Ellicott Mills Brewing Company

 

Like many others have said it is like having someone's home brew at a restaurant. Good food, mediocre beer.

Took the wife to dinner here. Tried to get in for our 20th anniversary but reservations were full. When we walked in the door, brew kettles were behind glass in the next room. It was a Saturday night, so I didn't expect the lights to be on in the brew room, but still. Blue Moon sign behind the bar. Hmmm...We were seated quickly but had to scavenge a beer menu off the table nearby. Double hmmm...the waitress confirmed my fears, only 2 of the 7 beers on the menu are theirs and they're brewed by DuClaw. Sooo...clearly the brew kettles are just for show. Disappointing, very disappointing. Food was good, but for a place with "Brewing Company" in the name...just a thought, but this area suffered a horrific flood about 6 months ago that may have impacted brewery operations.

Nice location just on the edge of downtown Ellicott City. Old pub vibe, nice space with cellar and second floor seating. Four standard taps, four seasonals. Well rounded menu with a few German specialties. Pleasant surprise while passing through town.

 

 

The waitstaff was very friendly. My friend and I had the two bocks and mine was very true to type. Sesame ahi tuna was very tasty and enjoyable. I'd definitely stop back when in town.

 

 

My first impression was not favorable since they didn't open one time. However, the beer, the service once I got inside and the food made up for the late opening. I sampled four of the eight beers on tap and my favorite and their best selling was their Marzen. Plenty of room on the first floor where the bar is located with the main dining room upstairs. There is a free city parking lot close by and a stroll along Main Street is a great way to end the evening.

Vibe is fine, friendly but nothing special, mostly a slightly older crowd. Bar downstairs, dining tables upstairs. Quality is good, but again, nothing outstanding. Service is pretty good. Wait staff come by frequently to ensure you are well-cared for. Beer selection is lacking a bit, especially for a place that brews their own suds. Its mostly German style (Dunkel, marzen, bock, alt, etc.), which is OK, but greater beer selection would be better. Food is pretty good. I have dined here several times and never had a bad meal.

 

Historic site bar, low key atmosphere. Not a typical bar, it focuses upon Bavarian brews and dishes with varying degrees of success. Beer focus is solely upon the their own on site brewed beers. Few hopheads selections exist, at times a complete absence of the style is present. The Batskellar features Bourbons and a bartender who had a very comedic side. Reasonably family friendly, not the adult social scene found at many bars. Not all dishes focus upon Bavarian and these vary in quality as well. Off menu items exist for those who frequent enough to know. In historic district, parking can be difficult on occasion. A local favorite but the Germanic influence doesn't seem to create a draw outside of the annual Autumn Oktoberfest and Halloween season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I work in the area and have enjoyed a friendly relationship with Ellicott Mills Brewing Company for years. The employees enjoy visiting my establishment when they get off work and I enjoy visiting this establishment for a meal before work. The food is good, the staff is very friendly, and the service is also good. I recommend you stop in and give the establishment a try for yourself.

 

 

I love historic Ellicott Ctiy and this place fits in there well. Old looking wood, exposed brick and a glass wall that encloses the copper covered brewing equipment. The hostess was sweet and we were seated quickly. The bartender, who was also our waiter, however; was pushy, rude and aloof. I ordered a beer flight and the sausage mixed grill and my girlfriend ordered the coconut shrimp. The food was reasonable priced and pretty good and the beer was quite average but not at all bad. We left without a growler because we felt it would be easier than trying to bother the bartender for it(the only time he was plesent and personable was when the check came out). We wouldn't go back, but not all of the bartenders could be that bad; or maybe this guy was having a bad day and we all have those. So if my friends wanted to go out (most of whome live in EC) I wouldnt say no way. Try it and you might have a better experience!

