Please welcome Dan Rozman to the site. He writes about beer and music in DC and Maryland.
The 2024 Maryland Craft Brew Festival, sponsored by the Brewers Association of Maryland (BAM), was the biggest and best one yet according to organizers. “With over 3,300 attendees, it was truly a day to remember. The weather cooperated, holding off rain until the very end, allowing everyone to enjoy the vast array of brews in the beautiful setting of Carroll Creek in Frederick,” a BAM representative exclaimed.
The festival featured over 60 breweries, two live music stages, a variety of food trucks, and craft vendors. In addition to long-time Maryland favorites like Heavy Seas, Union Craft, and Oliver Brewing Company, the festival welcomed new and upcoming breweries from across the state. Joshua from Funktional Brewing Company highlighted their innovative concept: “We incorporate functional ingredients that are good for health and wellness with amazing beers – really at the forefront of the craft beer 2.0 movement.”
M8 Beer, an Aussie-inspired brewery that opened last September near the Baltimore stadiums, was also pouring. Jeff Osborne, the founder, explained, “Our whole thing is to try and make beers that are really easy to drink in that 4-6% ABV range but full of flavor.” Styles they poured included their Pacific Ale, XPA, and ESB.
Vanish Brewing, originally from Virginia, was on hand pouring samples as they expand into Maryland with new locations in Frederick, Boonsboro, and Comus. “We’re blown away by this festival on our first time here as we grow in Maryland,” said Keith Baldwin, Director of Operations. Larry Pomerance, also from Vanish, mentioned upcoming plans for a new spot at Normandy Farms.
It was also a chance to sample beers from breweries that haven’t yet opened to the public. Old Barn Brewery, near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, was represented by Anders Superczynski, who shared “We’re planning to open May 25th with an on-site farm stand to sell our beers.” Mystique Barrel Brewing and Lager House, which took over the former Suspended Brewing location, was also pouring at the festival. Les White explained, “We’ll be open in July in Pigtown with beers like our lagers, English golden ale, and an oak-aged Russian imperial stout which we are pouring for the VIP session.”
The festival showcased a wide variety of styles from crisp lagers and pilsners to hazy IPAs, Belgian styles, and fruited sour ales. Silver Branch Brewing Company poured a few different offerings including Mundo Especial, a Mexican-style light lager, as well as Charlemagne’s Nightmare, a West Coast double IPA with Kolsch yeast. “I’m psyched to be here pouring our Belgian triple Gnome De Guerre for the VIP guests,” said Jackson from the Silver Spring brewery, which recently opened a second location in Warrenton, VA.
Andy from Attaboy Beer in Frederick highlighted Farm Boy Peach, a barrel-aged saison blend conditioned on locally grown peaches from Baugher’s Orchard in Westminster. Todd Perkins, the senior brewer for Guinness Open Gate Brewery noted, “We brew over 200 unique beers a year on our 10-barrel pilot system. Those Baltimore beers are now only available on-site.”
Local bands like Greasy Hands, who played an early set, kept the atmosphere lively while attendees explored the beer, food, and vendors. Marc Shapiro from the band said “It was a great festival and crowd – awesome local breweries and food. We were super happy to be here.”
Having a variety of food trucks enhanced the experience for the beer geeks in attendance. Rob from In10se BBQ, which was busy all afternoon, agreed that it was a great festival: “It’s a beautiful sunny day to come out and satisfy your meat cravings while enjoying local beer.”
Jason, the founder of Third Hill Brewing in Silver Spring, was excited for their “first major festival,” where they poured a hazy IPA, Lord Helmet, and a German pilsner, named Gesundheit. He added, “We’re almost a year since opening and have a big anniversary party coming up.”
With such a successful event, craft beer lovers are already looking forward to BAM’s next festival. As the BAM team said, “We have many exciting plans in store and can’t wait to share more opportunities for enjoyment and discovery with you.”
Certain aspects of the research and/or drafting for this piece may have employed AI.
