Meridian Pint - A Tuesday Fit

Sometimes going to a place take a couple of goes before it starts to fit. It just has to fit right and then you can depend on it. Meridian Pint has struggled a bit in that way, but it feels like it is all coming together.

But first and foremost, it has got to get its service right. I have had five different servers from Meridian Pint on each of the follow up visits to the restaurant since I penciled it in to fill the role of the Tuesday night restaurant. The first server was extraordinary.  She really knew her stuff, so much so that I actually ordered dessert from here, I was so impressed. The second time, I was seated in a separate part of the restaurant, where it was semi self serve. The third time it was a pretty nice guy, but I could not get on his schedule. The next two, well, they were OK but lacked the intense satisfaction that had clearly enabled the first.

I like the first server, it seems like we were made to have a good dining experience, so I walked up to her and figured out how to get in her service area the next time. Hopefully, we have worked around respective conflicts. Sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel.   

I was seated at a rather out of the way table and waited quite a while for the beer list to be made available. I actually go the menu before I got the beer list. It is not a problem, but a brewpub that is short of beer lists is a rarity. I ordered a lamb sandwich and a plate of vegetables.

To go with it, I requested a Vinalia Urbana, which is a golden ale by Hardywood Park Craft Brewery out of Richmond, VA. It comes in a lighter beer color, beautiful viscosity and has a lovely aroma. It has waves of hops that enter and exit at various times, so each sip is effectively different layered. It is really good and is a little bit alluring in its taste. Alcohol is 9.0% ABV and 30 IBU. The website list it as:

Named after the Roman festival held to bless and sample the wine of the previous season, Vinalia Urbana, a Belgian-style golden ale, is aged for months in freshly emptied Sauvignon Blanc barrels. This maturation process lends some light vinous notes and a hint of oak that blend beautifully with the subtle fruit and light spicy character imparted by the Belgian yeast. Vinalia Urbana is delightfully dry and delicate on the palate with lingering white grape and stone fruit undertones.

I gave it an Untappd score of 4.25.

The next beer order was an Equinox, which is an American strong ale by Lagunitas Brewing Company out of Petaluma, CA. Normally, I am a fan of this Lagunitas Brewing but I was taken aback this time. It was light and balanced, but it was just a pale ale with a slight flavoring. Not a real American strong ale like I was lead to believe and I think the website is a bit full of itself. If they re-label it to indicate its lesser flavor, I think that would have hit the spot.  Alcohol is 8% ABV and 50 IBU. The website list it as:

A creamy, pale oat ale hopped up with a huge charge of Equinox and Simcoe hops for a piney, eucalyptus, cedar, sprucey, forest blast. First brewed in 1995... brewed today in a time of change.

I gave it an Untappd score of 3.75.

The last order I submitted was for a From Amager with Love which is an imperial/double stout from Evil Twin Brewing in Copenhagen, Denmark. I find myself equally in love with this beer as well a Mikkellar, which I reviewed in an earlier post.  What this beer brings to the table is a unique blend of hops and grain that does not make you think you are getting any at all, but in reality is plying you with plenty. These include a special blueberry alcohol from Amager Bryghus and it just sends you to alcohol that much higher level, but you simply are unaware. The end result is simply scrumptious in a glass. The perfect end to a perfect day.  Alcohol is 12% ABV and no IBU. The website list it as:

Amager is an island south of picturesque Copenhagen, mostly notable as the home of the airport, the place you go to get high and the common colloquial name for Amager is Lorteøen (Shit Island). But Amager has much more to offer than you might think. Like these two dedicated brewers from Amager Bryghus, who traveled all the way from Amager to the states to brew a pitch-black and troublesome Imperial Stout infused with the cutest blueberries. It might look shitty, but once you let it sink in you can feel the love within. 

I gave it an Untappd score of 4.75.

I came out of Tuesday night feeling that I had a long term fit. I think I had the service I needed and I certainly figured I had the beer. It may not be forever, but it will do for now. It will do.