Maryland deTours

Frederick Maryland is home to Flying Dog and Brewer's Alley Restaurant and Brewery.

Frederick is an old colonial town and one of its claims to fame is for being the burial place of Francis Scott Key. The confederate troops also marched through here on their way to Gettysburg.

Flying Dog was a near miss except for a photo at the brewery. That's enough to make any `ol dog bark, eh? I'm presuming there's a hidden grain elevator in there.

There was a small patch of hops growing on a side patio--not nearly enough for even a 5-gallon batch but hey, it's a conversation starter for sure.

We met a woman leaving for the day and we learned tours are on Saturday--but no tasting afterward. Flying Dog is unsure of the legality of having tastings as there is no specific state law in Maryland that allows or prohibits doing so. She said that sometime soon there would be word one way or another on the policy. Call the brewery for details before you take this deTour.

Brewer's Alley

Brewer's Alley has an entrance on an alley but that's the only connection with there ever having been an alley-way in Frederick with a cluster of breweries along it.

This fine old building housing the brewery/restaurant was the city hall for a while and then an opera house.
















This archway beckons as the entrance to beervana.












Inside the tap room, wonderful coffered-marble ceilings supported by massive columns, reach almost to the heavens. I mistook the building for an old bank before I knew better!

The bar is a very well maintained U-shaped design--legs of the U are about 12 feet long and the base of the U is about 20-25 feet long. The bar top of oak is crowned with a slick bull-nose bar rail detail. The back bar is a stubby peninsula containing liquor and such. Taps are arrayed on the back of the front bar--a set on each side of the U.

The brewery is to the left as you walk into the tap room. There was brewing activity when I was in but I took a vow of silence on what was in the works.

Everything on draught save for an Old Dominion Root Beer and a cider, seemed to be Brewer's Alley own beers.

I chose the India Pale Ale which was the silver medal winner in the English-Style India Pale Ale Category for 2010. I can see why it won a silver medal as it's very English: proper, polite, and dry-humored.

There was a Resinator beer on cask coming in at a strong 9.8% ABV, and it resonated all right, just not at my frequency which tuned to try other beers this day.

This place is easily within driving distance of NEPA so it wouldn't be bad for a day trip.