Back in the beginning of October, Henry and I stopped into Lolev because they had a seasonal beer with MICHAEL MYERS on the label and I needed it, even though it was a stout. Or a porter. I don’t know the difference, just that I don’t enjoy either. But the can!! Michael Myers!!

Anyway, we ended up sitting at the bar for a bit, chatting with the bartender – who was insanely friendly and informative – and he showed me this beer passport thingie. I have seen the coffee ones before, but didn’t know that there was one for breweries! He said, “Eh, it’s probably too late in the year to get started with this though” because I guess it’s only good for 2025. Basically, you just go to the breweries that are participating and get a stamp, and then collect prizes at the end of the year based on the number of stamps you get.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

He happily gave me my inaugural stamp (Lolev is my fave local brewery so I was happy to start there!) but then we went away to Romania and lost many days of stamp-earning.  However, I came back with a vengeance and am proud to say that I have SEVEN STAMPS now out of 40. 40 stamps earns you the privilege of attending some beer party but I don’t want that – going to a party with a bunch of beer dorks is the last thing I want to do. Getting awkwardly mansplained about the types of hops in the beer I’m drinking and probably not liking? No thanks.

Besides Lolev <3, here are the breweries I collected stamps from so far:

BACK ALLEY

Guys, I cheated on this one! Back Alley is right up the street from us and I was like, “OMG Henry great idea, why don’t you walk your ass up to Back Alley and just get a 4-pack to go so I can get a stamp?” and then as he was getting ready to walk out the door, I ran after him with my passport screaming, “DON’T FORGET MY STAMP!!!”

We tried two of the beers that night while watching Johnnie Guilbert videos. They were fine. I only took a few sips of each and then slid my share on down to Henry. He was like, “I’m glad you’re turning me into an alcoholic just so you can get stamps.”

Anyway, it was fine, but probably won’t go back. I’m picky.

COBBLEHAUS

Last Sunday, we went to Cobblehaus with Corey and Kevin. I had been wanting to go here for some time now because they’re supposed to have Belgian beers and after dabbling in IPAville for a bit, I have decided that Belgians really are my one true love.

They only had two Belgians on draft that day and they both good but just didn’t give me the feels like legit Belgians do. (Imagining a group of Belgian people tickling me now, maybe this will be my next hyperbolic kink that gets me in weird blog situations.)

(Clearly, I need to just to go to Belgium.)

But! I did really enjoy the experience. The atmosphere was great and the company was even better. We got there when they opened at noon and accidentally stayed until they closed at 5PM, lol.

Henry was embarrassed because as soon as we walked in and said hi to Corey and Kevin, I immediately panted, “CAN YOU STAMP THIS???” at the bartender.

“Jesus, Erin, at least order something first!” Henry said, full of disappointment. I lack brewery couth, sorry!

BREW GENTLEMEN

Last Saturday, we had to go to one of the European markets to get stuff for Romanian Thanksgiving, so I suggested that we just “pop in” to a nearby brewery while we were out so that I could get a stamp. IT IS CONSUMING MY LIFE. Brew Gentlemen was pretty close to where we were going, so it was settled. We’ve had BG beers before (actually, I think it was at the Honey Revenge concert) but have never been to their place.

This time, I ordered before thrusting  my passport at the bartender but I could tell Henry was still annoyed – SORRY THAT I GET EXCITED OVER STUPID THINGS, HENRY.

Anyway, I got this really amazing chai ale thing and it was refreshing AF. I kept saying, “I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I ACTUALLY LIKE THIS” around every single sip.

Henry being annoyed with me.

Henry being dumb.

Me in the bathroom.

Anyway, what a fun and quick afternoon beer! Then we went to a cemetery and walked it off before Euro grocery shopping.

HITCHHIKER

On Sunday, we had decided to try to do two breweries within close proximity. Originally, we were going to go to 2 Frays and East End, but then Kara told me that Chris and his bike club did a collab with East End and there was going to be a thing there for that on Tuesday so we moved East End to Tuesday and decided to instead go to Sharpsburg and do Hitchhiker and Dancing Gnome which are withing WALKING DISTANCE of each other, so even better!

