DuClaw Brewing Company

kylehay2004

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +15%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

I actually went to te Hanover MD location. Service was very good with the waiter and bartenders being fairly knowledgeable. They brought out some special bottles they sold us from the back after my friend and I ordered the 17 yes 17 beer 5oz sampler to share. For the number of beers available I was highly impressed by the quality across the board. A wide variety of styles some uncommon with unique twists to many. May be the best variety of any place of its kind I have ever visited. The food menu was decent for variety and what I had was good. There is a normal seating area with an outdoor and separate bar area. It's located in a very busy shopping mall/ plaza. A must go when you are in the area.

07-26-2012 18:38:12 | More by kylehay2004

RollBounce

New York

3.94/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.25 | $

this place is a really cool find. I enjoyed myself very nicely over there I had there fish sliders and all were quite tasty. The beers were very tasty as well my favorite was the peanut butter beer sweet baby Jesus. The server was very helpful and very knowledgeable. They even have a pool table that is in very good condition. Overall I strongly suggest making your way to the Bell air location that I went to because it was very fun.will definitely be visiting next time I am in town.

05-17-2013 21:08:54 | More by RollBounce

Spfarner

Maryland

4.63/5  rDev +17.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This place is a great place to enjoy some awesome beers, the food is good, i wouldn't say it is top of the line but it is far from the worst! Always a different selection of brews every time I am there! Big bar setting with separate dining area! Kids are welcome, ( at the dining room of course) which is good because i have 3 awesome kids! They sell growlers and other merchandise such as glassware and clothing and other items! Visit www.DuClaw.com to check out their online store! I think its cheaper if you buy your merchandise online and have it shipped to the Brewery and pick it up! They will ship to any location too!

01-25-2012 15:30:07 | More by Spfarner

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $

Took a road trip to Maryland to celebrate a friend getting a new job...this was our first stop, for dinner. Sat at the bar, and it was pretty crowded, but the bartenders were friendly and tried their best to get our drinks to us quickly. They had eight beers on tap, and I only tried too. My buddy had the brown ale and porter and enjoyed them both. I had the Sawtooth wit, and it was excellent, one of the best wits I've ever had. Great orange bite in that one. Also had the Serum DIPA, and it was OK...I've had better. As for the food, the buffalo dip was totally awesome and well worth the drive. The buffalo chicken panini was also very good, and loaded (two breasts!). Best part: during happy hour at the bar, all drinks are two bucks off...so I got two drinks for six bucks. Apps are also half price, so I paid I think 4.50 for my dip. Real great place, will definitely be back again

08-13-2011 22:46:16 | More by bigfnjoe

86sportster883

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Nice selection of house craft beers:

13 degrees (4.8%) - Hefe-Weizen

Nemesis (11%) Imperial Alt - A rich malty Alt balanced by a huge abv and a finish that leaves no doubt that your drinking a very big beer. It has a very interesting sweet cherry liquore flavor profile throughout, although it takes a half pint and some warming to fully appreciate.

Bare Ass Blond Ale (5%) - Blonde

Venom (5.6%) - APA

Serum (9%) - Double IPA

Misfit Red (5%) - Amber Ale

Bad Moon Porter (5.1%) - described as a robust porter.

Euphoria (4.8%) - Nut brown ale. A truly enjoyable beer w/ a big sweet toffee, caramel nose followed be an equally rich malty taste that is more like a dessert than a beer (think cremé brulé).

I ordered the crab pretzel - a Bavarian soft pretzel covered in crab dip and melted cheddar cheese. A local favorite that was as filling as it was unique. The only pretzel I've ever eaten with a knife and fork.

I had arrived at DuClaw's in Bel Air right before the rush on a Wednesday evening around 6pm. Sat at the bar, where most patrons were proofed prior to being served, and settled in to watch a few innings of the Yankees /Rays game. The music was good, the locals were friendly and the service was pleasant.

There's no doubt that this will be one of my favorite haunts when I eventually move to NE MD next year.

09-23-2010 02:00:41 | More by 86sportster883

bronco94

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is a decent place to have locally. Growler fills are pretty cheap, the food is very tasty and pretty reasonably priced if you're just getting a sandwich or something. Entrees can be a bit pricy. The tap selection is exclusively Duclaw brews and prices average around 4-5$/pint. Happy hour specials are great and occasionally they'll have 1$ draft days where everything they offer is a dollar, not just select low ABV brews. Serum (DIPA) and Blackjack Stout (RIS) are two very good choices beer wise. They generally have something available that will appeal to craft and BMC drinkers.

There is generally an older crowd there, quite a few tvs with different sports on in the bar area, classic rock music is played. Quality of food and beer is good for a local brewpub. Service depends on when you go and how crowded it is, but the bartender is usually very attentive and quick. Selection would be better if they offered a guest tap or two, but then it would probably take away from their own sales. Food is very good and always hot/fresh

09-17-2010 19:27:22 | More by bronco94

StormKing47

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $

Stopped in this past Tuesday for the happy hour on the way back from Shawan's Liquor Store and Honey-Go Liquors with fellow beer advocate cmurren25. Not very busy on a Tuesday night which is very nice you can hear yourself think and actually enjoy and discuss your beers. Happy hour is all day Tuesday with $2 off of drafts, usually carry 7-8 drafts with one on nitrogen. Food is pretty solid, tasty and inexpensive. There beers are enjoyable especially the serum dipa and euphoria toffee brown ale. Pretty solid atmosphere and surroundings the only issue I can see is the service can e frustrating with the bartenders going back and forth because the bar is rather large and there were only two on for the night. Overall a great experience and pretty good value, worth stopping by if your in the area.

