Blog

A Little Holiday Cheer

A Little Holiday Cheer

by Kevin M. Smith Let's face it - 2020 hasn't been easy, and the year's bullshit is just going to roll over into 2021. That's how rough this year has been. 2020 is going to screw with 2021. It's inevitable. The American response to the pandemic has been atrocious, and...

read more
Barleywine: Thriving Seasonal, or Dying Style?

Barleywine: Thriving Seasonal, or Dying Style?

by Kevin M. Smith Barleywine. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s a malty concoction, characterized by dark fruit notes like fig and plum, and it can be hard to find. Sure, big boys of craft like Flying Dog with Horn Dog, and Sierra Nevada with Big Foot, still release their...

read more
Winter Warmers, Pumpkin Beer and the Seasonal Samba

Winter Warmers, Pumpkin Beer and the Seasonal Samba

by Kevin M. Smith There is a long history of seasonality to beer. Access to ingredients, and temperature control for fermentation were both major elements of creating beer that were heavily dependent on what season it was - cold weather, and cooler climates were more...

read more
Playtime in Mount Airy for Baltimore’s Checkerspot

Playtime in Mount Airy for Baltimore’s Checkerspot

by Kevin M. Smith Historically, breweries have found it important to get involved in their communities. There are a variety of causes that craft brewers get involved in - when Barley & Hops was still open, the brewpub often hosted adoption events for the local...

read more
Big Things in Store for Frederick’s Idiom Brewing

Big Things in Store for Frederick’s Idiom Brewing

by Kevin M. Smith As the year winds down, Idiom Brewing Company is winding up. In a year when many businesses are struggling or, in some cases, contracting due to the pandemic, owner Michael Clements is working on the expansion of Idiom's production facility. On...

read more
Destinations: Warehouse Cinema in Frederick

Destinations: Warehouse Cinema in Frederick

by Kevin M. Smith I love movies. Like, I mean really love movies. And I think it's no secret that I love beer - so, when I heard that the people behind the Warehouse Tap Room in Hagerstown were taking over the space that was once the Hoyt Cinema at the Fredericktowne...

read more