Area Breweries

Beer is something all people–with eclectic taste buds–can enjoy. For the hearty beer drinkers, wheat beers, porters, and stouts do the trick. Those who can’t handle too many hops go for lighter beers, like ales. And for those who want a sweet, light beer, fruit beers are favored. Annapolis certainly revolves around beer–just think of all the pubs scattered throughout the city like Fado, Galway, and Castlebay. With all this beer love pervading the city and the people who inhabit it, wouldn’t it be quite appropriate to visit breweries to learn to love the process of brewing too? Lucky for the adventurous beer-loving Annapolitans, there are a wealth of breweries about an hour away from downtown, beckoning you to visit and taste test. Learn about the local breweries that craft some of your old favorites and some of your new favorites.

In North Baltimore, about 45 minutes from downtown Annapolis, sits a brewery: Peabody Heights Brewery. This brewery, in partnership with RavenBeer, introduced their summer line of beers, like the Tell Tale Heart IPA and the Baltimore Pale Ale in an open house/brewery tour on June 15. This was the first time the brewery opened its doors for the public to see, so it’s still in its early stages. Because the brewery is still in its infancy, check their site (www.ravenbeer.com) to find out about upcoming tours. You can purchase beer by the case at the brewery. Head to the linked site to learn about the brewery’s history and more.

Barley and Hops Grill and Microbrewery, located in Frederick, is a small business that’s big on flavor and on valuing quality beers. Like Gordon Biersch in Annapolis Towne Centre, Barley Hops Grill and Microbrewery is both restaurant and brewery. However, unlike Gordon Biersch, this Frederick business is not a chain. Barley and Hops doesn’t advertise brewery tours but does promote their house-made beers on the premises, so tours may be possible. With their food, try the selection of beers: Dirty Little Blonde Lager, Annapolis Rocks Pale Ale, Hoptopsy ESB, Schifferstadt Stout, and more. The microbrewery also sends seasonal brews to the grill for guests to enjoy when they become available. For more on this local spot, head to www.barleyandhops.net. The grill and brewery is about one hour and 20 minutes from downtown Annapolis.

Functioning as Frederick County’s oldest brewery, Brewers Alley, about one hour and fifteen minutes from Annapolis, is certainly worth the visit. This brewery also serves as a restaurant, offering Frederick residents and visitors delicious food complemented by delicious beer. The restaurant and brewery are at separate locations. The brewery, formally named Monocacy Brewing, is located at 1781 North Market Street. Anyone over twenty-one can taste test at the facility. The brewery is also available for touring the third Saturday of every month around noon. Touring is free, but touring with taste-testing costs $5. As for the restaurant located at 124 North Market Street, admission is free and comes with encouragement to drink and eat. Try the Nut Brown Ale, the Hefeweizen, the Oatmeal Stout, and some seasonals all crafted and manufactured by the brewery up the road. Head to www.brewers-alley.com to read more about this Frederick brewery and restaurant.

Flying Dog Brewing, located about one hour twenty minutes away, is known for its beers decorated with eccentric cartoon dogs. At the brewery in Frederick, tours are given every Thursday and Friday at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Can’t make a week day? Tours are also available on Saturdays at noon and 2:30 p.m. The tours feature education on the brewery history of course, but also award attendees with five samples of the beer and a beer glass to take home. The cost for the touring and tasting is $5–$1 per beer sample. You must have a reservation to take the tour; head to flydogales.com to book yours. Enjoy the names of the beers too: Raging Bitch (an IPA), Snake Dog (another IPA), Doggie Style (an ale), and more.

One hour from Annapolis in Gaithersburg, sits another old brew pub. Growlers Brew Pub is the oldest in Montgomery County, and is still serving up some of the most flavorful beers and hearty pub food. The brew pub has its own small brewery on site, providing all kinds of brews, like the Oat Witbier, Yorkshire Porter, and the Get Off Maibock. The brews change daily, but updated information can be found in the brew pub or on the site: www.growlersrestaurant.com. Of course, live music also pairs nicely with freshly made beer, so Growlers offers live music on certain nights of the week too. See the brewery from the restaurant.

Westminster is about one hour from Annapolis, as is a quite classy brewery called Johansson’s Dining House and Microbrewery. As the title of the business states, Johansson’s is both a restaurant and microbrewery, which is the trend for many microbreweries. The restaurant is styled like an English tavern, complete with an in-house brewing system for all to see. Not only does Johansson’s provide local beer, but the beer is brewed with natural ingredients right on site. There are no brewery tours advertised on www.johanssonsdininghouse.com but enjoying the Hoodle Head IPA, Honest Ale, Whistle Stop Amber, or one of the seasonals is very convenient when dining there.

Independently owned, Red Brick Station Restaurant and Brew Pub is situated in White Marsh–about 45 minutes from Annapolis. This brew pub offers both comforting dishes and hand-crafted beers. Red Brick features beers like: Something Red, a red ale; Spooner’s Stout; Daily Crisis IPA; HoneyGo Light, a light brew; and Avenue Ale. No brew tours are mentioned on the site (www.redbrickstation.com), but you can certainly enjoy the flavors at the restaurant. Head to the linked site to learn more.

And last but certainly not least, is the brewery (or was, we should say) in Annapolis. Annapolis had its own brewery back in the time of colonials, started by Benjamin Fordham. Appropriately named Fordham Brewing Company, this company that used to be downtown has since moved to Dover, Delaware, where it has overtaken Old Dominion Brewing Company. Even though visiting this brewery would require a 1.5 hour road trip, we had to include this integral piece of Annapolis history. Truly, Fordham is an Annapolis original! If you’d like to learn more about Fordham Brewing Company, please visit their site: www.fordhambeers.co.uk.

When you visit any of these breweries, or just relax with a beer at home, make sure you note the color of the beer, the aroma, and the layers of taste like a true beer connoisseur!