Dining: The Brewer’s Art (Baltimore, MD)

1106 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 547-6925
thebrewersart.com

Bias. I have it. Ok, I threw it out there. For a long time The Brewer’s Art has been my favorite local brewery. Their Resurrection Ale is a Baltimore staple and my favorite American abbey style ale. Beyond the brews, my first experience actually eating there was earlier this year in March. I decided it would be a good idea to take Erin there for dinner last weekend. There is a reason I came back to eat.

We enter the dungeon. Deep, dark, below street level. The perfect setting. Immediately we order a round of the house specialties. Sumblimination Ale. A blonde abbey-style ale with a hint of bitterness. Very good. We each sip on one while munching on Rosemary Garlic Fries. I tell you, it takes a very special French fry to keep me from adding any seasoning. These are quite possibly the most perfectly seasoned fries. Light, crisp and every bite has an even taste of garlic and rosemary. I don’t know how they do it.

As we finish up the munchies and the first round, in preparation for the food to arrive I order the Coup De Boule and Erin gets the Monument Ale. The Coup is a golden grand cru spiced with cardamom, cinnamon and saffron. Good lord. This was amazing. Great flavors. The Monument ale is smooth and hoppy. A decent beer.

We split our entrees. Blue Crab Ravioli with Cioppino Butter was first up. It’s actually on their appetizer menu, but sounded too good to pass up. The sweet crab and buttery sauce just works. Nice flavor combination, not too heavy, perfectly cooked and seasoned. If they upped the portion size, I would totally order this as an entrée. Next up is their version of a gyro. The Brewer’s Art “Gyro” with house-made lamb sausage, tzatziki, tomato and feta in pita. This stayed pretty true to the original Greek specialty in my opinion, with the exception of the meat. Instead of pressed and thinly sliced meat, it’s a home-made lamb sausage. Excellent flavors going on here. Quite messy I do say, but worth sopping up the drippings.

Prices here are reasonable. However, the beers will not only sneak up on your BAC, but your wallet too. They are all easy to drink, which is quite conducive to several rounds. I knew going in to take it easy. Not over priced by any means.

Overall I give our experience here a grade of A-. We’ll be back before too long. I would recommend The Brewer’s Art to any beer lover in a heart beat. The adventurous and creative chef makes it a winner for even the non-drinker. But, get there early as it gets crowded.