Beers on tap:

Standards: Kolsch (4.2%), Boomerang (Australian-style Lager, 4.8%), Märzen (5.1%), Dunkel (5.1%). - $3 pints for HH (5-7pm).
Seasonals: ESB (5.4%), Weizenbock (6.1%), Firecracker (Helles Bock, 7.7%), Pilsner (Czech-style, 5.1%).

Wednesday is kill the keg night, where 12 oz pours of one of their beers sells for $1 until the keg is kicked. On this night, it was the Pilsner - A very drinkable, clean crisp and flavorful beer - very good.

Tonight's HH food special was 10 wings for $5, which I couldn't pass up. The wings were great; crispy and just hot enough to leave your lips tingling long after they were gone. I followed up with a sausage sampler appetizer since I really wanted to try their venison.

The Ellicot Mills Brewing Co is housed in a grand old building with lots of character. The bartender was friendly, the beers were very good and the food did not disappoint. I would certainly come back again, as this was a friendly and relaxing place to grab a pint and a bite to eat.

visited on 8 March 2010:

Stopped in here for a pint or two after eating and drinking at another bar up the street. We saw the place while waking along the road toward our original destination, and decided to check it out on the way back. After our experience there, I was hoping to finish off the evening well.

I wasn't let down by the brewpub's appearance: another old, stone building with a wonderful interior. High ceilings, exposed brickwork, and the brewing apparatus in full view through some windows along the wall opposite the bar greeted us as we walked in. And the bar itself -- awesome, with copper sheets covering the length of the bar's top and reflecting the light.

And when I saw that the taps were all German-style beers, I knew I was in for a treat. I ordered the winter bock, and figured I'd grab the dunkel or the strong ale before heading back to the hotel. Man, was i let down. The beer was weak. Watery. Boring. Bland.

So much potential. I didn't have any of the food, and the service was fine. But the two beers I tried -- the bock and the strong ale -- were completely lacking in any real flavor. I wished I had stayed up the street and had another brew there, and my disappointment was compounded by such a nice-looking place and the prospect of a brewpub that makes German beer. Oh, well, live and learn. If their brewmaster could kick it up a few notches, and make some beers with more character, then this place could be an awesome brewpub. As it is, it's not worth it; you're better off passing it by for other places in the area.

Me and my fellas used to call it "the brew pub." I spent many a night in the "basement" of this joint in years past.

The beers are pretty decent and they always have a good selection current brews. My favorite of theirs was the Dopplebock which was always available around Christmas.

The food in the upstairs is actually above par. The "bar menu" downstairs is way less inclusive, but they offer burgers and various sammies.

Service is okay. Nothing special there.

The atmosphere overall is a little college-frat-boyish. Sometimes you'll see someone puking in the bathroom when you go to take a piss. But they don't play the music too loud, you can chat and relax and it's always nice to support a place that brews their own beers.

I was wandering up and down the streets of historic Ellicott City and stumbled on Ellicott Mills Brewing Company.

The building is brick which matches almost every other building in the city and I really like that...it made the town look like and feel like it was historic. Walked in and was greeted promptly by the hostess and we chose to sit upstairs. The main bar is downstairs with ample bar seating and a few tables. The hostess ran up the stairs leaving us behind.

Upstairs is decorated nicely and has high ceilings. There are older pictures hanging on the wall and malt and barley bags hanging from the ceiling. Lots of tables up stairs and nice bathrooms.

Our waitress was very friendly and she offered her suggestions on both beer and food...my only complaint was she didn't check in on us after we received our food.

The food menu is filled with lots of choices from authentic German food to alligator tail! We had the tail and a sandwhich and they were very very good (as are the home made old bay chips).

The beer menu features four regulars and four seasonals. I opted for the Alt beer and an Oatmeal Stout for dessert. They were almost similar in taste...but the Oatmeal Stout stood out with a nice roastiness. Their selections were very good and I wish I could have sampled all of them.

When I'm back in town I will be making a stop in again to Ellicott Mills Brewing. Great food and good beer...what's not to like!

