Franklin’s Brewery (Hyattsville, MD)

Consistently eclectic is how I can best describe Franklin’s Restaurant & Brewery (oh… and General Store). At my visit, there were no less than eleven taps, all pouring Franklin’s own brew. There is literally something for everyone, from their lighter Blonde Bombshell and Dubbel Vision, to A Modest ProposALE (an Irish-style stout) and even a sour offering, the Purgatoire.

I started out with Tripel Bliss, a light golden brew, made with yeast from a Trappist monastery in Belgium. Although it checks in at 9% abv this ale is quite drinkable. The typical spices and fruity esters of a tripel are evident, but not overwhelming. It went well with the ham, avocado, asparagus and alfalfa sandwich I had, another eclectically adventurous, yet simple menu item.

The Mama Said Hop You Out double IPA will satisfy the most greedy of hop heads, but will likely been enjoyed by the lupulin-challenged as well. It starts with a big, grassy nose, but drinks without much bitterness and is quite smooth. The smoothness comes from low carbonation and a balanced body that lends well to the big, herbal hop flavor. 

Rubber Chicken Red is a complex ale, with flavors ranging from mild roast and toastiness, to a hint of caramel and sweet, burnt sugar and nuts. Like the other beers on top, it too is smooth and drinkable. Although not quite a session ale at 5% abv, it is Franklin’s lowest alcohol offering outside of their blonde ale, and a couple pints are sure to disappear fairly easily.

Lastly, I tried Purgatoire, an American sour ale with lots of body. The sourness is very evident, and the beer itself has a thick, syrupy quality to it. A bit darker than an amber, flavors such as molasses and a hint of chocolate envelop the palate. It has some similarities to a port wine, and would lend itself well to some barrel aging to balance out the heavier flavors and allow for more of the tartness to take center stage. 

Franklin’s lends itself well to being a neighborly bar, as I saw first hand on this Monday afternoon as four locals who were on a first-name basis emerged at the bar at what was seemingly a regular affair. The beers themselves cater to a wide audience, but not at the expense of sacrificing flavor. This is clearly evident as not one “American Lite Ale” is available on their beer menu. Each beer, although representing their classic styles in flavor and characteristics, could be enjoyed by both newcomers to craft beer as well as the most style-obsessed beer geek and seeker of radical brews. 

These characteristics are carried over into Franklin’s adjoining General Store that has everything from robot-shaped tea infusers to no less than about fifty different hot sauces. A plentiful selection of craft beers in both cold six-packs and large format bombers is located in the back of the store, sure to reek havoc on the wallet of beer connoisseurs (this one included). 

Sly Fox Brewing Company (Phoenixville, PA)

A few weeks ago I was having a rough week at work and ended up taking a three day trip up to Philly since I’d never been, and had heard all about their great beer culture. You always start out on a great high when you begin a trip (especially when it revolves around trying new beers), but mine started out a bit differently than usual. 

 I was about an hour and a half into my drive, psyched up, and just outside of my first destination, Sly Fox Brewing Company, when I heard over the radio that a bomb had just gone off at the Boston Marathon. I knew several people running that weekend, and one very close friend, so I flipped through every channel until I found the latest news. My friend should have finished a few hours before, so I immediately called her to see how she was… she did not answer, and hearing her voice over voice mail only made my panic that much greater.

 About that same time I arrived at Sly Fox’s Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville, PA (they also have a production brewery and tasting room in Pottstown, PA). Luckily, when I sat at the bar the TVs were on several news channels, however images of large smoke clouds and people on stretchers kept being flashed on the screens. There were a couple other folks at the bar for a late lunch, and although we had never met, we all immediately began conversing about the race and potential terrorist attack. Thankfully, I received an email pretty soon thereafter from my friend, saying she was OK.

