My Favorite Baltimore Bars: The Judge's Bench

A little over a month ago I wrote the first of what I dubbed "My Favorite Baltimore Bars". Today, I bring you the second edition to the least anticipated series in blogger history. This time we focus our attention on a bar that might have the coolest atmosphere in all the land. I'm talking about none other than The Judge's Bench.

No, technically it's not in Baltimore, but who cares? 78% of the posts I write are for businesses not technically in Baltimore so when I say My favorite Bars in Baltimore I guess I mean bars that you can drive to from Baltimore within a reasonable amount of time.

Before I get to the Judge's Bench, let me just focus on the fact that the street the bar is located on is probably my favorite street in Maryland. As a fan of Harry Potter I can't help but feel like I'm walking through Diagon Alley when I'm perusing up and down Main Street of Old Ellicott City. All of the shops are jammed up against one another and filled to the brim with whatever odds and ends the shop owners decided on. It's been awhile since I made it there during the day but there is a shop at the bottom of the hill owned by one of the coolest guys ever. Inside is a small beer/liquor store that is complete organized chaos. He opens the store when he wants and he closes it just the same. If you're lucky enough to walk by when he is outside on his stoop reading a book, be sure to stop in and buy something. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the shop, but if you know what I'm talking about and the guy still has his shop open please post some details in the comments so everyone can find this diamond in the rough.

But back to the bar at hand. I ended up in The Judges Bench on accident a few years ago. Main Street is a bit of a hill and by the time I made way up to the top I wasn't quite ready to venture back down. I saw a little bar across the way and decided it would be a good place to stop in and cool off for a bit. I was immediately in love with the place. The Judge's Bench is small, dimly lit by some vintage chandeliers, has a brick fire place and small brick bar. Typically, it's filled with a mixed crowd of anyone from their mid 20's all the way up to older couples in their 60's. It's always full but never wild and is a great place to get a beer in a live atmosphere but not one in which you're waiting for a fight to break out at any moment.

The beer selection is unexpectedly great for such a small place. They always have a rotating selection of 17 craft beers on tap and a bottle selection pushing 50 or 60 selections. For whatever reason, that's the place I seem to end up when I'm in the mood to drink a beer with a heavy alcohol content as the Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout I had last visit can attest to. In addition to beer, they are also the 3rd largest carrier of single malt whiskey in the state.

Quite possibly my favorite part of the bar is the always excellent live music they have. I'm not always in love with live music as it can get too loud to have a conversation, but even sitting right in front of the band I always find it easy to hear and be heard. One visit in particular they had a band performing that included a peddle steel guitar player. The fact that they get that type of musician in their doors probably sold me for life.

Really, this place is hitting on all cylinders. There isn't one thing I'd change about the bar and I implore anyone who comes across this post to make the trip to The Judge's Bench ASAP. You can thank me later.

 

My Favorite Baltimore Bars: The Dead End Saloon

Way back when I started this blog (like 3 months ago) I wrote that I wanted to talk about restaurants, food, bars, and beer. So far, I feel like I've done a pretty good job talking about the various restaurants I've visited, but the beer and bar talk has been seriously lacking. Let me apologize by offering up the first installment of what I'm uncreatively calling "My Favorite Baltimore Bars".
I don't plan on ranking them because bars can become ones favorite for a million different reasons. It just seems silly (and a little obnoxious) to try and put together a list claiming one is better than the other, hence the word "favorite" and not "best" in this little series I've just created.

One of my favorite bars in the Baltimore area that I've come across thus far is none other than The Dead End Saloon in Fells Point. I'm not sure how well known this place is but every time I've ever been there it very much feels like a locals bar. Located on Fell Street just a hop, skip, and jump away from the main action of Fells Point, The Dead End Saloon is a real gem. You're not going to find the bar 3 rows deep with people holding money over your shoulder trying to get the bartenders attention. At The Dead End Saloon you'll find older gentleman sitting down with a beer trying to digest a few pages of whatever novel they're currently reading. If there's a heaven I hope it's something like that because I'd be remiss to name many other things more relaxing than a good drink and a good book.

Anyone who has ever been to Fells Point knows what I'm talking about when I say that the type of atmosphere I'm describing at Dead End is the complete opposite of almost every other bar in that area. Most other bars are filled with loud, drunk, crowded, youngish (absolutely nothing wrong with any of that) customers. Every once in awhile it's nice to step outside of that environment and into something else. There is always a nice crowd there but it's not so busy that the bartenders can't interact with you. I actually like when the bartender does something more than just hand me a glass of beer. If I have a question about how a certain beer tastes I don't want to feel like I'm burdening them and preventing them from moving on to the next customer.

They aren't Max's in that they they don't carry 50 (or whatever the number is) beers on tap, but they have nice dozen or so to choose from. If you want to stay true to your Baltimore roots and down a Natty Boh, you can do that. But if you're looking for something a little more upscale you have that option as well.

So there you have it. If you ever find yourself in Fells Point looking for something a little different from the typical loud and in your face atmosphere give The Dead End Saloon a shot. It's a winner.