Hitchhiker was actually sort of the gateway into me thinking, “Whoa, COULD I like beer??” but then Henry was all, “You don’t like beer, you just like these because there’s sugar and lactose in it!”

OK to his point, yes, I was only drinking their dessert-y milkshake beers. But they are SO. GOOD. It’s what challenged me to try other, more basic/standard beer again just to see if maybe my palate had been broken enough to tolerate it by now.

I immediately felt super comfortable here. Granted, we got there right after they opened so there was only one other couple sitting at a table, but the bartender was very lovely and reminded me of Lynn Gunn a little bit (I’ve come to realize that many women of a certain age remind me of her, and by certain age I mean mid-20s). She was very patient as Henry was being a diva unable to make up her mind.

I got the Mr. Bitters and then swapped with Henry because he actually got a pumpkin something or other?! Henry hates pumpkin! But I think he probably knew that I would like that better than the Mr. Bitters which was fine but the pumpkin thing was so much better.

DANCING GNOME

We had planned on just having one beer at Hitchhiker and then walking to Dancing Gnome because for some reason I had it in my head that I was going to like it more there.

I DID NOT. I found the bartenders to be your typical “we know beer better than you do” types of whatever this new generation calls hipsters. I mean they weren’t blatantly rude but I felt like they were making fun of me as soon as I turned around MAYBE I’M PARANOID BECAUSE I HAVE LOW (NO) SELF ESTEEM. But it just wasn’t a warm place.

The beers were just OK. I can’t remember what I got. Oh! The Yam Jam. It was neither yammy nor jammy. I smrobably would have been better off with just a basic IPA. Whatever that is. But the one in this picture is actually Henry’s – I probably look like such a drunkard but I always check-in every beer on UnTapped even when it’s something I just took a sip of. So this picture was just for check-in purposes.

I did not like this one at all and immediately passed it over to Henry. (We were getting half pours, btw. Look at me trying to justify us.)

Guys, we went left Dancing Gnome feeling unsatisfied and went BACK TO HITCHHIKER for a flight!

“Why didn’t we just go to Dancing Gnome first for one beer, and then come here?” I asked in disbelief. We KNOW we like Hitchhiker!

“We’re back!” I said happily to the guy bartender and he was like, “Oh boy.” No, I’m kidding, he smiled.

I always think I like sours because Hitchhiker has the best ones (hello sugar) and then I get burnt at other places when I try a sour. But damn Hitchhiker is really so great.

I was talking to my therapist about how we’ve been doing this (she’s a beer person and was flipping through my passport because ofc I had it in my purse during our last session) and I realized something! Henry and I have actually been spending quality time together during this mission! It’s been really fun and I’m thrilled to say that my fear of becoming the kinds of Empty Nesters you see at a restaurant, not talking to each other, was all for naught because we’ve been having the best time!

Granted, I’m a professional yapper so I don’t know why I ever had fears of becoming an incommunicative couple.

I will admit that day drinking is not for me though. We definitely went overboard like we were on a date or something weird, who are we.

EAST END

I will only leave the house on a work night for a select few people and Kara is one of them! As mentioned previously in this drunken post, Kara’s husband Chris is a co-founder of a local bike crew called Give Up and East End made a havy IPA in their honor! Kara lured me with the ube-flavored sour, and that was a fun one but I REALLY liked the Give Up beer!! I wanted Henry to buy a pack of it but he was all THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE FRIDGE!!

It was a great time hanging out with Kara while also dodging the East End owner because I trashed his beers so hard in an old blog post – like REALLY old, so old that it was actually from the LiveJournal days and then reposted over here –  back when I truly hated beer with my whole hateful heart. And then he found it, because of course he did, when am I ever going to learn, but he commented and thought it was funny! And he asked if he could include it in his beer newsletter or whatever and I was so mortified but also like, how could I say no this guy who was clearly such a class act and so chill about some dumb broad dragging his livelihood through the mud of the Internet streets.

Anyway, after we left, KARA TOLD HIM and he apparently said he wished I had said something while I was there but OMG having to talk to someone about something weird I wrote about them on my blog already happened once this month, so I think I reached my limit! Maybe next time!

Well, that’s my summary of the first 7 stamps in my dumb passport (PICTURED ABOVE!!). 13 more to go by 12/31! CAN I DO IT?

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