Beer

You take your good news where you get it and here's mine: the Preakness sent Kegasus packing. You remember Kegasus. Sleaze-ball centaur with the biker haircut and beer gut? Budweiser-swilling centerpiece of the Infield Fest ad campaign the past two years? Gone. Got the proverbial pink-slip. You won't see him Saturday for the 138th Preakness Stakes. "He went back to the islands and I haven't seen him since," Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas joked the other day. Good thing.

The two flagship beers from Woodberry's Union Craft Brewing Company - Duckpin Pale Ale and Balt Altbier - will be sold in 12-ounce cans in Baltimore city retailers by Friday, according to co-founder Jon Zerivitz. The cans will be sold in other areas of Maryland and Washington in the next few weeks. The brewery recently acquired three new 60 barrel tanks, which increase its brewing capacity by 75 percent. The expansion explains why UCB can now sell its beer in cans, Zerivitz said.

McHenry Row is getting its own beer-centric bar, the chain World of Beer, this June or July, according to McHenry Row developer Mark Sapperstein. Baltimore's 3,400-square-foot World of Beer will serve 550-600 different types of beers, including many esoteric brews from around the world, Sapperstein said. "Other than Max's on Broadway, which offers a large array of beers, [World of Beer] is clearly over the top," Sapperstein said. "I don't think there are many [Baltimore bars]

There is no set criterion for a great dive bar. A dingy bar can have character. An unassuming exterior could hide a spectacular interior. Sometimes, the right jukebox is all it takes. But all great dives are unified by one factor: They possess an instantly comfortable atmosphere. That can come from a warm bartender, cheap drinks or an overall lack of pretension. The really good ones have it all. Coach's Rendezvous (which was called Rendezvous Lounge before new owner Ray Harcum took over)

All local beer lovers know of the colorful 1879 statue of King Gambrinus, "the patron saint of brewers," which stood in a niche for years above a door of the old J. F. Wiessner Brewery in the 1700 block of N. Gay St., beckoning passersby to enjoy a cold one. It now rests in the Maryland Historical Society. But how about raising a chilled mug to the idea of erecting a statue to Irish immigrant John J. Fitzgerald? "Who's that?" you're probably asking yourself. My column several weeks ago, about the return of legal beer to Baltimore after partial repeal of the despised Volstead Act in 1933, brought an e-mail and later a phone call from Abbie Fitzgerald McCormack Flynn Sullivan Schaub, who lives in Laurel and is the granddaughter of John J. Fitzgerald.

What are we going to eat and drink Sunday night as we watch the Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers? This is the question that is consuming Baltimore eaters this week. There are several game-day possibilities: bowing to superstition, choosing local flavors or going purple. The superstition route is one Gary Scher travels. His eating habits bring the Ravens good luck, he thinks. When, for example, he watches the Ravens on television in his Ellicott City home, Scher always pops open a can of Coors in sync with the kickoff.

When the owners of the Brewer's Art announced it would begin selling cans of their flagship beer, Resurrection Ale, in the summer of 2010, many Baltimore beer-lovers rejoiced. On Friday, those some fans will have another reason to cheer: Cans of Ozzy Ale, another long-time favorite of the Mount Vernon bar, will be available for purchase, partner Tom Creegan announced today. The first can of Ozzy, which has 7 percent alcohol content, will be cracked open on Friday at 4 p.m., Creegan said in an email.

I just saw this on FatWallet and it spoke to me. I think every man has at one point in his life thought about opening up his own bar or at the very least brewing his own beer. I'll start with the latter: lower start up costs, much less work, and little risk of it leading to bankruptcy. Amazon.com has everything you need for $30 with free shipping.

With up to 10,000 bottomless mugs of beer being poured into drinkers at the Preakness infield today, surely planning for such a beerfest must be a logistical nightmare? Not really, says Sebastien Watteau, the man in charge of ensuring there's enough food and drink for the 120,000 or so racing fans and partyers expected to show up at Pimlico. At least no more so than planning for any Preakness — which, he assures, is no picnic. "It's crazy," he says between calls on his cell phone, which come in at the rate of about one per minute in the days leading up to the big race.

I agree with Marc Kilmer's comments about the alcohol tax in Maryland ("Alcohol tax: Haven't we been here before?," Commentary, Aug. 13). The real question, however, is when will the politicians make this state more hospitable to the brewing industry? In the last 20 years, there must be close to a dozen microbreweries which have started in Maryland, only to go out of business a few years later. A simple Google search shows that Virginia has far more microbreweries and wineries than Maryland.

