"Beer is evidence that God loves us and wants us to be happy"...Benjamin Franklin
The Upper Chesapeake offers a myriad of amazing microbreweries, most within a 30 minute drive, and some right up the hill. We've organized some of our favorites in convenient loops. Here are some comments and check out the loop maps below. CLICK ON THE COMPANY NAME FOR DETAILS AND WEBSITES - and don't worry about some of the drive times, these are relaxing drives through some amazing rolling hills and countryside. Brewery Loop Maps are below!
IN HAVRE DE GRACE:
Hopkins Farm Brewery: Located right here in Havre de Grace (just up the hill so you'll need transportation), the folks at Hopkins have built a stunning watering hole with huge respect to social distancing with lots of picnic tables overlooking the working farm the family has operated for years. All of the traditionals are covered but don't be afraid to taste some of our faves like the Sours.
THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE BREWERY - LOOP 1
5th Company Brewing will be Perryville's 1st production brewery. The brewery will operate out of a 10,000 sq ft warehouse, located in the town center. They are currently under renovation, with plans to open soon. The brewery will hold a large tap house with plans for distribution.
Elk River: Brad and Jessica Carrillo love beer and they love going to breweries to taste beer. They also love Cecil County. They wanted to combine their loves and bring good beer to Cecil County. Originally from Colorado, they grew up in a great beer culture. They have been a part of Elkton for over 16 years, raising their family here and they look forward to spending the rest of their lives living in Cecil County, drinking good, Cecil County beer.
Maryland Beer Company: The Maryland Beer Company was formed by Scott McCardell and Jessica Alexander in August 2015. After 3 long years of planning, they have finally accomplished our vision of our brewery. With the help of some family we have been able to say that our dreams have come true. Located just 5 miles from Delaware and 8 miles from Pennsylvania, they choose to stay in Maryland.
Valhalla: As they explore new styles and ingredients they're regularly switching out taps to offer a variety of craft beers. There's always something new brewing at VALHALLA! In addition to craft beer they also offer a full menu, local wines and select mixed drinks.
Bog Turtle: We finally got to visit Bog Turtle - Excellent Service - and rippin' bews. Loved the "That Damn Sasquatch American Brown Ale". We had a fantastic hot dog and topped it KimChi. Located in beautiful northeast Maryland, Bog Turtle Brewery is a hometown brewery for Rising Sun! They grow corn, wheat, barley, and oats. They also have a stage for live music, and plenty of TVs for showing special events
FireTower: Uses self and locally grown raw materials in its beers, imparting true local flavor.
Bayheads: In the Summer of 2015, a couple of friends got together and decided to start a brewery. After over a year of research, planning, and brewing as a team, they decided to put their hard work into action. In the fall of 2016 they came up with the name Bayheads. This name is a tribute to where they grew up. The small town of Chesapeake City, MD, resides along the famous Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. This canal just so happens to connect the heads of both bays, hence Bayheads!
THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE BREWERY - LOOP 2
Hopkins Farm Brewery: Located right here in Havre de Grace (just up the hill so you'll need transportation), the folks at Hopkins have built a stunning watering hole with huge respect to social distancing with lots of picnic tables overlooking the working farm the family has operated for years. All of the traditionals are covered but don't be afraid to taste some of our faves like the Sours.
Slate Farm: Since 2017, SLATE FARM BREWERY has been committed to producing unique beers across the spectrum styles and categories. They're driven by our core values: family, community, delivering quality flavors, and celebrating beer. Experience it for yourself by joining them for a brewery tour, a special event or just to try what’s on tap.
Falling Branch: Falling Branch Brewery is a small farmhouse brewery dedicated to creating Belgian-style and American ales with eccentric character using ingredients that we grow ourselves and from other local farms. Visitors can enjoy the farm’s scenic rolling hills and historic barns while drinking delicious brews made onsite. Taproom & Beer Garden: The taproom is open year round Wednesday through Sunday. Food trucks are setup onsite every day that they're are open.
Double Groove: The motif of their brewery was a slam dunk; there was never even a second thought. They all love classic rock and Craig happens to own a collection of over 3,000 classic rock albums on vinyl. While they had visited breweries in other states where vinyl was played, none had the direct connection between brewing and vinyl. DOUBLE GROOVE is a little known and seldom used intricacy of the vinyl record industry. When there are two grooves on one side of an album or single, depending on where on the circumference of the record you drop the stylus, a different set of tracks is played; in the same way that a customer may drop into Double Groove brewery on a different day of the week to find a different selection of finely crafted beers.
Independent: Independent Brewing Company is Harford County’s premiere production brewery established in 2015, featuring a large taproom and patio located in the heart of historic downtown Bel Air, MD. Independent Brewing Company is conveniently located at the top of the popular Ma and Pa Trail and is family friendly, bicycle friendly, and well behaved dogs are welcomed. Independent features 26 rotating taps of small batch artisanal ales and cider, many are brewed with locally grown ingredients from Harford County and brewed to be gluten free. They have a daily rotating calendar of local food trucks on premises
AleCraft: AleCraft is what happens when the right people with complementary skills come together to strive towards their dream. Our story is the ideal fusion of passion, experience, fate and hard work while searching for beer perfection across all styles. These guys are pumpin out some of the more unique beers in the area - The Recalcitrant New England IPA has some wonderful citrus and wins the "who isn't making the most hoppy IPA to impress my friends" award. The Crucible channels some hundred year-old Belgians with a nod to local flavors and hops - We love these guys and do a lot of Pairings Dinners with them!
Brewery Loops - Please note that the mileage and time is for the ENTIRE loop!
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