The Brewer's Art

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited November 2012:

Out of the gate, I have to say that if I lived in or around Baltimore, I would probably visit this place at least once a month. Upon entering, there is a bar area following by a dining room, with anther bar below. The upstairs bar/lounge had a great vibe, but had little room and since I was dining alone I ventured downstairs for a seat down there. It was dark and they were playing what appeared to be 70's/80's punk rock music, which I was digging. Took a seat, ordered a Resurrection and some scallops. The food was stellar and the beer was even better, possibly one of the best Dubbel's that I have had. Good friendly service, which was a little unexpected as I have the stereotypical waiter/waitress in my head back from my Philly days. Overall, a must hit for any BA.

11-26-2012 18:24:00 | More by PhillyStyle

Rickythejeweler

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$

I go to The Brewer's Art at least once a month. It has an outstanding ambience. The basement is a dark bar with many alcoves, the lounge upstairs is great for relaxing, and the dining room is great for a romantic evening. The food is world class and the chef has never once disappointed me. The staff is pretty attentive and knowledgeable. I once ordered a beer and my waiter took a little long to get it to me and without me mentioning it he said it was on the house. The house brews are very unique. They have a great guest beer selection and also a top notch Scotch selection. This is definately a place to seek out when in Baltimore!

11-25-2012 20:12:26 | More by Rickythejeweler

clayrock81

Virginia

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

My advice to anyone reading this review is to a) check this place if you reside in/visiting Baltimore and like craft beer and b) get there early. The first time I came here with my wife at 9 PM you couldn't find a seat upstairs or room to even stand in the downstairs bar. Our second trip we arrived before 5 and waited to go downstairs which opens at 5 (and sidenote to any who hates small or confined spaces - the downstairs is a "dingy" basement with sparse lighting and no windows). We found two seats at the bar and very soon were packed in like sardines. The crowd is a mix of older people there for the food, which is really good and better than typcial bar food, and young workers/college kids. The beers are top-notch, which is the most important thing, really, and the selections of non BA beers are not slouches either. Get there early, grab some grub, drink a couple of beers and have a good time.

07-08-2012 18:36:01 | More by clayrock81

steebo777

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Wow what a cool place! My wife and I were in town visiting family, and my brother-in-law wanted to take us here. The basement area is like a sweet wine/beer cellar. Old bricks with a classic feel. Very dark and dungeon like but with seating hidden all around.

I tried nearly all of their beers and liked each one respectively. They all have a unique Belgian quality (and yeast) to them. They also have some guest bottles if one wanted to try others.

Food was VERY tasty bar food, I was quite surprised. It was reasonably priced and damn tasty. Get the olive oil and rosemary fries, they are delcious.

All in all, a must to hit in Baltimore.

01-09-2012 16:47:15 | More by steebo777

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

4.14/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

While living in Baltimore for 2 months this past summer, I frequented this fine establishment, and partook many a time in its splendid fermented offerings. The beers speak for themselves and the cellar is an excellent place to hangout whether stag or on a date--the lady I was hanging out with at the time absolutely loved the place. Lot's of fun people, great service, excellent brews, and a very nice ambiance make for a wonderful suds-centric experience. A must-visit when in the Baltimore area; nothing against the city, but there isn't much else to do there, so why not spend an evening clutching the welcoming bar at Brewer's Art?

12-12-2011 02:39:58 | More by Heavenisbeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

(Visited 01/2011 and again the following month): Brewer's Art is in the north side of downtown Baltimore on N. Charles street. Metered parking is pretty prevalent in all directions and there are garages here and there.

The brewpub is situated in a pretty row of houses that have to be a century old. There are different areas including a parlor and restaurant-style seating area, but my visits were in the bar downstairs. It is dark and has a stone wine cellar feel and features nooks and cozies and there is a small wraparound bar up at the front. There is a board listing what beers are on tap.

As for the beers available, the brewpub features 6 draught offerings, and has a sampler. The beers available on my visit were Ozzy, Resurrection, Capricorn, Cerberus, La Patroleuse, and Proletory Ale. All of the beers are well-executed. They also have a couple in bottles to take home (Peppercorn Tripel on one of my visits).

Bartender service on both my visits has been on point. One of the tenders was a wise-ass and asked me if I was ready for "a full beer" after my sampler, which got a laugh out of our group.

Food at Brewer's Art (at least the small plates and appetizers we tried) are good.

Overall this place is a must-visit in Baltimore.

09-04-2011 01:39:21 | More by Dogbrick

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

A: Brewer's Art has three almost separate areas of atmosphere. When you walk in you are treated to a dimly lit lounge area that has a 1920's vibe. The next two rooms are restaurant seating; they are decorated with modern artwork, but they also have the old book shelves from when the building had other uses. The last area is the basement which is a cross between an abbey and an old wine cellar. It is in this room that the bar is located. There are some tables and a few booth rooms; the lighting is very dim.

