Pratt Street Ale House

I spent a few hours in the Pratt Street Ale House on Friday before the Orioles game started. It's formally known as the Wharf Rat, but for some reason that I don't really care to investigate, they changed names. However, the important part is that they still serve their own beer from the Oliver Brewery.

I used to visit the Wharf Rat semi-frequently about five+ years ago, but that was before I began to really appreciate decent beer. It was great to get back there an sample their brews not that I've become a bit of a beer snob.

The Oliver Brewery specializes in brewing true to type English Ales. Even going so far as to serve them a the proper English cellar temperature of 54-degrees. Also in keeping with the style, they have three hand-pumped taps. Two of them are reserved for their Best Bitter and their Extra Special Bitter (E.S.B.). Bitters are the basic working English ale. Smooth and flavorful with out too much alcohol making them a fine session beer. The Oliver BB was a excellent example and really tasty. The ESB is a more hoppy and alcoholic bitter. For whatever reason, I've never been able to like this style and unfortunately the Oliver ESB was no exception. Best I can tell, it's a fine example an ESB, but it's not just my thing. However, if you're ever there, you should try it out and see for your self.

The third hand-pump tap has a rotating Brewers Choice beer. On Friday the brewer made an extra fine choice and had his Three-Lions Brown Ale on tap... oh, but not just the regular version of the ale, this was a special oak aged batch. Wow, what a great beer. I can't really describe it properly, but it had a deep complex flavor with notes of caramel, and vanilla, with a hint of the oak. I would love to figure out how to make something like this in my kitchen. In the meantime, I think I'll drop by there one day after work and get a growler of that fine stuff while its still available.

I also investigated their Stout, Oatmeal Stout and the Mild. Again, all were excellent, but my personal favorite of the three was the Oatmeal Stout. It was smooth and creamy, with a hint of chocolate. The Mild was quite interesting as well. A true English Mild is best thought of as a really light stout. It doesn't have all the weight to it, but is still dark and flavorful. Plus, it is rather low in alcohol content making it a great session beer. It's rarely found in the US and I've only encountered a true Mild at a pub in London and a homebrew kit that I bought from Northern Brewer. The Oliver Mild was a really tasty with a decent amount of flavor and very little alcohol kick. If I worked near the bar I'd be way too tempted to walk there after work and enjoy a pint or two before heading home.

I will definitely have to frequent the Pratt Street Ale House in the future. I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates decent beer, and also wants to help support their local brewing community.

Plus, you can get yourself a cool hat!