is.  It's probably one of the more consumer-oriented beer blogs I've run across.  There's ample information on events, beer selections available in area bars (a little heavily weighted to Howard County owing to the fact that Brian is based there) and brew reviews.  One of the things I really like about the blog is the collection of custom beer maps that he's created.  In the right rail of the blog, you can find maps showing locations of Maryland breweries and brewery/restaurants; downtown Baltimore watering holes; craft beer-friendly spots in Howard County; his favorite beer/liquor stores; and more.

"I like giving out what's going on, who's making what.  It's the kind of beer-geeky stuff that hopefully other people can enjoy."

More beer commercials

I had a lot of positive feedback on last week's post about classic beer commercials.  In light of that, I thought I might start dropping one in at the end of each week's post.  The one below, for Hamm's beer, was recommended by my host, Rob Kasper. 

Anyone know what's the deal with cartoon characters hawking beer?