I began writing this during chilly November 2023, then added some edits while watching the daffodils blooming in March. And now it’s June and warmer temps. Where does the time go? I have been working on some other writing projects, and I have not brought this one to a conclusion. These are a few thoughts about my writing for this year and how it relates to my relationship with beer, travel, and life.
Write More
I enjoy sitting at my desk and putting my thoughts into a Mid-Atlantic Brew News (MABN) post, journaling about a recent trip and the beer I'd experienced there, or simply following a thought that entered my mind for some unknown reason.
But sometimes there are distractions and there are reasons that I don't put my butt down and write.
Go More
In 2023, I joined the Black Flag Brewing Bottle Club. I wanted to support the Columbia MD brewery and gain access to their special bottle releases. Those bottles were excellent and I’ve enjoyed and shared them with friends. The special member event was a great way to meet other beer enthusiasts and taste beers they brought from their experiences.
“We have good news and we have bad news. Just to rip the band-aid, we are not going to be doing a 2024 bottle club. We are taking a year to pause this as we expand our ability to make bottle club worthy beer. As many of you have probably heard, we are opening a second location, Black Flag Social House, which will have a small 7bbl brewhouse on site. This system will allow us to have a lot more interesting and unique offerings that are hard to incorporate into the schedule at our primary location.”
Then Black Flag announced that they will not continue the Bottle Club membership for 2024. They are expanding and want to focus on that project. While I’ve enjoyed visiting the brewery and the bottles, it still took an hours drive getting there. Plus, it really makes sense if you can take advantage of regular taproom visits, which I was not able to do.
James Webster, Elder Pine Brewing & Blending, pouring at Ten Eyck WinterFest 2024
I did join the VIP club to Ten Eyck Brewing which is just a 10-minute drive for me. And this will fit in nicely with this resolution to go more.
As I visit breweries and talk with the good people that own and operate them, and through following a few select social media outlets, I keep hearing of the goal of visiting every Maryland brewery. I was at Pickett Brewing in Baltimore and Jason Howard, one of the owners, told me that someone was just in that stated Pickett was the last one on his list. Pickett had just opened and other breweries have since opened, so the venture is never truly accomplished.
I asked Dan Wingerd at Upper Stem Brewing who are their main patrons. He said they have a steady stream of locals that stop in but there also the weekenders, those that stop in to have a flight and check the Upper Stem box off their list.
Of course, there are some production breweries that don't have taprooms, so it doesn't seem sensible to go there just to say you have. But to go to a every brewery taproom across the state would be a worthy goal because of the geography and cultural lessons. Depending on how you want to slice it, Maryland has over 130 breweries at the beginning of 2024. I've been to about half of those and do plan on getting to them all. I've already checked four off of my list since the beginning of the year.
Tell More
Casey McGaph, 1812 Brewery head brewer in Cumberland, MD
Writing the Maryland column for the MABN publication for almost five years allows me an introduction. I want to do at least six brewery interviews. Already I've had interviews with Upper Stem Brewing near Hagerstown and 1812 Farm Brewery just out side of Cumberland. I enjoy meeting the people behind the beer, learning about their journey. It’s always different and interesting. And I want to tell their stories through these pages and MABN.
I want to expand my writing to a larger group of beer enthusiasts. I am reading the latest issues of the Final Gravity: A Beer Zine. They are looking for new writers and I've been preparing a text to send them for review.
Final thoughts
What will be in store for 2024? A trip to Germany may be in the cards for this fall. My wife and I have been kicking around Vermont and Massachusetts with a focus on visiting some iconic breweries in that region.
Maryland
I want to visit 30 new Maryland breweries this year. As of this writing, I've already hit four.
Chicago or Denver
In 2023, I visited some amazing beer cities. I didn't get to everything I wanted to see (or drink) in Chicago or Denver, so I plan to go back to those cities soon.
