My first visit to Baltimore, Maryland in March of 1996 didn’t slot handily into the “40 Years in Beer” narrative, and so it has been declared to be a “sidebar.” The chronological link is here:
40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 68: The advent of the ACBHOF (2024) recalls a diminuendo in BREW (1996)
A few months after this quick Baltimore excursion, I wrote about it in the F.O.S.S.I.L.S. club “Travel Dog” compilation. The article is reprinted here. Unsurprisingly, three decades later much of the information is dated, and so there is a partial update in the form of a postscript. (1)
Yes, like most American cities at the time, Baltimore had its share of pressing issues. We only experienced a small bit of “tourist” downtown in 1996, and honestly, I neither foresaw The Wire nor watched any of the episodes. I’ve returned to Baltimore three times since, twice incorporating baseball games at Camden Yards, and invariably have found the city enjoyable.
As it pertained to better beer in 1996, Baltimore seemed to be well ahead of Louisville; then again, so were a great many American cities. In 2025, Louisville has closed the gap considerably and might even have taken the lead.
Admittedly, given the chaotic state of my private life in 1996, you might say this first Baltimore trip (of several) was pregnant with a surreal aura of melancholy. As was my habit, I drank my way straight through it.
In the years to follow, Kevin became a close friend (he died far too young in 2026), although not so much Eric. So it goes. Here’s the essay.
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Baltimore, Maryland: A Few Wee Drams in Spring (1996)
How did it all begin? What happened once we got there? Were any lessons learned?
To be perfectly honest, many of the exact details elude me when I think back to my brief visit to Baltimore, Maryland in March, 1996. Notes were kept for the duration of about three pints; after that, all is vague and fleeting.
However, it is possible to piece together a broad recollection of the journey, which I heartily recommend to any reader who seeks to get away from it all for a few days and doesn’t have the time or the money to...Read more