 About this time I also got my sampler of multiple pale ales, a bitter, a saison, and their 2008 GABF gold medal winning smoked Rauch Bier. Now, I don’t want to dismiss the horrific actions that I had recently found out about, but I also don’t want to have anyone associate an awful moment in our country’s history with a new brewery they have never heard of. So, why have I mentioned them together? Because despite my reservations about this post, I did experience both together, and they will inexplicably be tied together in my mind for the rest of my life. 

 For me though, outside of being around friends and family after something traumatic, just being around other people sharing a common passion is very comforting. Enjoying something you love also helps take your mind off the worries of the day, and Sly Fox has some extremely enjoyable craft beers that did just that. They make some really excellent standard styles and then take them to the next level. No beer is more under appreciated in my opinion than a bitter. Sly Fox’s Chester County Bitter was one of my favorites on this visit. Despite its sessionability, there is lots of nice malty flavor balanced with subtle hoppiness. Not only does it adhere to the standards of a great bitter, they also only serve it the proper way a true bitter should be: cask conditioned. The cask conditioning gives the Chester County Bitter the smoothness it deserves and is a brew you could enjoy all day.

 In addition to some perfectly executed standard styles, the Sly Fox team offers some inventive brews, my favorite being their Hop Project series. On this particular day they had three single-hopped IPA hybrids that all utilized experimental hops that still don’t even have names associated with them, just numbers (01210, 03129, and 06300). The flavors in these brews ranged from your standard earthy and woody flavors, to coconut and mint. I immediately googled their availability to homebrewers the minute I got home two days later.

 I hate to associate such an awesome brewery with a terrible event, but the warmness of the locals I met while there, along with the comforting and delicious beers could not have been a better accompaniment to a troubled soul. And honestly, that’s part of why we have hobbies we’re so passionate about, to escape the ordinary, as well as the things we’d rather not think about.

Spring House Brewing Company (Lancaster, PA)

Spring House Brewing Company was another stop on my recent Eastern PA brew trip. Much like Prism Brewing in North Wales, Spring House definitely delivers for those looking to try some inventive beers. Their brewhouse is located in Conestoga, PA, but a full bar and restaurant is down the road in Lancaster (also very close to Intercourse, PA, where, as I observed, that is the probably the last thing on the geriatrics who I saw roaming the area’s minds). 

They have a pretty ridiculous sampler where you can taste every beer on tap, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe I had ten 4oz pours, with an additional “guest beer” thrown in for good measure. Definitely the go-to brew is the Big Gruesome, a chocolate peanut butter stout. Although this, along with other similarly off-the-wall beers, definitely drew my attention to this brewery during my research, I was a bit hesitant and thought that perhaps this was merely a gimmick to draw in non-beer drinkers…   I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although very noticeable, the peanut butter flavor is not overpowering, but rather it adds not only an additional flavor to this hearty (8.5% abv) stout, but provides some smoothness to an already creamy beer. It’s definitely filling, but the rich texture makes it go down easy and could be pretty dangerous after a couple pints.

Spring House also serves up a similar Lil’ Gruesome (8.3% abv, so not that little), that’s a peanut butter stout fermented with raspberries. It’s definitely sweeter, but is balanced nicely with rich chocolate flavors and some roastiness.

Despite having other equally bizarre brews (a mango IPA; oyster stout; and pineapple IPA), brewer Matt Keasey has plenty of standards to round out his portfolio. The Asylum triple IPA will satisfy the most lupulin obsessed of hop heads, and the Goofy Foot summer wheat is great as a thirst quencher and those interested in sweeter, but non-cloying brew.

The food menu is equally creative and delicious. I had crab mac and cheese bites with tomato bacon jam, and am officially stealing the idea for my next house party. I don’t want to start a trend of giving opinions on prices and whether items are reasonable or not as I want to focus on the beer and brewers, but being a resident of habitually overpriced DC I was very impressed with the quality of food and drink I got for well under $20. This is definitely a place that thrives on its local community base, and it’s not surprising the locals keep coming back for more.