Though we feel extremely lucky and blessed that Hurricane Sandy spared Baltimore the brunt of her damage, bar owners in Ocean City can't say the same.

Photos like this one have been going around showing the desturction caused to Ocean City bars, clockwise from left: Fager's Island, Macky's Bayside Bar & Grill, Seacrets, and Lazy Lizard Bar and Grill.

Around 6 p.m. last night, proprietors at Fager's Island posted on their Facebook page that their pier and gazebo had been destroyed. Similarly, bayside bars Macky's, Seacrets, and the Lazy Lizrard were all pounded with 7-foot storm surges. Ocean City officials, who closed the Route 90 bridge to non-emergency vehicles at 5 p.m. yesterday, called the storm the worst since Hurricane Gloria in 1985.

However, the bar owners remain optimistic. This morning Seacrets reassured their customers on Facebook, saying, "Just walked through Seacrets and we have a couple trees leaning and some sand missing, but other than that Sandy was nice to us. We open tomorrow at 4 for our Halloween party. See you then!" Fager's posted earlier today, "Other than some water and a few missing boards, we are ok and will reopen tomorrow."

Half-an-hour ago, Macky's posted a photo of some clean-up efforts and said, "Rest easy fans and wonderful patrons, the strong survive!" and the Lazy Lizard posted, "We are planning to have crews in to start the clean up as soon as the city allows vehicles to enter the downtown area."

While some landmarks, like the famous downtown pier, have been destroyed in Ocean City, we in this area have fared much better than some other states up north. Our thoughts are with them as they recover from the hurricane's devastation.

[Photo courtesy of Instagram]

On Wednesday, I, along with other members of the media and selected guests, attended the unveiling of The 13th Floor, which is now open to the public after undergoing six months of renovations. The updates, which started in April, were intended to modernize the swanky space in The Belvedere.

As soon as the elevator doors opened up, the change was undeniable. There were stained-glass motifs, steel beams, and fuchsia and gold accents—giving the place an upscale, industrial feel.

The most prominent change was the bar, which was relocated from the center of the room to the front, where the dance floor used to be. The bar is also now a long, white marble L-shape, instead of its rectangular predecessor. The evening featured some of The 13th Floor's new signature cocktails, including the Hemingway Daquiri, a delicious concoction of rum, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit juice.

Curiously, they didn't install beer taps, but instead featured bottled beers like Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Evolution Lucky 7, and Flying Dog Atlantic Lager. The local nods were a very nice touch. The menu also features nearly 40 wine selections.

In general, the new space has a much more sophisticated feel (no more animal-print carpet, though some booths did have a snake-skin pattern) and, it seems, the owners are trying to attract a more upscale clientele. One thing hasn't changed, though: The skyline views are just as stunning.

[Image courtesy of Merkle Photography]

Seasonal beers are coming out earlier every year, it seems. But I think it's just plain wrong to drink a fall beer while there's still humidity in the air (most fall orders get placed in July!) and right now is the perfect time of year to enjoy a pumpkin or Oktoberfest-style brew. Here are my five favorites from Maryland:

• Evolution Craft Brewing Company's Jacques Au Lantern: This brewery, which just moved from Delmar to a larger facility in Salisbury, released a classic pumpkin beer for their fall season. Jacques Au Lantern is an amber ale with traditional pumpkin spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) that is definitely sweet to the nose, but has an earthy after-taste that doesn't leave you bogged down with spice. I tried Jacques Au Lantern at a bar in Ocean City, but it's available throughout Baltimore, including CVP and No Idea Tavern.

• Stillwater Artisanal Ale's Autumnal: This Baltimore-based gypsy brewer Brian Strumke is known for his Saisons/farmhouse ales and this fall seasonal is no exception. Autumnal, with a 7.2 percent ABV, is a beer with a lot of depth that combines German wheat and Belgian farmhouse styles. The result is a complex flavor that starts out with sweet pear and caramel notes and finishes on the dryer side. Stop into Strumke's Of Love & Regret where Autumnal is on tap.

• Flying Dog Brewery's Dogtoberfest: The Frederick brewery's Märzen-style beer uses all imported German ingredients and is extremely well-balanced. The initial taste has a rich malt flavor that turns into a slight caramel sweetness and finishes with mild hops. Dogtoberfest is a lighter take on a traditional Märzen, to be sure, but is well-rounded and goes down smooth. Try this one everywhere from Judge's Bench in Ellicott City to Red House Tavern in Canton.

• Heavy Seas Beer's The Great Pumpkin: I've written about this one before because it's my go-to local pumpkin beer. The aroma is fairly sweet, as your nose fills with scents of brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Once you taste it, though, the spiciness cuts through nicely leaving you with a rich and balanced pumpkin flavor. Be warned, though, that The Great Pumpkin is a steep 8 percent. Find the beer, naturally, at Heavy Seas Alehouse and Max's Taphouse.

• The Brewer's Art's Proletary Ale: While you can find this one on tap at Brewer's Art sporadically throughout the year, it's meant to be a fall/winter ale. After much demand for a darker ale, the brewers came up with Proletary, which has flavors of coffee and chocolate with a dry, nutty finish. This is one of the most sessionable beers at Brewer's Art (clocking it at only 5 percent ABV), making it easy to drink and enjoy.

[Image: courtesy of greatpumpkinbeerreview.wordpress.com]

As I wrote about back in May, Gordon Biersch Brewery Resaurant is opening its first Baltimore location on Lancaster Street in Harbor East. The official opening date is Monday, October 29.

The 9,500-square-foot space will have an on-site brewery, headed by Chris Cashell formerly of The Brewer's Art. There will be siganture and seasonal beers like a traditional German Hefeweizen, a Bohemian-style Czech pilsner, and coffee-like lager Schwarzbier. Additionally, the restaurant will serve burgers, salad, pizza, seafood, and steaks under the direction of executive chef Jacob Pulcher.

"The vibrant Harbor East community is the perfect place for us to introduce ourselves to diners in the area," general manager Jon Jones said in a press release. "Baltimore has become a city known for its food and we are eager to bring our fresh handcrafted beers and made-from-scratch menu items to the area for the first time."

The restaurant will seat nearly 300 diners with additional seating on the outside patio for 50 people. Hours of operation will be Sunday and Monday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (bar 11 a.m.-midnight); Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (bar 11 a.m.-midnight); and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight (bar 11 a.m.-2 a.m.).

[Image: courtesy of Gordon Biersch]