Olde Mother Brewing Co.

 Lise and I recently found ourselves camping in Maryland at Cunningham Falls State Park. After a few days of hiking and swimming at this gorgeous state park, we got thirsty! We did a search for breweries in the area and found this awesome place in historic downtown Frederick, Maryland.

Nestled next to a small used car lot and across from a fire station in a really cool neighborhood of older style brick buildings, we found this gem. We entered through the front door into a spacious tasting room where a patron promptly proclaimed that we were in the best brewery in Frederick! He then went on to explain that the gentleman behind the bar was very knowledgeable and would be able to answer any questions that we might have.

It was quite warm outside on this warm August afternoon and, after reading about all of the many beer offerings, Lise and I both settled on the Orange Honey, a Hefeweizen that we felt would be more refreshing on this hot day than some of the heavier choices. We took our  beer outside to the inviting patio area so the we might enjoy our cold beverages in the shade. And what a clean, crisp, smooth, solid beer it was! We both highly recommend this tasty beer!

If you are ever in the area, do your self a favor and stop by:

 Olde Mother Brewing Co.

526 N Market St

Frederick, Maryland 21701

(240) 877-7392

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 2:00PM-10:00PM

Wednesday: 2:00PM-10:00PM

Thursday: Noon - 10:00PM

Friday: Noon - 10:00PM

Saturday: Noon - 10:00PM

Sunday: Noon - 7:00PM

Awesome Breweries of Southern Maine

Join Lise and Rob as they visit some of the best breweries Southern Maine has to offer accompanied by their panel of experts. Beweries in Saco, Biddeford and Lyman Maine are included.

 

Best Breweries in Portland, Maine

 

Abolitionist Ale Works

I think that smile says it all. That is a lady satisfied with the warm sun on her face and the cold beer in her hand!
As Lise and I were wandering the back roads of Northern Virginia, we actually wandered into West Virginia. Charles Town, West Virginia to be exact. So we did what we've done many times in the past and that is to ask Google if we have any breweries close by. And we did have a brewery in the neighborhood. And that is how we came to Abolitionist Ale Works. Their website invited us to "Come join us in our mission to abolish the predictable and the mundane, Come be an abolitionist."
With an invitation like that, we couldn't resist.
The building was built in the 1880's and is listed on the National Registrar of Historic places. The

tasting room is warm and friendly looking out onto W Washington St in the heart of downtown. The patio is sunny and private. To top it all off, when the waitress saw me posting a picture to our facebook page, she gave me a free sticker for my beer fridge!
Lise really liked the barrel aged offerings of the WV Tequila Bees - guess what kind of barrel that was aged in - and the Dirty Beard Stout aged in Cognac Barrels. I quickly became a fan of the Alpha Mayle IPA.
You should really check out:

Abolitionist Ale Works

129 W Washington St.

Charles Town, West Virginia 

(681) 252-1548

Hours:

Sunday 12PM-8PM

Monday - Thursday 3PM-10PM

Friday & Saturday Noon-11PM

Far Gohn Brewing Company

Lise and I love to hop in the car and go for a ride. Recently, we found ourselves riding around the beautiful, picturesque roads of Northern Virginia. Being a bit of a history buff, I knew that there were quite a few Civil War Battlefields in the area. I got my hands on a driving tour map of four of the battlefields and off we went.
This where I must pause for a moment to say just how awesome Lise is. I know this wasn't her top choice of thing to do for the day but she never let on. It was a beautiful day for ride and every time we showed up at a battlefield, she got out of the car and walked the grounds with me, read all the plaques with me, listened to the Park Ranger talks with me and absorbed all of the information me.
As we left the Civil War Battlefield of the Wilderness, we did one our favorite things when we are in unfamiliar territory: ask Google if there are any breweries in the area!
That is how we found ourselves in Culpeper, Virginia at Far Gohn Brewing Company. What a cool place! Located in a quaint, little village in an old brick building perfectly suited for a tasting room and a brewery, we couldn't have asked for a better place to relax and unwind at the end of the day.
The bartender, who used to live in Maine of all places, was friendly and knowledgeable and more than a little helpful.The weather was perfect to sit out at the picnic table and the beer was delicious!

Lise enjoyed a pint of Imberbrau Ginger Beer while I found the Mordor IPA quite tasty and satisfying. If you ever find yourself in Culpeper, Virginia looking for something to do, Lise and I recommend stopping by:

Far Gohn Brewing Company

301 S East St.

Culpeper, Virginia 22701

(540) 321-4578

Hours:

Sunday Noon - 9PM

Monday 4PM - 9PM

Tuesday - Closed

Wednesday 4PM - 9PM

Thursday 4PM - 10PM

Friday 4PM - 11PM

Saturday Noon - 11PM

Foundation Brewing Company

Portland, Maine is a great town to live in if you like fresh, good beer and visiting breweries.  In fact, we have one neighborhood where you can park your car and go to five breweries with three in one building including Austin Street Brewery and one our favorites, Foundation Brewing Company.
Featuring one of the best beer selections in the city and a comfortable tasting room, Lise and I often stop here for a cold one after work.

Just about every brewery in town has at least one solid, good IPA but, one of the best can be found right here in the Epiphany. Not feeling like an IPA? Then Lise would strongly recommend the bourbon barrel aged Forge, an Imperial stout that she really likes.

Regardless of your tastes, you are sure to find something here to enjoy!

You can visit Foundation Brewing Company at

1 Industrial Way #5

Portland, Maine 04103

(207) 370-8187

Hours:

Sunday 12-5pm

Monday 12-7pm

Tuesday - closed

Wednesday 12-7pm

Thursday 12-7pm

Friday 12-7pm

Saturday 12-7pm

Stars & Stripes Brewing Company

When Lise' daughter, Erin, gave me my first Maine Beer Trail checklist in a birthday card back in 2016, it featured roughly 70 or so breweries. I remember being surprised at how many breweries we had here in the great State of Maine and Lise and I have been from Lubec to Kittery trying to visit them all.
One of the coolest things we've seen over the last few years is how many breweries exist now that weren't on our original list. The latest version of the Maine Beer Trail checklist has well over 100 breweries on it! The other really cool thing that has us excited is how good the beer is. There is some really, really good beer being brewed here in Maine.
We recently had a chance to visit a brewery that has opened since our first checklist. Lise and I found ourselves in Freeport, Maine and stopped by Stars & Stripes Brewing Company.

Located just off Route 1 in Freeport, Stars & Stripes Brewing Company features a spacious tasting room with several large tables. And some delicious, fresh, cold beer! A veteran owned and operated brewery, a beer here actually helps to support our veterans as a percentage of all proceeds is donated veteran organizations.
Lise and I showed our support with Lise enjoying a glass of a double I.P.A. called Tap, Rack, Bang while I opted for the excellent Stout & Give Me 20:

You can visit Stars & Stripes Brewing Company at

8 Varney Rd

Freeport, Maine 04032

(207) 317-1115

Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday 12-9pm

Sunday 12-6pm

Closed on Monday and Tuesday