Last Saturday Eastern Shore Brewing hit a big milestone by expanding their distribution beyond the Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware, and they tapped their first kegs at Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge in Annapolis. Metropolitan consistently rotates some great beers, and I wasn’t that familiar with Eastern Shore, so the wife and I made sure to check out the release. The promise of free live music and great beer didn’t sound too bad either. We met owner and brewer Adrian Moritz, whose passion for beer was obvious from the moment he started talking. He and his wife Lori have been slinging beers out of their St. Michael’s based brewery since 2008.

I only had a chance to try two of their beers, the Scottish Ale and the 5 Year Twitch Tripel. The Scottish was good, but could have been balanced a little more to the sweet side. The Tripel on the other hand was fantastic! It reminded of St. Bernardus Watou Tripel (a comparison I don’t throw around lightly), with the addition of a hint of tart apricot. Adrian said that it was brewed using locally grown figs and I’m guessing that’s where the apricot flavor comes from.

I highly recommend the 5 Year Twitch. Be on the lookout for it and other Eastern Shore beers. If your local watering hold doesn’t have it then let them know they can pick it up from Katcef Brothers Distributing if they’re west of the Bay.