The Brewers Association of Maryland, in partnership with the Hops & Harvest Festival, announces the debut of Wanderland, a one-of-a-kind craft beverage experience set for Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Symphony Woods at Merriweather Park in Columbia, Maryland.
Read moreMaryland Beer Updates: May 2025
Maryland Beer Updates: May 2025 - Sapwood Cellars in Columbia is making national waves, Sandbox Brewhouse opens in Frederick, and more about Maryland beer.
Read moreBrewery Fire :: Beer, Heart and Easter Eggs
Brewery Fire in Taneytown, Maryland, at the northern end of Carroll County, is a small brewery and taproom in a small town, but its founder and brewer, Jesse Johnson, is a big man with a big heart.
Read moreBog Turtle Brewery Closes
Bog Turtle Brewery in Rising Sun (Cecil Co) has closed. Bog Turtle is unfortunately another Maryland brewery that closed before I had a chance to step inside.
Read moreSilver Branch Opens in Rockville
Silver Branch has opened their new location in Rockville and has concocted an imaginative program to get your attention, and get you to visit into the new location.
Read moreSandbox Brewhouse Opens in Frederick
Sandbox Brewhouse had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 21, 2025. Sandbox moved into the former Rockwell Brewing.
Read moreIndependent by Design: Inside Independent Brewing
Tucked just off Bel Air’s Main Street, Independent Brewing Company pulses with purpose. Here, founder Phil Rhudy and head brewer Keith Hipsley have carefully constructed a third space—part laboratory, part living room, and part local institution.
Read moreFarewell to a Brewpub Era: Rock Bottom Bethesda Closes After 29 Years
After nearly three decades as a staple of Bethesda’s beer scene, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery has closed its doors for good.
Read moreIdiom to Close Production Brewery
Idiom Brewery in Frederick announced on social media that they will move all its beer production back to their Patrick Street location.
Read moreHub City Brewery: Maryland Craft Beer Grows in Hagerstown
The craft beer industry thrives on innovation, passion, and community—and nowhere is that more evident than at Hub City Brewery, the latest addition to Maryland’s brewing scene. Nestled in downtown Hagerstown, this ambitious brewery is more than just a place to grab a pint. It’s a hub for craft beverages, local artists, live music, and small business collaboration.
Read moreGuinness, Garrett, and Grain
On November 21, Guinness Open Gate in Baltimore hosted Garrett Oliver, the famed head brewer at Brooklyn Brewery, for the release of their collaboration brew, Fonio Stout. This beer was the last in a series of collaboration beers highlighting the use of fonio grain as a brewing ingredient.
Read moreFrom Homebrewing to Hustling: Tom Pagano’s Journey to Mystique Barrel Brewing and Lager House
Nestled in the vibrant community of Pigtown, Baltimore, Mystique Barrel Brewing and Lager House is more than a brewery; it’s a testament to passion, resilience, and creativity. For Tom Pagano, owner and brewer, it represents a culmination of over a decade of dreaming, planning, and hands-on experience in nearly every facet of the beer industry.
Read moreBehind the Beer: Chesepiooc Real Ale Brewery
Chesepiooc Real Ale Brewery (CRAB) is a small brewery tucked neatly between Washington, DC, and Annapolis in Crofton, MD. Chesepiooc (pronounced “chess-uh-pee-auck”) is not used in many conversations these days. It comes from the Algonquian language, meaning “village at a big river.” Joe Esposito founded the brewery about six years ago (Feb 2018) with the idea of being intentionally small in size but large in beer and community.
Read moreMaryland Brewery Updates: Oct 2024
And so it continues! Open, close, move, grow — the business cycle for breweries, large and small, continues to shift, creating new partnerships, voids, and opportunities. But it's the season for Oktoberfest, autumn seasonals, barrel-aged beauties, and otherwise great beer-drinking weather. Enjoy!
Read moreBottle Shops: The Tucson Model
Tucson AZ has two great bottle shop / taproom hybrids that provide the best of both worlds for beer enthusiasts.
Read moreThe Other One Brewery: A Brewer's Journey
Nate Todd opened The Other One Brewery in Ocean City MD in 2023. Beginning with a homebrewing kit resulted in a deep passion for brewing. He served as head brewer at Backshore Brewing here for that operation's last two years, and wound up purchasing much of Backshore's equipment when the company closed in November 2021.
Read moreCelebrating Craft Beer and Community: Beer From Here Festival
On August 3, 2024, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, just outside of Baltimore, opened its gates to breweries from across Maryland for the first Beer From Here beer festival. I talked with Ryan Wagner, Guinness’ National Ambassador, and Jon Zerivitz, Union Craft Brewing Co-founder and Maryland Brewer’s Association Senior Marketing Strategist about the event and Maryland beer.
Read moreBerlin Beer Company: The Ground Floor - June 2024
I first met Adam Davis in August 2022 while he was at Burley Oak Brewing in Berlin, MD. Not long after that, Adam announced he would plant his own flag in the sand with the Berlin Beer Company (BBC), a 3-minute drive and less than a mile from Burley. I have been following his progress ever since. In June 2024, Adam showed me around the progress at Berlin Beer Co.
Read moreUpper Stem Brewery: Crafting Tradition and Community
Upper Stem Brewery is a licensed farm brewery in Washington County, just northeast of Hagerstown, MD. In April 2020, as the world grappled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan Winger decided to launch his brewery, a risky move given the uncertain times. Yet, they navigated the challenging waters through ingenuity and a small canning operation, providing curbside delivery that kept the dream alive.
Read moreA Hidden Gem: The Story of 1812 Brewery
In early March 2024, I visited the 1812 Brewery outside Cumberland, Maryland. I'd heard about the brewery from local friends and had hoped to visit myself, but the timing was never right. So, when traveling to western Maryland for a friend’s retirement party, I asked if I could stop by and learn more about the brewery and its people, and they welcomed our meeting.
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