As a long time resident of this area, I have spent many hours drinking beer and eating the fare here. German themed menu with German style beers, bocks, and some seasonals on tap. The Marzen is particularly good. Great differing atmosphere depending on what level you are on (3 levels). Upper level is finer dining and the basement is more a drinking cave. The food is very good, not great but a nice variety and done well. A good value for the price. Lots of other nice bars and restaurants in the same historic area as well. Very cool atmosphere in my opinion and a good way to spend and afternoon or an evening.

This place can be a bit busy or completely dead, it's the make-or-break nature of Ellicott City.

there are three levels, the first floor (entrance) and Rathskeller (basement) featuring bars. The first two are particularly crowded when it's busy but are more bar-like. The upstairs is more of an open, airy dining area although they'll serve beer there as well.

They brew beers in the German Alpenhof style, very basic but end up with a lot of bocks, lagers, the signature marzen (pretty good) and other variants including winter style beers and Australian style beers.

Its authentic beer, but nothing spectacular although the marzen is fairly enjoyable. Decent variety given the style/discipline constraints.

Very Maryland, very East Coast, with brick, wood, an old dusty place.

They offer growler fills and a fridge with ready-filled growlers on the main floor/bar area. Food is decent, usual seafood/steak/sandwiches, the boiled shrimp are delicious.

Beer samplers are offered, five smaller glasses, usually available in two separate flights of either the standard beers or seasonal offerings. That's sort of fun to get to know what they have before settling for a particular pint.

UPDATE: Wanted to update my review. Came in here recently, had a good time after several ok visits. There were some new offerings on tap and I was told of more interesting offerings on the way. Usually they stick to the main brews but it seems they've branched out style-wise a bit of late and I had a few decent pours and look forward to what else arrives soon.

The style limitations are still there, but they're trying harder or so it seems and especially in the fall it's a great time to be drinking beers at a place like Ellicott Mills.

Atmosphere: Quaint and rustic, as to be expected in a town like Ellicott City. They achieve the aesthetic they shoot for, but it's nothing original. The entire downtown of Ellicott exudes the same atmosphere, so this particular bar is really nothing special. It blends into the rest of the scenery of the city, but I get the sense that this is the atmosphere they WANT to generate. And they accomplish it well, if that is in fact, their goal.

Quality: The beer is kept at a bit warm, for my taste. I'm not entirely sure how long this pub has been around, but it could use a little tweaking, and perhaps a more experienced brewmaster calling the shots. I will say, it was nice to visit a pub in Ellicott City that knew better than to serve good beer in frosted mugs, so they earn points for that.

Service: Lousy. Like so many other "locals" bars, they seemed to spend more time servicing their friends than regulars and paying customers. It took me a good 10 minutes to finally get my beer after ordering, and another 10 minutes to pay! The service was deplorable.

Selection: When I asked for a menu, I recieved a photo-copied sheet of paper listing 6 beers on daught. Nevermind the bottled beers, because they obviously didn't seem to care enough to even mention (muchless recommend!) any. Most of them were German lagers (4 out of the 6, as I recall), as well as a Hefe and a German bock. I was duly unimpressed with the selection, and eventually settled for a reasonably priced Dunkel. Most of the beers run under 7.0%, so if you're looking for something a little more high-octane (in the Samiclaus, Old Stock realm), I would advise against this pub.

Food: Here is where Ellicott Mills makes its redeeming factor. The food is excellently prepared, and priced very reasonably. True, honest Maryland cuisine. Not the faniciest in the world, by a long shot, but if you're looking for a good example of what Maryland cuisine is about, here's a pretty decent example. The burgers are nothing special, but the seafood is well worth the trip. I only wish the beer had been as good as the food.

Value: Reasonable. My taste in beer certainly won't speak for everyone's. I happen to think a banana-brewed Hefe is an abortion of a beer, but there are those who might think otherwise. Subsequently, it was priced as such. I honestly have no complaints on the value. This is absolutely one of those "you get what you pay for" places.

