Relocating to the Baltimore, MD area

Discussion in 'Mid-Atlantic' started by mikehayz, Dec 14, 2017.

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  1. mikehayz

    mikehayz Devotee (336) Aug 11, 2012 Virginia

    So, looks like I will be relocating to Baltimore, MD in the new year to pursue a job opportunity. I'm not familiar with the area, state, or laws so just looking for someone to fill me in! Looking for any info on good breweries, good bars, best places to buy beer.

    I'll be coming from Virginia Beach in southeast VA. Grew up here and have been feeding my beer desires for ~5 years plus now. I've gotten to know some of the local shop owners and stuff so haven't had too difficult of a time getting my hands on limited releases, gonna be sad to leave lose relationships behind but excited to explore a new area.
     
  2. Topease

    Topease Crusader (498) Nov 18, 2016 Maryland
    Trader

    Breweries
    -Diamondback
    -Union
    -Monument
    -Peabody/Goonda (they share the same space with a few other breweries)
    -RAR (about a 90 minute drive from Baltimore)
    -Burley Oak (again, a bit of a hike- 2 1/2 hours?- but worth the drive, especially if you make a day trip of it and hit up the beach)
    There are others of course but those are my personal favorites. And you're definitely closer now to Tired Hands, Aslin, etc.

    Bars
    -Max's, the best by far in terms of selection and "rarity". The have special events every so often- just had CBS on draft last week.
    -Brewer's Art
    -Mahaffey's
    -Wet City
    Again, just a list of my go to spots

    Stores
    -Wine Source
    -Lighthouse Liqours
    -Canton Crossing
    -Shawan (Baltimore County)
     
    bl00 likes this.
  3. Evb721

    Evb721 Initiate (0) Mar 13, 2016 Maryland

    Topease pretty much hit everything. Max's will allow take out of bottles but you will be paying a little bit of a premium and the stores he listed above also do growler fills, and Lighthouse and Wine Source do crowlers. You also mentioned laws, and the annoying one is if you're in Baltimore County, stores are closed on Sundays.
     
  4. mikehayz

    mikehayz Devotee (336) Aug 11, 2012 Virginia

    Ohh I forgot about Burley Oak, I enjoyed that place quite a bit. I stopped in a couple years back (prior to the hazy-IPA and fruited juice level sours) and was impressed.

    Thanks for the info! I had already check out the distance to Tired Hand, I'm very excited about that. Also looking forward to being close to Sapwood Cellars when it opens.

    What are the state beer laws there? It's something like separate stores right? Around here I can count on Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and some other grocery style stores to get good beers. But, most of my beer buying comes from specialty bottle shops.

    I'll initially be staying in the Towson area until I get settled in and my girlfriend can find a job. Then we're looking at moving to the Fed Hill/Canton area possibly but haven't made any concrete decisions.
     
  5. Evb721

    Evb721 Initiate (0) Mar 13, 2016 Maryland

    In Maryland it's county by county for buying beer places, but everything in the greater Baltimore area is limited to liquor stores. When you get on the eastern shore you can find some beer in 7-11's, etc.
     
  6. Topease

    Topease Crusader (498) Nov 18, 2016 Maryland
    Trader

    While you are in Towson, I would check out Wells, Shawan (mentioned above), and Hunt Valley Liqours. Fed Hill and Canton is where you would be going to Lighthouse, Canton Crossing, and Wine Source
     
    bl00 likes this.
  7. mikehayz

    mikehayz Devotee (336) Aug 11, 2012 Virginia

    I'll commit those to memory.

    Oh, and one thing I forgot to ask, is anyone familiar with the homebrewing scene in the area? I'll need to find a new shop to keep up with the hobby, so if there is one locally that'd be awesome.
     
  8. Topease

    Topease Crusader (498) Nov 18, 2016 Maryland
    Trader

    I've never attempted it, but heard good things about this place:

    https://www.nepenthehomebrew.com/

    They are actually opening a brewery close to their current location next Spring.
     
  9. Evb721

    Evb721 Initiate (0) Mar 13, 2016 Maryland

    Best part about Nepenthe is it's across the street from Waverly and the block down from Union. A friend of mine goes to Alecraft (https://www.alecraftbrewing.com) in Bel Air. It's also right down the street from Independent Brewing Company.
     
  10. mikehayz

    mikehayz Devotee (336) Aug 11, 2012 Virginia

    Awesome, thanks to everyone for the help! I officially got the job offer (pending clearance from background check) so all signs look like I'll be exploring Baltimore in the new year.

    Luckily I still have a ton of family and friends in the Hampton Roads area and will be making enough trips to keep some good VA beers stocked (Commonwealth, Veil, Harydwood, etc.)
     
    Evb721 likes this.
  11. sammy806

    sammy806 Pundit (834) Feb 29, 2008 Maryland

    Kind of surprised that no one has mentioned State Line in Elkton, MD yet. Yeah, it's a bit of a haul from Baltimore itself but it's tough to beat the selection. Sign up online and you'll get a discount on single bottle purchases. IF they were closer to me, I'd be spending even more money on beer.
     
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  12. fastcazualmf

    fastcazualmf Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2016 District of Columbia

    I live in Timonium, right next to Towson.

    Pinehurst Wine Shoppe is another good store to check out. Nice tap takeovers on Saturdays.

    For local homebrewers: http://www.brewthervillelabs.com/
     
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  13. csurowiec

    csurowiec Initiate (0) Mar 7, 2010 Maryland

    All good suggestions above about breweries and liquor stores to get beer. For your homebrew questions check out the Free State Home Brewers Guild it lists all 13 clubs in the state you should be able to find one near you to join with other homebrewers.
    http://www.mdhomebrewers.com/
     
  14. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    Not beer related, but Chaps Pit Beef
    You're welcome
     
  15. beerman2017

    beerman2017 Crusader (482) Aug 18, 2017 Virginia
    Trader

    Total Wine has a store in Laurel, MD. Forgot the name, but it's set up like a Total.
     
  16. thestick311

    thestick311 Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2014 Maryland

    I actually moved to bmore from the same area. diamondback and rar are awesome (along with burley but burley is really far imo). as far as bottle shops compare to southern va. limited stuff is a lot easier to find but you will be paying about 20% more or so.
     
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  17. mikehayz

    mikehayz Devotee (336) Aug 11, 2012 Virginia

    Oh man, thanks for this, looks right up my alley.
     
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  18. tfost77

    tfost77 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2017 Maryland

    Hey Mike- I own Diamondback in Baltimore. If you swing in ask for Tom and I’ll show you around. Plenty of good beer in Maryland too!
     
    hoppytobehere, mikehayz and Evb721 like this.
  19. tobelerone

    tobelerone Grand Pooh-Bah (4,220) Dec 1, 2010 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I’m staying at the Renaissance inner harbor in a few weeks - how safe is it for me to walk solo to Diamondback, Max’s, Brewers Art, OLAR? I don’t mind walking a lot and grew up in NYC in a tough era so I know my way around but don’t want to get myself in trouble out of ignorance. Probably wouldn’t be super late but likely after dark (early evenings).
     
  20. Evb721

    Evb721 Initiate (0) Mar 13, 2016 Maryland

    Brewer's Art you'll be fine since you're only a couple blocks away. Max's is walkable from there, Diamondback is a little further so you'll probably want to Uber, i personally wouldn't walk it. OLAR would be a short uber away, but i wouldn't walk it.
     
    tobelerone likes this.
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