Day 29, Jan 29 / Lot No. 3 India Pale Ale

Day 29 / Jan 29

Lot No. 3 India Pale Ale

Evolution Craft Brewing Co. / Delmar, DE

I think I drank a smuggled beer.  May I have another?

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If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve probably figured out that I know a thing or two about craft beers and breweries.  Over the past few years, I’ve had beers from many craft breweries, visited several of the East Coast craft breweries, shopped in beer stores like some women might shop in shoe stores (spent a long time, checked out all the styles before making my purchase), and read about beers in various publications and websites.

So imagine my surprise when I see a beer on the menu of The Majestic in Alexandria, VA, from a brewery that I had never even heard of before!  What’s this?  Lot No. 3 India Pale Ale from Evolution Craft Brewing Company?  I must have it!

This was a good, aggressively hopped IPA, and it went very well with our appetizer of steamed mussels (yes, that’s what’s behind them in the picture).  As did champagne, an old fashioned, and a vodka & soda, apparently.  (Not mine, but my dinner companions’ drinks of choice).

So this morning I did some Googling to find out about my new beer friend.  Evolution is a small brewery that opened in 2009 in Delmar, DE (east of Cambridge, MD, north of Salisbury, MD, west of the Ocean).  According their website, they only distribute in Delaware, Maryland and DC, so somebody must have smuggled this beer across the Virginia border! 

It looks like they have 5 year-round beers (IPA, ESB, Pale Ale, Porter and Stout) and a couple seasonals.  They encourage folks to tour the brewery and tasting room, and purchase growlers to go.  Could be a good summer road trip!

BTW, this was our first visit to The Majestic Café in old Town Alexandria, and it was quite tasty.  Their menu offers primarily southern style comfort food with a contemporary twist.  Meat loaf and fried green tomatoes share the menu with seared salmon (my health-conscious choice) and seafood stew.  Street parking is conveniently located 7 blocks away :) .