Clyde's- Washington, DC

Clyde's Restaurant group runs about fourteen places in the greater Capital Region, each one with a unique flair to match the setting. We went to the Clyde's of Gallery Place on 7th Street, near the Verizon Center. It has the pleasant feel of a private sporting club from a century ago with high ceilings, dark wood, and pictures of presidents. The kind of place that makes you feel like you should be wearing a jacket and tie, yet casual enough to wear shorts and a shirt. 

The service was excellent and after perusing the menus we decided on burgers. I went with a bacon and blue cheese with fries and Teresa ordered a cheeseburger with a cucumber salad as her side. The burgers were excellent. They were cooked just right and properly seasoned, well worth the fourteen bucks for each. Next time I think I will go with the shrimp and grits.   

Front Street Brewery- Wilmington, NC

Front Street Brewery is the oldest brewery in town, close to twenty years old, and I have been there a few dozen times. The food is good, and cheap, and it is a fun place. This time I stopped by to take a closer look at the beer and see how they stack up against the newcomers in town.

I went with a flight and it had the Port City IPA at 6.1%, the Amberjack ESB at 4.5%, the Dram Tree Scottish Ale at 7.25%, and the Iron Horse Pale Ale at 5.1%. All were good, but my two favorites were the Port City IPA, which has a nice clean taste and just the right amount of hops, and the Dram Tree, perhaps the finest Scottish I have had. These two are what I usually have when I go there. My favorite memory of the Dram Tree is from a couple of years ago when I was doing a book signing down the street and walked down to Front Street in my kilt and had a quick pint. No one batted an eyelash.

So Front Street is the oldest, and in that time they have gotten it right. Stop by for a pint sometime.  

Ironclad Brewery- Wilmington, NC

Ironclad Brewery is a large place on North 2nd Street and you can tell they put some thought, and some money, behind the design. There are two large bars and a stage on the first floor and an upstairs. We stopped by on a Monday afternoon and practically had the place to ourselves, which was nice because the bartender spent the time talking with us about the beer. She made a few recommendations and we decided to order flights.

I went with the Fish Tale Pale Ale at 5.9%, the Coffee Porter at 7%, the White Squall Brown Ale at 6.2%, and the Roggenbier at 7.9%. All were excellent, but my favorite was the Fish Tale which had a nice clean taste and just the right amount of hops. My two son-in-laws were with me and they made similar choices, and comments.

Overall, a neat place with very god beer, nice ambiance, and friendly people. They don't serve food here though.    

Flytrap Brewing- Wilmington, NC

Flytrap Brewing is a neat small place on Walnut. When we stopped by the first time they only had two of their own beers on tap, so there was no need for doing a flight. There was a Saison at 6.8 and the Rehder's Red at 5.4. I went with the Red as it was recommended and it was good. 

Over the past two years that they have been open they have grown to be one of my favorites. They have increased production and always have a good selection on tap. My favorites are the Belgian Triple and their various saisons. 

The atmosphere is friendly, pleasant, and not too loud. In short, stop by sometime and you might just find me there.