Q: Very interesting building, great food, and good beer.

S: I have gone to eat at Brewer's Art (rather than going to drink and have bar food) a few times. The service has always been good, but not excellent. There have been times where I waited almost twenty minutes to order my food, and I have seen other people wait longer for a check.

S: They have some nice house brewed beers on tap that rotate. They also have a nice beer list; however, most of their beers are not available on tap. While they have a decent selection, they do not have anything that is rare (though they do have a nice amount of Belgian abbey beers).

F: Everything I have had at Brewer's Art (from bar food to main course) has been excellent. Their miso tuna tataki is amazing, and their 24 hour braised lamb shank is almost beyond words (their wasabi blackened salmon was excellent as well). They take food to a different level, and they add in (and make work) ingredients one would never think to try.

V: Their food can be expensive (entrees start around 25 dollars). I found that their bar food was more reasonable (as to be expected). Their house brewed beers are very well price as well; a very full glass of beer costs 4.50 each. Also, their wine list was very reasonable as well (for what that matters). However, some of their prices for larger 750ml bottles were stretching the wallet.

02-16-2011 22:21:08 | More by ianjsullivan

patreely12

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I went to Brewer's Art last night with my girlfriend for an early Valentine's Day dinner. Neither of us had been before and were both looking forward to the food and their home brews.

I liked the atmosphere very much. The bar/lounge is right as you walk in. This creates some traffic for those trying to get through to the dining room, but the crowd is polite enough to let you through if they can hear you say, "Excuse me " over the jazz music. The mood is swanky and hip in the bar, but the dining room is more of an old fashioned Victorian era. You can sense the differences between the bar crowd and the couples who are there to sit down and enjoy their dinner, but everyone was lively and seeming to have a good time.

My girlfriend and I tried the Zodiac ale and the Resurrection ale. Both brewed in-house. They have a pretty extensive list of both craft beers and wines to chose from. The food was great and so was the service. Our waitress was charismatic and helpful.

Overall, I was impressed with my first visit. I would suggest anyone in the Baltimore area to check this place out. I'm looking forward to coming back, whether it be for dinner or to hang out at the bar.

02-13-2011 21:31:16 | More by patreely12

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.22/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5 | $$

I just moved to Baltimore with the wife and we took a cab from the hotel to Brewer's Art for a late dinner on Sunday night.

Beautiful old building, nice vibe inside, "upscale cozy", like a cool wine bar in Manhattan, but more laid back. We loved the ambience! Jazz playing on the radio enhanced this feeling.

Friendly service and excellent food! I wish more breweries offered this kind of fancy-but-rustic fare. We had a big plate of sausages and an incredible roasted pork belly. No nachos and mozzarella sticks here!

The beer... this was actually the weak point. Only five beers on tap, all brewed in house and all Belgian-style. I am not a big fan of Belgians and I like bigger selections, so I was a little disappointed. Lots of bottled beer, but whatever, I want draft!

We tried the Ozzy, Resurrection and Le Canard. All of them are good but not mind-blowing, just fine, well-crafted beers. They go really well with the food, though.

They close the lounge upstairs and sent us down to a quirky dungeon-like bar with lots of nooks and crannies. Nice vibe down there too!

I'm rating this place very high on all fronts except for the beer selection. We really enjoyed our time here and we'll be back soon!

10-25-2010 15:08:17 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've been to the Baltimore area about 8 times over the past 6 years and I've always wanted to make a stop here and have been shut out (they are not open for lunch).

Now that I work for a company based in Baltimore, I've made it my mission to make a stop which finally happened on a Tuesday evening after a company meeting.

We had a group of around 8. They have two equal sized rooms that are served "pub style" from the bar (means you have to order at the bar). We went from the front room which was louder because of solid floors to the second room which was cozier and quiter with carpeted floor. They also have a cellar which is a bit too dark and cozy for a mixed group of business people.

I was able to drink every one of their Belgians (and took a cab home). I enjoyed the saison which began the evening and doubled down on the Resurrection (which I understand they drop the fermentation temp and then raise it - not sure why). Both excellent beers. They also had a Belgian pale strong and a Belgian copper with sugar. Given I was with co-workers, I didn't take notes so I could be off on the second two.

You can order off the dinner menu or the pub menu in the bar. The dinner menu could be a bit much for the average person. I had the heirloom tomato salad and falaffal wrap - both were great.

The president of our company picked up the tab so I have no idea how much was spent.

I loved the old building and unisex restrooms. I'll be back!

09-25-2010 00:49:00 | More by Yetiman420