Final review: A better restaraunt than a bar. Much to be desired in the way of selection, but credit is due for being a tiny little micro-brew, in a tiny little town.

This place has a wonderful atmosphere. High ceilings, lots of wood furniture - very rustic. The outside is a really old stone building - totally awesome. There is a full bar downstairs that has all the beer you can get upstairs as well, and on the top floor there is a fancy dining room - the fanciness goes up with the floor numbering in this place...

The beers are of good quality, but the growlers I've gotten have been lacking carbonation like crazy - totally flat a couple times. The beer on tap is very good, and the food is decent, but the food selection is a little lacking. There are burgers and lots of fried food, but not much else. This isn't really meant to be a food place - much more of a pub.

The pricing for beer is pretty reasonable, but the food is a little steep.

This place is only about 30 minutes or so outside of Baltimore. A good stop if you are in the area. Downtown Ellicott is very cool. Lots of shops, especially antique places as well as restaurants. All of the buildings have stone mill-like appearances, making the area rather charming.

At the top of the main street, up the hill, is the brew pub. They specialize in German-style beers. You can order 1 of 2 different samplers (4 varieties in each), their normal rotation (incl a marzen, Australian lager and dunkel) or their speciality offerings, which on my visit included an oatmeal stout, big red bock and a winter bock.

The beers were fresh and quite good. The red bock and the winter bock were excellent. Wish I could have taken a growler home.

Not a large menu, mostly seafood. They had a pulled pork sandwich as a special that day, which I ate. Pretty good with a side of seasoned fries.

For collectors, they do sell pint glasses with their logo.

I visited this place for a second time. I didn't want to let one bad visit ruin my experience. There will not be a third! The service seemed distracted, although there weren't many customers in the place. I sat at the bar, and asked for a menu. The barmaid took my order for a drink, I ordered the Maerzen, not impressed. I had a burger (I had a BBQ pork sandwich the last time). The food was slow to come out, but wasn't bad, but not great either. I decided not to press my luck and left after one beer. I had two beers on my first visit. I did like that you can get a growler without purchasing the jug, you could just put a $12 deposit on it, but I wouldn't want to drink an entire growler of this stuff!

Had occasion to vist this past Sunday afternoon. I have no idea what brewer Ellicott Mills is using now, but whoever is doing the brewing here, they seem to know what they're doing.

Got the sampler, which today consisted of a Kolsh, Helles, ambush ale (a scottish ale) and the dunkel. I'm not a big fan of the kolsh style, and it seems a bit odd to have one on tap when it's freezing outside, but all that aside, theirs was pretty good. Nice flavor and very refreshing, everything you might want in this beer. The dunkel was also very good, malty with a nice roasty flavor.

One of the nice things about all the beers here is the abv., which range from just over 4% to just over 5%. The ambush ale and helles were nothing special and I wouldn't order either beer again. Strangely, the brewery was currently out of the boomerang lager (which was probably just as well from what I've heard) and their marzen (a beer I would like to have tasted). The beer board indicated a Winter Steam ale was available, which I guess they were also out of. They did have their winter triple bock on tap, which was pretty tasty.

The cost for 4 samplers was $5.95, which while a bit high, was acceptable. Despite what the menu says about buying individual samples of the various bock beers, the triple bock could only be purchased in a snifter, and was not available in the sampler format.

I purchsed the salad sampler and have to say it was also pretty tasty. The gentleman next to me had ordered a burger, which looked OK, though certainly nothing special. Nevertheless, what I got was just fine and I would recommend it.

All and all a solid place, if nothing to rave about it. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this place, but if in Ellicott City for some other reason, I wouldn't hesitate to stop by again.