Brooklyn Brewery is on the road. The New York-based brewery is in the middle of an 11-city tour that began in Austin, Texas, before moving on to New Orleans, Nashville, Tenn., and Boston. The traveling event is a benefit for Slow Food USA. It's Baltimore's turn. The Brooklyn Brewery Mash: Adventures in Food, Film, Music, Books and Beer is in Baltimore through Sunday for a week of parties, comedy, concerts, pop-up supper clubs and readings. Among the six days of activities are a few food highlights.

The Oregon Grille will host a Heavy Seas beer dinner with brewer Hugh Sisson on Wednesday night. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. on the restaurant's popular bluestone patio with an “Exploring Beer Styles from Around the World” tasting and seminar.  Then guests will join Sisson for a four-course dinner featuring pairings with Heavy Seas beers. The menu includes beer cheese soup with prosciutto flakes; pan-fried oysters over baby field greens with shaved Gouda; bacon-wrapped fillet glazed with Peg Leg Stout, served with seasonal ratatouille, and, for dessert, peach Melba crisp topped with Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

The recent announcement that Atomic Books will expand and make beer available at special events is an intriguing -- and promising -- development for all indie bookstores. We've all seen how hard it is for the small stores to compete these days. They've been hammered on all sides -- by giant Barnes & Noble, by discounters such as Walmart, and more recently by the growth of ebooks. It takes a lot of imaginative marketing -- and a fair share of good fortune -- to survive. That's why the Atomic Books expansion in Hampden is so interesting.

Pickles Pub, located across the street from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, has long been synonymous with opening day. Thousands of orange-drenched fans make it their first stop (usually of many) on one of Baltimore's most lively days. But at 10 a.m. on April 5, hours before the Orioles host the Minnesota Twins for the first home series of the season, the Deck at Camden Yards - a new, outdoor beer garden at the Hampton Inn -  will open next to Pickles. Deck partner Fritz Brogan says the latest addition to Washington Boulevard will open for Orioles home games, Ravens home games and special events such as the Grand Prix.

When the owners of the Brewer's Art announced it would begin selling cans of their flagship beer, Resurrection Ale, in the summer of 2010, many Baltimore beer-lovers rejoiced. On Friday, those some fans will have another reason to cheer: Cans of Ozzy Ale, another long-time favorite of the Mount Vernon bar, will be available for purchase, partner Tom Creegan announced today. The first can of Ozzy, which has 7 percent alcohol content, will be cracked open on Friday at 4 p.m., Creegan said in an email.

McHenry Row is getting its own beer-centric bar, the chain World of Beer, this June or July, according to McHenry Row developer Mark Sapperstein. Baltimore's 3,400-square-foot World of Beer will serve 550-600 different types of beers, including many esoteric brews from around the world, Sapperstein said. "Other than Max's on Broadway, which offers a large array of beers, [World of Beer] is clearly over the top," Sapperstein said. "I don't think there are many [Baltimore bars]

Every spring for six years, Derek Lofti joined the crowd at Pimlico Race Course's packed infield for Baltimore's biggest outdoor party. But last year, when the Maryland Jockey Club banned outside beverages, Lofti, a 29-year-old who lives in Baltimore, stayed home. "The whole mystique of the day was gone," he said. "It wasn't the Preakness we were used to going to." This year, organizers are adding a dash of debauchery to the infield to lure back the thousands of lost revelers such as Lofti.

While most people know the staff at Maryland Homebrew as the purveyors of hops and yeast and all things beer, the company is growing in reputation for residential winemakers as well. The growth was enough to press the owners into moving to a larger space. Manager Chris Ames estimates that wine has grown from roughly 10 percent of the company's business to 45 percent in the 12 years he's worked there. Crushers, de-stemmers and tubing fill a dedicated room at the expanded location, along with kits, corks, cans of fruit purées and other wine ingredients.

Clifton, Va. Barrel Futures Tasting at Paradise Springs Winery Get to taste wines directly out of the barrel. The Paradise Springs Winery lets patrons taste last year's vintage, which won't be available in bottles for several years, at the Barrel Futures Tasting. Learn how certain types of oak influence taste. The Barrel Futures Tasting is noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and Sunday, March 24. Tastings are on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is $25 and includes nine wine samplings and food pairings.

Maryland held onto the No. 1 spot and Johns Hopkins debuted in the Top 10 of this week's Inside Lacrosse/deBeer women's media poll released Monday. The Blue Jays jumped from No. 11 to No. 10 for their first Top 10 ranking in any poll since they were No. 8 early in the 2008 season. They started off 4-0, including an impressive 11-8 win at then-No. 9 Loyola, before falling in their American Lacrosse Conference opener to No. 4 and defending national champion Northwestern, 18-8, on Saturday.