Montgomery County, Maryland welcomes its newest brewery as Third Hill Brewing revamps the taproom at 8216 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. The space formerly occupied by Astro Lab Brewing became Third Hill Brewing in June 2023. As Brew York’s Chris O’Leary puts it, Third Hill is a “hermit crab brewery,” that is, “a new brewery that takes over the space — and sometimes even the equipment — of a closed brewery.” Third Hill continues the good beer and community vibes that Montgomery County residents expect and seeks to improve upon the quality work being done by other local breweries.
Owners Jason and Danielle Sliter’s goal of opening a brewery dates to 2015 when Jason was sharing his homebrew with friends and family and witnessed the joy of bringing people together through beer. With a history of organizing groups across social and religious affiliations, they set out to bring their dream to fruition and create a space to put people first and where people could gather and make memories of their own. Named after the location of many childhood memories, the “Third Hill” was a place to have fun, escape the stress of life, recenter yourself, and connect with the people you care most about. Bringing those fond memories from their past, the Sliters found it fitting to name their brewery after the hill and are looking forward to making new memories with new and old friends.
Their taproom boasts 16 taps with a menu covering traditional styles; Third Hill is focused on providing a diverse offering of quality beer for all. Beer lovers can find Third Hill’s takes on amber and pale ales, Berliner weisse, IPA, hefeweizen, saisons lager, stouts, and hard seltzer. Third Hill is a brewery that’s digging into the roots of craft beer and homebrewing, putting out strong showings of the styles that made craft beer popular while not leaning too hard on the hype styles of the moment. My current recommendations are the Scientist Pale Ale and the Berliner weisse. Their modern take on the pale ale style features Cascade and Mosaic hops, supported by a light maltiness. Coming in at 5.5%, it’s a well-balanced beer for any weather (especially for those looking to stay cool in the summer) that can be enjoyed in the taproom or as one of their many to-go options. The Scientist for one is not only one of my favorite beers they have, but the can art is dope, too. The Berliner weisse is a faithful rendition of the classic style, with a balanced tartness and acidity that isn’t fighting to show through a heavy dose of fruit puree.
For the hop heads or Astro Lab faithful out there, you can find some familiar flavors in offerings Thank You Matt and Thank You Emma, two beers inspired by Astro Lab owners Emma Whelan and Matt Cronin. You may see Matt at Third Hill, as he’s been announced as the head brewer!
Although Third Hill is a brewery through and through, they offer a host of food options from apps to entrees (sandwiches & wraps) and the community favorite Scoop & Paddle ice cream sandwiches remain to satisfy the sweet tooths out there. In addition to the great beer selection and food options, Third Hill hosts Run Club at 6pm on Tuesdays, Board Games at 7:00pm on Tuesdays, and Capital Trivia at 7:30pm on Thursdays. Stay tuned to their Instagram page or their website, or ours, for more events!
