Rams Head World Beer Club Initial Post

One of our favorite local restaurants is Rams Head Tavern at Savage Mill. Rams Head is a small chain of restaurants mostly in Maryland, though they do have one in Key West, Florida. The local restaurant is near our favorite board game store, and the mill has a great used book store and a chocolate shop. So we visit the mill a lot. I've known about Rams Head's World Beer Club for a couple of years now and have finally decided to take the plunge and sign up.

The World Beer Club is based on a list of 150 beers that the restaurants have available. As patrons work their way through the list, they get various awards for trying 50, 100, and 150 different brews. I started off with two beers:

Brooklyn Brown Ale by Brooklyn Brewery (5.6% alcohol by volume) is a great brown ale that blends a dark bitterness with a smooth flavor and a rich body that makes it satisfying to drink. This was a great start to a 150-beer challenge.

The challenge does not have a time limit on it, just the goal of trying the huge variety of beers available. The beer menu is broken down into categories, letting customers focus on favorites or experiment with new styles. Brown Ales aren't new to me, so I felt this was a safe start. I am a little worried about dipping into the IPA section of the menu!

My second ale was a stout:

Flapjack Maple Milk Stout by Calvert Brewing Company (6.9% alcohol by volume) is a fine beverage with just a hint of maple syrup flavoring along with nice stout robustness. The label claims, 

Flapjack Maple Milk Stout is extra roasty, and just slightly sweet from the addition of non-fermentable milk sugar and real Vermont maple syrup. Don't let the name fool you; this stout is smooth, balanced and drinkable, and always a crowd-pleaser, no matter the time of year.

I have to agree it is a very enjoyable brew, though it is probably better on its own than with a meal.

Two down and only one hundred and forty-eight to go! My plan is to average out one beer a week, so it will take me a little under three years to finish the challenge. We'll see if I can exceed expectations on this challenge!