07-08-2010 22:34:27 | More by StormKing47

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Had not been here in a while, so thought I'd stop by on my way back from SEPA.

This particular DuClaw is located in a small strip mall, right off of Business hiway 1. The place has sort of a modernistic vibe, and is good size. There are two large dining areas to your immediate left as you walk in, with an almost as large wrap around bar off to your right in the back. There are also several flat screen TV's, and the bar area has a pretty relaxed atmosphere. As for selection, Duclaw had their 6 core beers on tap (venom, the brown ale, porter, etc.), as well as a few seasonals - serum, an exit series imperial wit, 13 degrees, etc.). Quality was decent, though I've never been a huge fan of the core beers. Otherwise, the limited release beers and seasonal ranged from good to very good.

Food was fine. Got the wings and had no complaints. They were good size, if otherwise not at all memorable.

Service was good. While I didn't get the impression the bartender knew a lot about the beers (just what she liked, which seemed to be pretty much everything), she was quick, friendly and very attentive.

Not sure I'd go out of my way to visit DuClaw, but if you happen to be in the area, I'd recommend a visit.

07-05-2010 19:14:31 | More by johnmichaelsen

slander

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

A few months into this now, I have both run through everything I want to see along the straight line and grown tired of the scenery that is. So the something new is experimenting with the long way around to way western Maryland. Running down and around below Pennsylvania is not the shortest distance from here to there, but you get out early Sunday and make a day of it, stopping for drink and lunch and drink along the way...

Stand alone in a stripmall not where it's supposed to be. Festively pastel & earthy by design, a bar side and a dining side split, each with its own entrance. So there's no confusion, I put up on the bar side; a large spacious room with a loooong sickle shaped slatey topped bar, piping footrailed, and seating for about 30 or so. 3 pair of 4 tap towers along the bar, but few are complete with handles occupied. Long stretch of the bar holds barback space split into quadrants, the center two holding tiered booze below shelved logo glassware on mirrored back panels, the outer two with stacked glassware below shelved growlers on panels of the same. Tracing bar overhang wood unit all around holds flatscreens within & without, and TV's you can see in multitude everywhichway you turn your head.

The inside wall plays that peeled away cracking exposed look and holds a house name logo on it. Otherwise, it's pale yellow walls over red wood slat lowers. Arched forward windows in blue colorings atop and green draperage. Against the yellow & red walls, it's got a brightness of more than a splash of color about the place. Lofted rafter ceilings with exposed ducts, spinny fans & drop cylinder lamps overhead to the sunken spots around the bar. Big block marblesque lino tilings throughout. Large "now on tap", display above the bar on the up high for the look up and knowing.

5 hightops this side along the stretch of the bar along the logo'd wall, and at least a dozen more in front and around the far side of the bar. I see a billiards table and Phil's golf game (tournament play - Fore!) over that way, as well.

On to the dining side of things, 2 dozen booths down center split, tables along the outer perimeters, and a secret side room probably for events and overflow, done up with framed pics, holding another dozen tables. Decently sized "how it's done", logo piece for the read. And a small outside pen between the bar and restaurant side corner entrances with about a half dozen tables.

Meanwhile, back at the beer, I've settled on a sampler as usual. This one offers up the standard 5 house beers (Kangaroo Love, Australian Lager, um, really? golden, crisp, light, slight malt something; Misfit Red, Amber Ale, meh, lacks the maltiness I want in an amber; Alchemy, an Oatmeal Stout, slight licorice flavors but I just don't love, okay, oaty, yes, but it's strange; Bare Ass Blonde Ale, lightly hopped and a bit fruity, not bad; Hellrazer, an American IPA, comes in at 6.2% and is kicked), and seasonals (Venom, an American Pale Ale, done CO2 and also on nitro, tasty, with the nitro version being smoother but lacking the hop smack; Old Flame, an Old Ale packing at 7.5% but not overly alcohol bam, good malt & fruitiness; Serum, a Double IPA at 9%, sickly sweet and strangely malty, not a good double IPA, no, it was not, no). The Venom APA & Old Flame Old Ale were the best of the lot and the rest of them were fair to adequate.

Soup du jour is beer cheese, yeah, no, maybe some other jour. Try your pushing it on me as you like, I'm only want to know about a crock of French Onion, which was cheesy oniony goodness, and the dry rub wings, which were pretty all right albeit more than a hair underdone.

Erictender was friendly, polite, and having done time in (I'm too damn familiar with) Frostburg, Maryland, should be entitled to state sponsored counseling for chronic pain. The place is bright and colorful, and I must say, I've heard some good goddamn tunes today, but it's sterile and blah somehow. Food was okay, beer was okay, which reminds me... having done the round and around and not come across any equipment, the answer is "No, they brew here no more".

06-30-2010 20:23:42 | More by slander

scottyb88

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

This is for the Bel Air, Maryland location

A- nice bar atmosphere; a little more upscale than your typical bar from the Main Street area

Q-Duclaw beers are average, there is no way getting around that. I think its the water they use, it all has that same thin watery taste that can turn you off (Black Jack has been my favorite beer so far)

Ser-I've always had attentive and friendly bartenders during all my trips there

Sel-They usually have 4 to 6 taps, I can't remember. All the taps are reserved for their beers and guest beers I've seen in bottles (BMC products)

Every month it seems like they have a new beer and do a beer release party where you can get a free glass if you get there early. It gets really busy and glasses go fast. If you sign up for their email you get up to date info about the latest releases and other news.

05-14-2010 03:17:57 | More by scottyb88