Maryland Beer Journal & Atlas
Beer Across The Free State
Maryland Beer Journal & Atlas (MBJA) — Our purpose is in our name — only Maryland, only beer. We tell the stories of the people and places that make Maryland beer unique. Maryland traverses many landscapes, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains, Baltimore, Chesapeake Bay, historic small towns, and all points in between. And the beer is as diverse as the landscapes.
AleCraft Closing Maryland Brewery
AleCraft Brewing in Belair, MD, has announced that they will be closing their Maryland brewery. They will focus on the newer location in Railroad, PA.
Suspended Brewing Closes
Suspended Brewing Co. in the Pigtown section of Baltimore City, posted on their website on January 1, 2024, that their taproom is now closed. Mystique Barrel Brewing and Lager House are to open there in 2024.
Stone Silo Brewery Opens in Damascus
Stone Silo Brewery Opens in Damascus — In mid-January 2024, Stone Silo Brewery, a new farm brewery in near Damascus MD, opened their doors to the public. That moves the brewery county to eleven in Montgomery County.
Maryland Brewery Treks :: An Invitation to Adventure
Maryland Brewery Treks are 25 sortings of Maryland breweries based on relative proximity. Breweries are grouped from three to six locations which could compose a brewery excursion. These include most of the state’s breweries, but due to distances, not all.
MID-ATLANTIC BREW NEWS: DECEMBER / JANUARY 2024
The December - January 2024 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Brew News has been released. Learn about the Food History Weekend at the National Museum of American History, Death of the Beer Festival, Global Warming vs. Hops, Women in Beer, plus regional brewery profiles and updates across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Burnish Beer Co: Shaking Off the Rust
Burnish Beer Company celebrated their second anniversary in October 2023. For a relatively new brewery, they have come a long way in that short time. But then, the Burnish team has brought a lot of experience and a diversity of talent to this brewing venture.
Great American Beer Festival: 2023
In 2022, I made some New Beer Resolutions. One of those was to attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. In September 2023, I fulfilled that dream and made the pilgrimage to GABF.
Mid-Atlantic Brew News: October / November 2023
Interested in learning more about smoked beers? You can read about it in the lastest edition of the Mid-Atlantic Brew News and the cover story, Autumn Smoke: Rauchbier Emerges as Fall Seasonal.
Maryland Top Rated Breweries 2023
What are the best breweries in Maryland? I get asked that question occasionally. Of course I have my opinion, as we all do. Honestly, can this question be answered subjectively? Untappd may have the answer.
Route 50 Brewery Tour
There is a wealth of notable beery diversions not far off US Route 50 along Maryland’s Eastern Shore. If you'd rather sit in a taproom than traffic, drinking a beer than eating sand on the beach, then one (or more) of these drive-ersions may be exactly what you need. Let’s go a little journey, shall we?
Beer on the Road: Davis & Elkins WV
In June 2018, I traveled to Elkins, West Virginia and stopped into a few beery places along the way. It seems wherever you travel, there are new and exciting breweries popping up, much to a beer lover’s pleasure.
The Maryland Hop: Monocacy
It has said that Maryland doesn't have the right climate to grow hops commercially. Yet, there is a growing movement in the beer industry to use locally grown ingredients in their beer. A new hop has been discovered in Frederick County Maryland that may change that.
Liquidity Aleworks
Liquidity Aleworks in Mt. Airy MD, opened their taproom doors to the public on November 10, 2022. The building Liquidity sits in was built in 1904, and formerly housed the First National Bank and Farmers and Merchants Banks. The taproom is bright and open and decidedly family oriented.
Chicago Beer Hunting: Part 3 - Giants and The Mouse
This is the third of three journal entries about my Chicago Beer Hunting treks in April 2023. In this journal entry I visit Crushed By Giants Brewing and Off Color Brewing.
Chicago Beer Hunting: Part 2 - The Goose and Beyond
Originally I hadn’t planned on including Goose Island on my brewery trekking list. A casual conversation from a taproom patron changed my mind. Goose Island Fulton Street Brewery, Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery, and Ørkenoy adventures await.
Chicago Beer Hunting: Part 1 - Trekking a Great Beer Town
Chicago has been on my beery bucket list ever since learning about its beer scene through the voice of Michael Kiser and Good Beer Hunting. I had an opportunity to visit the Windy City in April 2023. Going was an easy choice. With so many breweries, choosing which breweries to visit was not.
Guinness Closing Maryland Beer Production
On April 3, Diageo North America, the parent company for Guinness released a statement that in June it will be closing its manufacturing facility at Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Relay, MD. Diageo said that the restaurant and taproom will still remain open as will the brewing of “select experimental beers” in a 10-barrel brewery in the visitor center.
Checkerspot: A Baltimore Brewery on the Move
Judy and Rob Neff opened Checkerspot Brewing in 2018. A craft brewery with a taproom creates a certain kind of kinetic energy. It can change a neighborhood, attracting patrons from around the block or across the country. Currently there are 17 breweries within Baltimore City proper, the majority established within the last five years. Checkerspot Brewing is one of those and has become an important part of the city’s changing vibe.
Other Half Brewing DC
If you have experienced Other Half beers you know they are some of the best IPAs in the business. In an Untappd blog post titled The Top 10 Craft Breweries With the Most 5-Star Check-Ins of 2022 Other Half Brewing was ranked #4, ahead of such well knowns as Toppling Goliath and The Alchemist. Topping the list were Russian River, Bell’s Brewery, and Tree House Brewing.