Maryland Beer Updates: June 2026
Beer News Around Maryland
Kelly Dudek, Brewer Association of Maryland’s (BAM) Executive Director, reported on this year’s major craft beer event in Maryland. “This year’s Maryland Craft Beer Festival (MDCBF) featured 52 breweries in attendance and 3,612 tickets sold. Once breweries, vendors, staff, and volunteers were included, we were just over 4,000 people on site, which we feel is about the right capacity for this space.
This way to More Beer at Maryland Craft Beer Festival 2026
A few highlights from this year’s festival included strong attendance, perfect weather, great energy across the creek, an expanded vendor presence, and the launch of our new VIP+ experience inside The Delaplaine Arts Center. VIP+ sold out early at 250 tickets, which was the number we felt we could comfortably accommodate in that space. We are considering a modest expansion next year, potentially increasing VIP+ to 300 tickets, but our footprint is limited, so we do not see that area expanding much beyond that.”
As for what to look forward to from BAM, “MDCBF has been around, in one form or another and in one location or another, for about 20 years - and we’re excited to celebrate that milestone next year!
Our next major BAM event is Wanderland, taking place on October 24 at Symphony Woods in Columbia. Wanderland is a Maryland craft beverage festival with beer at its center, alongside wine, spirits, cider, food, vendors, and unexpected experiences throughout the woods.”
Stay tuned for more information about Wanderland.
RAR’s newest adventure into Salisbury opened on Friday, May 22. It is the third town RAR has ventured into, Cambridge (original), Annapolis, with Chessie’s Wharf, and the new Chessie’s Campus in Salisbury. The name references its close proximity to Salisbury State University. This location was most recently the site of the Maryland experiment for Voodoo Brewing. That venture lasted less than a year, opening in March 2025 and closing in February 2026.
A triple IPA flight at RAR Chessie’s Campus.
As usual, RAR has done an excellent job in creating a bright, energetic experience for locals and visitors with a great beer menu and food options.
I was in Salisbury and remembered the announcement about this new RAR location, but wasn’t sure when (only that it was in Spring 2026). I was happy to learn they were now open for business.
“The side-pull taps were a reassuring indication that the new owners actually cared about beer.”
If beer is what brings you to Chessie’s Campus, then you will be very happy to learn that they have a large selection of taps for your tasting pleasure. When I stopped in, they had five triple IPAs, nine double IPAs, three Lukr pours, and six core beers to choose from. The triples are rated on Untappd from 4.40 to 4.47. My flight of four looked exactly the same, but the flavors were diverse, intense, pleasant, and potent. The location is a business strip mall, but don’t let that bother you. It is bright and open, and the staff is engaging, friendly, and attentive.
Tall Tales Brewing or more recently Tall Tales Taphouse —same place, different experience— was located in Parsonsburg, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It is now closed and has announced the sale of its brewing equipment at an auction held on June 23. Opening in 2011, Tall Tales was best known for its beers Red Headed Stepchild and Bonnie and Clyde. About three years ago, they stopped brewing and changed the name from brewery to Taphouse, pouring a variety of guest taps while still maintaining the restaurant. Besides the brewing equipment, the Tall Tales Brewing Sign on Rt 50 West, measuring 95″ in circumference, and the Tall Tales Parking Lot Entry sign were of special interest. A&M Auctioneers handled the online auction.
Anne Brown at Brewer’s Alley in Frederick Maryland has announced, “Brewer’s Alley is excited to welcome new Pub Brewer Jake, who has launched an in-house Small Batch Series focused on fresh, creative, pub-brewed beers. Recent releases include Blanche de Brewer’s, a classic Belgian-style Witbier; Margarita Gose, brewed with Valencia oranges, lime, and sea salt; and Lawn Chair Legend, a refreshing Extra Pale Ale. The rotating series complements Brewer’s Alley’s lineup of award-winning year-round beers and offers guests something new to discover with every visit."
Monocacy Brewing Co at 1781 North Market St. in Frederick, Maryland, has announced new hours: it is now open 7 days a week. Check out the latest at monocacybrewing.com
Billy Deavers, co-owner at Liquidity Aleworks at 8 N Main St., Mount Airy, MD, wants to share, “We have added a from-scratch kitchen run by Walker’s on Main, as well as a cocktail bar and wine. We are adding a pinball machine and a Golden Tee machine.”
Beer Events
Judy Neff, owner & brewer at Checkerspot Brewing in Baltimore, shared, “We are excited to announce the new additions of Felix Moratto and Darick Sater this month.” Plus, Checkerspot is celebrating its 8th anniversary. Join us on June 13th as we celebrate Checkerspot's 8 Year Anniversary AND Rob’s 50th Birthday! We’ll have the release of the “Ocho” Mexican Lager, and live music all day, with Rob on guitar with K.O.E. Thank you for supporting local beer and our growing brewery family over the last eight years. We seriously couldn’t have done it without you. Come celebrEIGHT with us, raise a beer, and help us make this our biggest party yet!”
Jake Blackmon at Hub City Brewery in Hagerstown shared that they hosted the Western Maryland Bluesfest 2026, on June 6-7. For more information on future events, check out westernmdbluesfest.com for more info.
Mully's Brewery (Prince Frederick, MD) owner Cindy Mullikin has announced a Father's Day 5K run. “Celebrate Father’s Day at Mully’s Brewery with this chip-timed 5K and 1 Mile Kids Run. This is a flat road race perfect for a PR. Post-race fun includes great beer and fun times at Mully’s Brewery. A food truck will be on-site with food options. 5K (21+) participants will earn a drink ticket, event shirt, and pint glass. Participants for the 1 Mile kids’ race will earn an event shirt and Finisher Medal.” Register & learn more on the Good Day for a Run site: https://gooddayforarun.com/event/run-to-the-taproom-mullys-brewery-fathers-day-5k-1-mile-kids-run/
Farewell on Wico St
I met Mike Richardson and Jordan McGraw soon after they opened Wico Street Beer Company in the Pigtown section of Baltimore City near the end of 2022. They were two cousins joining forces to create something of their own. A brand, a place, a community. The headwinds of the current craft beer industry had other plans.
The message was that the last weekend of May would be their last, or until “the beer ran out”. I wanted to stop by one more time before they closed the doors for good.
As I walked in, it seemed like business as usual. Some are playing pinball with a beer nearby, others are catching up at the bar. Soon, a group entered wearing Orioles jerseys and grabbed a beer before the game.
One last beer at Wico St
While Jordan was bouncing around, I was able to tell him I was stunned at the news. He simply looked at me and said, “It is all cool”. He would be working for a THC company on the Eastern Shore, and Mike went back to a finance job about three months ago. He said that about six weeks ago, they knew it was time to close, so they made that decision and shared it with the staff.
I watched as the last of the 4-packs were pulled from the cooler. I had one last beer and brought home a Wico St. glass as a remembrance of their dream and venture—and one more memento of Maryland breweries’ past.
“Wico Street Beer Co. started as a dream between two cousins with a lot of hope, hard work, and grit. We set out to build a place rooted in community, good beer, and genuine connection and for a while, we really did that. As many of you know, the craft beer industry is facing immense challenges. Rising costs, changing consumer habits, and an increasingly difficult sales landscape have made it incredibly hard for small, independent breweries to survive even when they’re doing everything they can. As much as we wanted a different ending, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our taproom at the end of this month. That said, what we’re walking away with is far more than we ever expected.”