Visited the establishment on a Saturday evening. Not as crowded as I expected and we were promptly seated upstairs. The waiter came promptly and took our drink order. The menu was a combination of sandwich fare and entrees. Since we still had 2 hours of driving to get home, we went with some lighter meals. I had the pork chop and my wife selected a sandwich. Both were tasty, but my pork chop was fatty. In fact I had to ask for a steak knife to cut it. Prices were reaonable and the beers were good.
Two things to remember if you ever visit (1) parking can be difficult, there are several lots available, so keep looking, and (2) our waiter told us that ghosts had been seen in the area we were eating. The only thing scary that I saw were the couples at the table behind us drinking Miller Lites.

In Columbia, MD there are no decent brewpubs or bars of any sort, so I made a venture to the historic section of Ellicott City, which was surprisingly only 10 minutes away. They had a nice selection of mostly German style beers I looked at while waiting a short 10 minutes for our table. There is a bar and a few tables on the first floor, a bigger dining room on the second floor, and a Ratskeller that I did not check out on this visit.

The Märzen (supposedly the most popular), Cluster Bock, IPA, and Oatmeal Stout all sounded worth a try, but I eventually settled on the Oatmeal Stout, with the Sausage Mixed Grill for dinner. It came with a salad and some very nice rolls, with a very reasonable wait period. The Oatmeal Stout was very nice - coffee, toffee, and caramel notes with an overall roasty flavor. The usual jet black color, but without much of a head unfortunately. The Sausage Mixed Grill meal came with a bockwurst, bratwurst, wienerwurst and a venison sausage which were all very tasty. The skin was easy to cut through, and the bockwurst in particular had a great texture. All were served in a light brown sauce, and I was given a choice of two uninteresting mustards on the side which I decided not to use. The red cabbage kraut was a pleasant surprise, and I also had some decent red potatoes and a small bit of vegetables which, admittedly, I mostly passed over in favor of the wurst and the kraut.

The service was great up until we were waiting for the check... way too long of a wait for this. I can't remember how much the beer was, but I think the price was very reasonable. The sausage meal was $16, which some may find pricey, but it was prepared very well so I would have to say it is reasonable. I would definitely like to come back here, both for the beer and the food.

Tried out this place with GusterFan and Dave on a Tuesday evening, 01/03/06, before heading into DC.

Neat brick building and stone-faced exterior with large arched windows and doorway. The interior provides three floors: there is a small underground Batskeller; the main floor with bar to the left and a number of tables to the right looking into windows displaying some fermenters and a beer menu board directly in front with a refrigerator just to its left (at the end of the bar) housing take-out bottles; upstairs is a larger dining room.

Was not busy on this Tues. evening and the main floor had the majority of patrons (around a dozen or so).

Really enjoyed the visit and especially the beers. Had a Märzen followed by very delicious, admirable Doppelbock and Trippelbock beers. The food and service were ok. Nothing special, and they were out of my first choice appetizer. The chili-in-(small)breadbowl was edible and filling enough for my purposes. I am not usually too particular with food when my senses abound with good beer at hand!

Would definitely return here, particularly for the atmosphere (even at a busier time) and beer.

My experience at Ellicott Mills may have been related to the place having an off night. It was in October, pre Halloween and when I arrived and waited for a table to eat with my lady and a friend I couldn't help but order the Märzen. What I got was an infected beer. Vinegar from the first taste until I felt obliged to tip off the bartender that hadn't rudely and suspiciously demanded ID from us that the keg was off. Now, not wanting to be a beer snob I asked my companions if they agreed that my beer was a bit sour and they agreed. The bartender tasted the beer and concurred and offered me a replacement. This beer was acceptable but after that, the service got as patchy as the first beer was sour. I didn't get the vegetables I ordered and we waited for our check for at least a half an hour. My wife's entree was minuscule despite the same bartender's assurance that the shrimp she ordered would be more than enough for her meal. On top of all this, the bill wasn't a small one for four beers and pretty average fare.

I'll try them again but I'll do so cautiously.