| The
Quest for the Holy Grain - Best Brew Pubs |
| Maryland |
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| Evolution Craft Brewing
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Ruddy Duck Brewery & Grill The Ruddy Duck Brewery & Grill, located in scenic maritime Solomons, offers six brews of their own and six guest taps. Proprietor Carlos Yanez and brewer Jonathan Reeves have conspired to privide an ambitious spectrum of beers, including a golden ale, a porter, and a Belgian wit, dubbel and tripel. I found the three that I consumed to be well-crafted, delicious, and true-to-style. And they are served in appropriate glasses! There are also at least 10 bottled beers, mostly imports in large bottles.
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Eastern Shore Brewing Set on Scenic Talbot St in beautiful St. Michael's, MD, Eastern Shore Brewing has several regular brews with seasonals in the works. The tasting room is small, but with all of their varieties on tap at reasonable prices this is a stop you should make when on the Eastern Shore. Oh... be sure to ask about Big Blue. |
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4 W. Main Street Located in quaint downtown Westminster, Johansson's in noted for fine dining and beer. Although their brewing operation was on hiatus for a while, they are brewing once again; although on our visit, they only had two varieties...an amber and an altbier. They have brewed a number of different beers in the past, and are probably best known for their Hoodlehead IPA. They provide 11 guest taps and about 20 bottles, mostly commonplace. The bar is long, dark, and comfortable, and darts are offered for those so inclined. |
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Ellicott Mills Brewing Company 8308 Main Street The square stone ediface stolidly situated on main street in Old Ellicott City was once a hardware store; don't take Alpenhof beers for granite! Ellicott Mills Brewing Company makes good beers and lots of them. They are prolific in the styles of beer they make, crafting both ales and lagers, but their specialty beers are their bocks. Bock of the Bat, Big Red, Firecracker, Doppelbock...there is one on tap no matter the season. |
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Gordon Biersch Brewery The new Gordon Biersch-Annapolis sits in a brand new spacious retail mall off of Riva Road just South of Route 50. The restaurant is clean and spacious as befits a successful brew pub chain. The bar seats about 15 with numerous tables, booths and rails...the dining area is large. Gordon Biersch makes German-style lagers; you will find nothing new or complex here, but all are clean, drinkable, and true-to-style. The brew works are visible from the bar. Garage-door type windows open behind the bar to service outdoor patrons in warm weather. Biersch offers six taps consisting of 5 standards and 1 seasonal. Gordon Biersch is about 10 minutes from Main Street Annapolis, and well worth a visit in this historic town...a beer destination in its own right. |
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125 North Market St. Brewer's Alley is located in an historic building, and was Frederick's first brewpub. They have 7 brews on tap, and rotate about 10 seasonals in with their 5 regulars. They also offer three bottled beers. On this Saturday night, the bar was jumping, and the fact that many patrons were consuming Miller Lites is testament to the fact that this must be a swinging night spot as well as a source of excellent craft-brewed beers. The Pils was hearty, yet delicate, and well-hopped. The hefeweizen was excellent, so much so, that when I set mine down, it disappeared. On the right you can see a "giraffe", a device that dispenses 2.5 liters of beer right at your table. It's guaranteed to infuse your group with instant Gemutlichkeit. |
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Barley and Hops Located in a shopping center, just South of old downtown Frederick, Barley and Hops is a friendly place to eat and drink. They offer about 7 taps...one is a hand engine. They also offer several bottled beers. Their brewings range from the summery hefeweizen and kolsch to a hoppier, stronger pale ale and red ale. My favorite was the pils, which was an excellent example of the style. The staff was particularly helpful in providing material for this site.
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Growlers Growlers is a brewpub located in the quaint section of Gaithersburg that is still reminiscent of a sleepy, small town. It occupies the same site as the old Summit Station Brewpub. They offer 8 taps, six of which are their house beers...the other two are guest taps. They also carry about 15 bottles. The lunch hour presented an eclectic crowd of diners and beer drinkers. The bar is comfortable, and the beer was very fresh. As the name would indicate, growlers can be filled. |
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Rock Bottom Brewery The Rock Bottom Brewery is a successful chain, with the Bethesda location being the only one in Maryland. Brewmaster Geoff Lively knows his craft and his clientele. The former is evidenced by the impressive array of awards and medals he has garnered, and the latter by the sampler of six very smooth and drinkable beers that he graciously proffered. "We try to have something for everyone." is Geoff's philosophy, and this is no idle boast. Their five regulars are brewed to satisfy the normal spectrum of beer drinkers. In addition, Geoff offers one or two seasonals, and one or two cask-conditioned ales dispensed through a hand engine, for his more beer-cultured or curious customers. Ask your bartender, and other special brews are liable to be available in 1-liter bottles. Rock Bottom offers fine foods and special events as well, and should be a definite stop for residents, tourists, and those citizens in search of good beer. |
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Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery, & General Store 5123 Baltimore Ave. Franklin's is one of Maryland's best kept brewing secrets. Located right on Rt. 1 between DC and College Park, Franklin's has a restaurant downstairs and spacious bar up the steps. They offer 8-10 taps of their own brews, and several macro bottles for the unenlightened. Head brewer Mike Roy crafts a kolsch, hefe-weizen, pale ale, red ale, IPA, and Belgian triple to name a few. The lunchtime crowd was quite diverse, the General Store fun to browse in, and most importantly...the beer was excellent. |
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DuClaw Brewing Company DuClaw began as a brew pub in Bel Air, MD, and now has locations in Arundel Mills and Bowie Town Center as well. DuClaw's secret is brewing beers that people love to drink, and providing a fun setting in which to do it. DuClaw unveils a new seasonal beer each month, and these evenings, where free glasses are usually given away, are quite popular. All of the beer is brewed in Abingdon, MD. Many patrons also take home Duclaw beer in growlers. |
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Red Brick Station 8149 HoneyGo Blvd Red Brick Station houses the White Marsh Brewing Co., a local brewer of fine beers. There are around 7 on tap, one hand engine, and one guest beer. The regulars ranged, at the time of our visit, from Honeygo Lite at 3.6% to the Daily Crisis IPA weighing in at 6.1%. RBS offers a casual atmosphere with good food and "Baltimore's Best Happy Hour." Mug clubbers drink more for less. |
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