Inspired by Rhea’s Pick of the Month in November, I decided to check out Lures Bar & Grille myself for this month’s happy hour spot—not least of all because I didn’t want to miss out on the many good fishing puns it would afford. I would typically think of going to a place like Lures in warm weather, to take advantage of the long days and the many great outdoor patios available in the area. Lures has one such patio, but the dark and cold of the season sent me to take my chances inside. A large fish sculpture wearing a Santa hat and hung by the chimney with care greets the diners and mocks the dead of winter with its suggestion of summery activities. The overall atmosphere of Lures is similarly jovial; it’s a place of family, relaxation, and fun—a very pleasant watering hole.
Jalapeno Rangoon, featuring a goldfish cracker.
Happy hour at Lures runs Monday through Friday, 4:00-7:00. During this time, all twenty-seven draft beers are half off, with $5.00 house wines and $1.00 off liquor. Supplement your liquid dinner with choices from among nine happy hour appetizers, priced between $6.00 and $14.00. I recommend getting their Jalapeno Rangoon—six spicy, crunchy, fried cream cheese wontons with a sweet dipping sauce. All dishes are served with a tiny goldfish gracing the corner of the plate, of course.
Tuna Tartare: Not from the happy hour menu, but was too tempting to pass up.
Also featuring a goldfish cracker.
Let’s dive into some of their beers.
Sours
I’m always happy to see a variety of sours on a beer list. In keeping with the style’s growing popularity, Lures currently has three sours on tap and eight more in their cellar reserve. I tasted all three of the drafts:
Berliner Weisse Cranberry-Quince by North Country Brewing Company True to the Berliner Weisse style, this beer is tart and crisp, an excellent choice for someone just branching out into the wild west of sour beer.
A Boysenberry & A Blueberry Walked Into A Bar by Crooked Crab Brewing Company If the name doesn’t overwhelm you, the color will. This beer is fruity, magenta, and brewed in Anne Arundel County’s own Odenton, Maryland.
A Boysenberry & A Blueberry Walked Into by Crooked Crab Brewing Company.
Guava Gose by Monacacy Brewing Company This one’ll make you shout, “Holy mackerel!” Looks like grapefruit juice, tastes like grapefruit juice, somehow still a beer. Brewed in Frederick, Maryland.
Wintry Picks
Much of the current beer list is devoted to seasonally appropriate beers in a variety of styles—from a coffee pecan pie porter to a seasonal fresh hop IPA. Here are some other holiday options:
Nitro Winter Solstice by Anderson Valley Brewing Company Rich malts, hints of caramel—but not too thick!—and that delightfully delicate nitrogen foam put this beer at the top of my list.
Oak-Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery I was very tempted to order this barley-heavy, vanilla bean stout, but at 17.5% ABV, I had to pass. There were other fish to fry that night, and this would’ve had me drowning.
Enjoy By 01.01.19 Brüt IPA by Stone Brewing This installment of Stone’s Enjoy By series was made specifically for this winter of this year. Merry and bright, very dry and very hoppy.
When it’s too chilly to be out on the boat, Lures has got you covered. After all, a restaurant with twenty-seven beers on tap is a real catch!
Images courtesy of Leslie Howard-Goddard
