I’m trying to be more experimental with the foods I eat and the beers I drink whenever I go out. This is coming from someone who ordered chicken tenders every time she went out well into high school and who spent 2013-2017 (the college years) drinking Natty Boh exclusively. (Yes, I write for a craft beer website. Please don’t send me hate mail. Drinking glorified wheat water and having no money are integral parts of the college experience, and I’m still recovering.)
When you’re hungry, it takes a lot of willpower to take a picture of your food before eating it.
My last trip to Evo was a success in that I drank *two* beers I’d never tried before, both specialties, one of which came in a snifter and the other a tulip glass. Which was great. Drinking beer from anything other than a can, bottle or pint glass just feels so fancy. My date, BL, was not as experimental, and ordered the Lot 6 (a classic for us) and the Rise Up Stout (delicious, but something we’ve both had before). He also wanted to get the garlic bread/crab dip appetizer, and I begrudgingly obliged (we eat a lot of crab dip, but I love crab dip, so my agreement wasn’t actually that begrudging).
It was worth it–Evo has the best crab dip I have ever eaten. I know that’s a bold statement to make, especially since my favorite dive bar in Whaleyville had previously held that title, but whoa–Evo’s crab dip actually has big (but not, like, obnoxiously big) chunks of crab in it. Even after you’ve finished your bread, you can partake in this treasure hunt through the dip to get to the lumps of crab meat. So not only are they providing you with a delicious appetizer, but also some lite post-meal entertainment. Two for the price of one!
A Prelude Black next to a Lot 6. They really fill those snifters up, which is great, but also problematic if you’re constantly knocking into things.
My first drink was the Prelude Black, which Evo describes as “our Winter Migration prior to bourbon aging. An intense, full flavored and mostly black ale. This beer is strong with an agressive roasted malt character.”
Prelude Black might be my new favorite specialty from Evo (although I do love some Lot 6). It’s a good beer to drink in the wintertime, and perfect if you like your beer with hints of coffee, cocoa and pine-y hops. It’s a strong one, though (ABV is 9.5%), and you can definitely taste the alcohol, but the full-flavoredness as the description says does well to balance it out.
The second drink I had, Belgian IPA, doesn’t stand out as much in my memory, although it definitey wasn’t bad. It’s described as a “golden amber IPA fermented with Belgian monastery ale yeast. Dry hopped with over 1 pound per barrel citra lupulin pellets to give big aromas of tropical fruit and citrus peel.” I do remember it tasting hoppier than most Belgian beers I’ve had. This one has an ABV of 6.4% and an IBU of 50.
Me covering my date’s face with a Belgian IPA.
As for BL, I know he enjoyed the Lot 6 and the Rise Up, and I enjoyed stealing sips of them. I 100% recommend EVO’s crab dip and the Prelude Black, and I’m also really excited to try their winter seasonal, Secret Spot Alt Ale, next time I’m in. My only other recommendation for anyone visiting EVO anytime soon is to drink a Jacques au Lantern while you still can. And have fun on your crab meat treasure hunt!
Kristin is a writer and picture-taker in Ocean City, Maryland. She likes puppies, pumpkin ales and watching movies for the Ocean City Film Festival in her spare time.
