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Craft beer, Oktoberfests, ghost tours, autumn festivals
offer lively experiences for travelers
BALTIMORE (Oct. 11) – Let the spirits guide you in October, says the Maryland Office of Tourism. This is the season for Oktoberfest events, pub crawls (especially, haunted ones), ghost tours and autumn festivities. It's also a good time to visit local brewpubs and microbreweries, as the new season ushers in new selections on tap.
Baltimore Beer Week, Oct. 19-28 – an annual event that promotes the city and region's beer-making heritage – is a good introduction to Maryland beer culture, says Margot Amelia, executive director of the tourism office. "Approximately 70 beer bars, restaurants and other beer-related enterprises plan to host 300-plus happenings during Beer Week."
"Maryland Beer is alive and kicking," says J.T. Smith, executive director of the Brewers Association of Maryland. "New production breweries, farm breweries, and brewpubs are opening every month. We also have brewing companies that are renowned the world over. Our community of small, independently-owned businesses continues to make fresh, innovative and delicious American craft beer."
Amelia says visitors also have plenty of options for seasonal festivals, noting that this time of year, "Maryland's magnificent fall foliage reflects a resurgence of spirit that accompanies a wide range of outdoor activities and seasonal events throughout the state."
The 45th annual Autumn Glory Festival, Oct. 10-14, in Western Maryland and the Autumn Wine Festival, Oct. 20-21, at Salisbury's Pemberton Historical Park on the Eastern Shore, are two such examples.
Here is a spirited sampling of what visitors can find in Maryland during October.
Brewpubs and microbreweries
- Brewer's Alley Restaurant, Frederick (Frederick County) – This is the former site of a town hall and opera house, built in 1873. Brewer's Alley opening in 1996 resurrected a local tradition of beer-makers producing their brews in the neighborhood. The selection of more than a dozen beers includes 1634 Ale, a rye-based brew that uses colonial Maryland ingredients. Antietam Ale is the first of a series of commemorative beers inspired by Civil War-era recipes; proceeds benefit the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick.
- The Brewer's Art, Baltimore – In 2008, Esquire magazine named this establishment the best bar in America. Located in a Mt. Vernon townhouse, it's both an upscale restaurant and brewpub that serves up a selection of house beers that varies according to season. Resurrection Ale is one of its better known beers.
- Burley Oak Brewing Co., Berlin (Worcester County) – Burley Oak occupies a building that during the early 1900s was a cooperage – a place where oak barrels were made. Those barrels were used for shipping local produce and seafood to Baltimore. Today, the barrels here hold beer. Pale Ryeder – one of the beers on tap – is made with local rye from Clayville farm in nearby Snow Hill.
- Eastern Shore Brewing, St. Michaels (Talbot County) – St. Michaels Ale (a silver-medal winner in Maryland's 2010 Governor's Cup competition) and Knot So Pale Ale are year-round beers available at the brewery, which is housed in an old mill. Seasonal beers include Duck Duck Goose Porter, Magic Hefeweizen and Dunkelweisen. Tours are available by request.
- Evolution Craft Brewing Co., Salisbury (Wicomico County) – The tasting room at this small-batch brewery is open daily. Tours are also available. Evo beers are distributed regionally. Mainline beers include Primale Pale Ale, Exile ESB and Lucky 7 Porter. Jacques Au Lantern, a pumpkin ale, is one of the brewery's seasonal beers, and Lot No. 6 Double IPA is part of the Big Draft Series.
- Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick (Frederick County) – The Flying Dog Brewpub in Aspen, Colo., opened in 1990. The operation soon became a full brewery. In 1994, the brewery moved to Frederick. Tours run Thursdays and Fridays, at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday tours are noon and 2:30 p.m. Reservations accepted online. The New York Times, in 2010, named one of Flying Dog's year-round pale ales as the nation's top ale. Dogtoberfest Marzen and The Fear (a pumpkin-infused ale) are two seasonal selections.
- Growlers Brew Pub, Gaithersburg (Montgomery County) – In addition to a traditionally made selection of craft beers, Growlers operates a small pilot-brewery that produces a steady stream of new concoctions. Past choices in this experimental line have included Holy Mole, Blackbeard Oyster Stout, and Hull and Oats. New menu, starting in October, features gastro-pub dishes.
- Heavy Seas Beer, Halethorpe (Baltimore County) – Established in 1995, the brewery makes more than 20 styles of beer, producing 40,000 barrels of beer each year. Heavy Seas distributes its beer in 18 states and Washington, D.C. Its line-up includes a Clipper Fleet, Pyrate Fleet and Mutiny Fleet. The brewery hosts tours most Saturdays; reservations accepted online. Among its special events, Heavy Seas has a Haunted Pub Crawl through Fell's Point in Baltimore, Oct. 21.
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