"Food & Culture, Hon.": Baltimore Bender Edition: #4, #84 and #91 help me turn twentyone

Turning 21 is a monumental experience for a Baltimore foodie.

Since I was partying on Kent Island midweek to celebrate being able to (legally) partake in certain festivities, I haven’t had the chance to actually purchase any alcohol in a store or do anything high-class and/or Baltimore related for my blog. But, today, I made up for all of that and then some.

- #4 Drink a Natty Boh

- #84 Oysters and Beer at Cross Street Market

- #91 Clipper City Brewery tour

This morning, my dad, brother, sister and I made our way to Clipper City Brewery, a brewery that churns out Heavy Seas craft beer less than 2 miles from my house. On most Saturdays, the brewery gives out tours open to the public (of all ages) and offers a pint glass and five (approximately) half pint samples of their artisan beer for only $5 (for those over 21). Not only is the brewery tour cheap, fun and accessible, but it’s actually a mini history and science lesson rolled into one. The energetic tour guide explains the particular science behind brewing and bottling their beer as well as the history of craft beer brewing in Baltimore.

Clipper City Brewery was founded by Hugh Sisson (still a managing partner!), whose family owns Sisson’s, Maryland’s first brewpub, which was opened in 1979 as the first one since prohibition. Hugh started professionally brewing at Sisson’s in 1989 until he founded Clipper City in 1994 with Ernesto Igot, a former brewmaster at the San Miguel Brewery in the Philippines. Since the brewery’s opening, their craft beers have been sold and shipped all over the east coast. According to a brewer at the tour, the age bracket and demographic for those purchasing craft beer in Baltimore is exploding, making craft beer a legitimate, sought-after and unique part of the food culture in this eclectic city. Personally, I would count myself in on this burgeoning trend: I sampled 5 different beers and loved each and every one, although my favorite was Loose Cannon, a fruity/citrusy American ale that I imagine would be delicious paired with some spicy sushi…

Naturally, a morning of drinking makes one hungry and the thought of sushi was driving me wild. My dad and I directed our designated driver Maureen to immediately high-tail it to another delicious Baltimore food landmark and a frequent family favorite of many years: Cross Street Market in Federal Hill. Cross Street Market is one of the six original public markets (such as Lexington Market as seen in this blog) established in Baltimore during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The original cross Street Market, located in the historic Federal Hill district in South Baltimore, was an open air shed opened in 1846. As the market’s popularity expanded, a two-story building was constructed and remained for many years until it burned down in 1951. The market bounced back quickly, however, and the current one-story market building was completed by the next year.

Like Lexington Market, Cross Street is full of stalls selling food but also flowers, candies, vegetables, meats, seafood and miscellaneous objects (such as weaves, electronics and herbal medicines). I would venture to say, though, that Cross Street caters to a different demographic entirely. Federal Hill is an up-and-coming neighborhood full of young professionals; it has become a popular bar and restaurant district downtown and is fairly crowded on most weekend nights. Half of Cross Street actually fits this mold and has more of a restaurant/bar feel than Lexington; this half includes Nick’s Seafood, Samurai Sushi and a raw bar, each stall having its own bar and a shared space of small and picnic tables as well as music and flat-screen televisions. The crowd consists primarily of white couples and families each time I go to Cross Street, which has been frequently over the past twelve years or so. My reasoning behind this is the location, being as the neighborhood is wealthier and further away from the inner-city than Lexington and its reputation as an entertainment district, all factors leading to more expensive and upscale product available at the market. For example, Lexington Market has a multitude of fried chicken and deli stands, while Cross Street has a famous sushi and raw bar.

Regardless of the product and demographic, Cross Street Market is a relatively affordable and accessible location to experience another side of Baltimore culture: not the old, working-class Baltimore but the young, trendy Baltimore with traditional flavor and history. The blue point oysters were a little expensive at $11/half dozen, but they were large, fresh, salty and freshly shucked. The beer was cold, and the sushi from Samurai’s (an all-time favorite of my familiy’s) was delicious as always. Part of the charm of being a local in Charm City is a little like “Cheers” where everybody knows your name. Every time I walk into Cross Street I’m greeted by Mr. Tony at the sushi bar and I always get a taste of home with his Baltimore Roll (made with REAL crab meat and old bay) and some delicious Maryland seafood at Nick’s. The O’s or the Ravens are always on and, no matter how up-and-coming Federal Hill is, the din of raucous laughter and Baltimore accents is the soundtrack to my meal.

On the way home from all the fun this afternoon, I figured I’d make one last stop to complete this Baltimore-filled day and keep fueling my buzz: I picked up a 6-pack of National Bohemian beer, affectionately known around these parts as Natty Boh.

National Bohemian was created by the National Brewing Company in Baltimore in 1885; some other well-known products of this company are National Premium and Colt 45 Malt Liquor. The slogan of the company was (and still is) “From the Land of Pleasant Living,” referencing the beautiful Chesapeake Bay region. After prohibition, the brewery reintroduced Natty Boh with a one-eyed, grinning mascot dubbed “Mr. Boh,” which quickly became a pop-culture icon of Baltimore city, and still appears on all sorts of material culture in the city today. Case in point, in 1965 the beer became the official sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team in Memorial Stadium and the “official” unofficial beer of Baltimore.

The brewery at the intersection of O’Donnell and Conkling Streets was eventually closed and the brewing facilities relocated to Halethorpe, MD (where Clipper City is located! See how everything comes together??)Despite the beer’s insane popularity and longevity in Baltimore, in 1996 the company eventually changed hands to the Miller Brewing Company and moved to Eden, North Carolina. Despite the move, Natty Boh culture still permeates Baltimore. When the brewery in Halethorpe was demolished, the business park built in its place was dubbed “Natty Boh Towers.” Even Mr. Boh still watches over the city at night as a larger-than-life neon sign.

And another fun-fact? Natty Boh also holds the distinction of being one of the first beers ever to be sold in a six-pack when, in the 40’s, aluminum cans became a popular (and less expensive) way to distribute and drink beer. So what better way to keep celebrating local culture than picking up a six-pack and continuing to enjoy some Baltimore booze?