BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
As of February ’24, the latest Pigtown brewery, PICKETT BREWING COMPANY, opened August ’22. Within a stone’s throw from the Ravens football stadium next to a corner jazz bar in one of Baltimore’s commercial residential neighborhoods just south of the Inner Harbor, this glorified pub shows off exquisite furnished antiquity and specializes in spectral India Pale Ales as well as pilsner-lagers.
Pickett’s overhead-doored gray brick frontage leads to the cozily decorated community-tabled interior. There’s a 20-seat bar (with silver metal menu) opposed by a cushion-chaired lounge where a large TV hangs and a few barreled tables fill out the cosmetically upscale warehouse. Inconspicuous mezzanine tanks near the back serve head brewer Jason Howard’s crisp suds for the noontime crowd. Cool artwork’s spread across the walls.
Simple golden cleared light lager, Just Beer, cushioned its peppery lemon spritz with musky mineral grained barleycorn.
Celebrating dulcet bluegrass music, Bluegrass Sunday Pils, a lightly yellow hazed moderation, weaved desiccated navel orange musk thru corny malt liquored whiskey tones and lightly perfumed hop spicing.
Tropical fruited hazy pale ale Squatchin’ trickled dainty orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess and peachy pineapple zesting into mild oated wheat creaming.
Juicily sugar fruited LFG, a hazy New England IPA, let pink and yellow grapefruit tanginess, sweet orange peel zesting and subtle melon licks embrace floral-perfumed spicing, picking up waxy crayon nuances above a creamily frothed oated wheat base.
Smoothly buoyant Imperial IPA, Giraffe Staff, let effervescent orange, pineapple , grapefruit and pineapple zesting join peachy lemon meringue tartness (as well as a glassy vodka whim) brush up against resinous pine needling.
Another hazy Imperial IPA, Take A Zero, spread dry tropical fruiting all around as tart passionfruit-guava conflux, lime-salted pineapple zing, lemon meringue piquancy and candied lollipop dollop reached its mildly pine lacquered grassy oats stead.
Plush oatmeal stout, Double Goats In Hats, soaked dark chocolate nuttiness in dry bourbon-burgundy wining and black cherry jam as its dark-roast hop sear lightly embittered the molasses-smoked mocha finish.
Curious canned collaboration with nearby Mobtown Brewing, Wistful Thinking Coffee Saison, had herbal saison yeast musk sopping up spritzy lemon souring and light green peppering, keeping strangely understated creamy coffee influence at bay.