Summit Station Restaurant & Brewery

went with my girlfriend and a buddy on a recent saturday night. they were dry on all but about three beers, had a huge problem with the taps (they were filling pitchers and keeping them cool and using them to serve bar patrons) and when i rolled in with my growler the bartendress said, "oh, we can't fill that tonight." the kolsch was nice, and had some bite. the cream ale was weak and tasted like it was made from the cheapest ingredients known to man. we didn't eat. the upstairs was a good mood-lit pub with a decent local band, but due to the incredible length of time it took to get a flattening beer we split after trying the pale ale and the ipa, which tasted remarkably similar to one another. probably won't be back.

My wife and I wanted to visit a brewpub for dinner, but wanted to try out a new place. I came across this brewpub on Beerfly and decided to check it out.
Slightly difficult to find because the road the brewpub is on, E. Diamond is not continuous, but rather breaks near the railway tracks/city hall before re-appearing. That being said, the interior is colorful with various posters, pictures on the walls and a clear glass screen through which the reactors can be seen (by the entrance). A nice long bar greets you as you first walk in with an upstairs that is small, but cozy with a nice view of the downstairs, main dining section. Overall, the place isn't very large, but very well partitioned to maximize space. They only had 4 beers on-tap while we were there, but 2 of them very quite good; the Diamond Stout and the Kolsch.
We each order samplers and our waitress informed us that since there were only 4 beers, we could try one of each and then she would bring 2 more of whatever we liked which was nice.
The food was very tasty and well prepared. We had the nachos, salad, and pizza and all three dishes were great. I did wish more beers were on-tap, but that's the only disadvantage of this place.
Pricing was great as well; less than $7 for each sampler. 16oz. pints were just over $3 while 25 oz. pints were less than $5...and that's on a Saturday night. During their happy hour, prices drop even more.
I'll definitely be back soon to try some of their seasonal beer and to get a growler to bring home.

Stopped in here as the last stop on Brewapalooza 2006. Went directly to the third floor to taste their array of brews. The downstairs, however, was very nice. The Old Town area had a real small town vibe to it, though this place was definitely more modern. Almost 90's feel with the mustard yellow walls. Homey feel to the place nonetheless, with the limited space and comfortable setting.

Food looked like it was slightly more upscale than pub grub. Whatever it was, it smelled friggin good. I'll have to try something next time I'm in town.

Best beer was the Irvington IPA. By and large, the rest weren't much more than your avg everyday brewpub setup. Forgot to ask if the rumor was true that the place was for sale for like $500K...

I visited Summit Station this past February when I was staying with a friend in College Park. This brewpub happens to be the main hang out for a lot of folks in the area. That the place was two levels was a little disconcerting at first, and even more so when we stumbled out, but was probably great for the people who wanted to enjoy a nice quiet night at the bar as there was live music the night we went.

The selection of brews was nice, but I have seen better. However, it was somewhat unique. You don't see a Cream Ale on tap at your standard gin mill. The beer was good, the food acceptable. The live music was a great touch. The atmosphere (in the upstairs, anyway) was awesome. Everyone seemed to know each other and if you were a stranger (like myself) you seemed to fit right in. The next time I go down to College Park, which I hope to be sooner rather than later, I would readily stop by. I am just glad to hear that they rebounded quickly from their little accident. The brewer's lucky he didn't lose his head in that explosion!

To be honest, I must admit that this is my home base drinking establishment, so it is difficult to be objective. Formerly known as the Olde Towne Tavern, and now owned by Brewer's Alley (Frederick. MD), Summit Station offers a very dependable selection of primarily English-style ales, although Brewer Joe Kalish puts out a great "kolsch-style" ale that goes down well on a hot day. Having been a regular here since it opened back in the 1990's Summit Station has always been consistent regarding the brews. My personal favorite, the Irvington (IPA) is one of the best and freshest micros found in the immediate DC area. One more thing: Summit Station has some of the cheapest prices (for craft beers) in the DC area; how about $2.50 for a Happy Hour (Mon-Fri, 4-7pm) pint? If you enjoy good beer and you happen to be in Gaithersburg (20 miles NW of Washington, DC), you could not do worse than stop in for some splendid beers - the food is pretty good, too, though a bit above the average pub grub. (... and no - nobody is paying me to say this.) Having traveled to London, Portland, Chicago, NYC, Seattle, Vancouver, Montreal, Belgium, Munich, Philadelphia and many other places in search of a great beer, it is great to have a dependable, enjoyable pub down the street. Life is good.

How can you rate atmosphere when there are clearly two very different places going on here: for the get-started-at-noon crowd, there's the bar to the immediate left. For an actual tablecloth and cloth napkins experience, there's the upper landing and the dining room. Great old building in part of Gaithersburg that doesn't feel pre-fabbed and dropped from the sky.

Locals talked of networks and databases, and then dropped their jaws as some folks went by in suits and eveningwear. Turned out to be the highlight of my second trip to this joint: one of the young bartenders was getting married in her brewpub's upstairs room. Apparently the woman had told her boyfriend that she'd like to get married that Tuesday, and well, here it was Friday...

Back to the review: acceptable pale and pretty darned good oatmeal stout, with a cream ale and a hefe up on the board as well. Food was imaginative: pizza had spread roasted garlic instead of tomato sauce, and there was a yummy crab/poblano chili/cheese dip. One enticing evening that I was not around to avail myself of: Wed. nights: Blues music, $2 house pints and a free Louisiana cuisine buffet, with jambalaya etc. Sounded great!

Alarming site: man working in brewery comes to the front of the bar and (+italics) orders a glass of wine (-italics.) Funky place that is a hangout, resaurant and not much more.

Try the stout.

Set in what appears to be an old house or apartment building that has been gutted for new life as a brewpub, this is a quant little establishment. It gives off the feel of being very very local, which is a good thing in my book. It's decorated so that it's more like a semi-classy restaurant rather than the standard brewpub decor. I'd sum it up in one word: tasteful. There's basically three areas to this place: A bar near the entrance, a restaurant area, and a bar upstairs where live music can be caught on the weekends. I didn't see the upstairs bar, but could hear the music emanating on the way out.

The service was quite friendly and attentive, certainly well above average. They know the beers they are serving there well enough, but maybe not as much as some would like. Food and drinks were brought out in a timely fashion and we were checked on often enough to know we weren't forgotten, but not so much that it got annoying.

The food sampled was good and in decent portion sizes. I had southern style catfish, my girlfriend had a steak salad. The menu seemed to have a cajun and southwest twinged feel to it. Basically, an American-style restaurant, slightly upscale but not snooty. I wasn't wowed, though.

They serve about 7 house beers on draft and one on cask. They offer some macros in a bottle for the uncouth idjits that would want that sort of stuff, but I won't fault them for that. The stout and IPA were quite nice, but the kolsch left a lot to be desired (see my reviews).

Pricewise, this is a good deal and would be worth showing up for if you're in the immediate area. I might not recommend it as a mecca, but those along the I-270 corridor should check it out.

Decided to check this place out since I was in the area visiting friends. I enjoyed the food quite a bit, good portions and great taste! They offered six house beers and a guest (happened to be widmer). The normally also have a cask but there was none available when I was there. The interior of the place was that of a converted old house but the decor doesn't much matter to me when I am enjoying my time with friends.

Food and Beer make it worth a visit! I would not go drastically out of my way but I would return when in the area.