After a long day of class that capped off a long week of work with very little sleep, I was pretty pumped to meet a friend (who happens to be taking the multimedia journalism degree program at American Univ.) for drinks at Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery and General Store tonight.
Despite being only a few minutes from the University of Maryland campus where I spent four years of my life, Franklin's had somehow stayed off my radar. I had only ever been once in a work capacity when I didn't get to sample their homemade brews.
I don't think I'm going far out on a limb by saying brewpubs often deliver some of the best beers out there. They're fresh, smooth and full of flavor. You can buy the same beer bottled and it just doesn't taste the same.
And Franklin's didn't disappoint.
My first glass was called Hammer of the Gods, presumably an homage to classic rockers Led Zeppelin. This 8% ABV stout had a subtle chocolate overtone, went down smooth and was a soothing contrast to the delicious appetizer we ordered -- Nickel Curves, lamb sliders on housemade buns, topped with tzatziki. It actually took me a while to polish this one off, probably because of the higher ABV, but that simply allowed me to enjoy it more.
My friend's first selection was an intense Double IPA called Hop Madness that wasn't my cup of tea. But I'm not into hoppy beers. So don't expect many IPAs to come up in future reviews.
Being a place we probably won't go to all that often, we each ordered a second beer. He got the Bombshell Blonde, a rather unimpressive pilsner that was pretty tasteless and a letdown after the first round. I got the Rubber Chicken Red, which was again solid, but not as good as the first choice. It had a little more bite to it, but still went down very smooth.
Ratings (out of five mugs):
Hammer of the Gods: 4.5 mugs
Hop Madness: 2.5 mugs
Bombshell Blonde: 1 mug
Rubber Chicken Red: 3.5 mugs
Overall: 3.5 mugs (with a bonus 1/2 point for the excellent sliders)
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