Cheese and Beer - Not Always a Good Thing

Jess and I went to a local brewpub in Frederick called Barley and Hops for the first time the other day. We were really excited about unleashing another local source of micro-brews on to our newly expanded taste buds.

We were very disappointed. We tried almost every beer they offered and we didn't really like any of them. I found most of them to be syrupy and unpleasant or, in the case of their light lager, tasteless. All the beer was served very warm as well.

This contrasts greatly with our trip to Flying Dog's brewery where, although some were not our cup of tea exactly, all tasted like beer and were totally drinkable.

The topper of the whole experience was the Belgian Wit. Before I even got it to my face, I could smell a strong cheese (Parmesan to be exact) odor emanating from the beer. I took a sip anyway and it tasted like cheese as well. Not just a tinge or twang, but like someone had dumped a bunch of Parmesan in the beer. It was so strong that I entertained the thought that it might be intentional, but I felt more likely that there was some kind of problem (mold maybe?) either with the lines or the batch.

We asked the bartender "Is this beer supposed to have a cheese flavor?" to which she responded, "I don't know. Whatever it tastes like is what it is supposed to taste like." Very unhelpful. We asked if should would taste it or even smell it to see if anything seemed off, but she, the bartender at a brewpub, refused and wrinkled her face up as if to say, "I would NEVER drink the beer here!"

I can't say that I blame her, actually.