Get a taste of the local craft beer scene when you visit Montgomery County, Maryland. We talked with five brewery owners and founders to give you a peek inside how they began their businesses, what they’re looking forward to this year, their favorite local spots, and why they love being located just outside of Washington, DC.
Waredaca Brewing Company: Laytonsville
4017 Damascus Road
Warecaca Brewing Company was created out of a desire to add an agricultural tourism business to the farm’s working equestrian facilities.
Jessica Snyder, Co-Founder/Manager
Q: What is your favorite part about operating Waredaca Brewing Company?
A: Waredaca has a storied history as the farm and old summer camp operations extend all the way back to the 1930’s! A favorite part of operating the brewery is sharing our history with tasting room patrons. We love having visitors share their memories of camping, riding, and having adventures here at the farm which deepens the community connection that is so important to us.
Q: How does Waredaca Brewing Company unite the Montgomery County, Maryland community?
A: Waredaca works with local farmers in the Ag Reserve to source ingredients to create true farm to pint beers. We partner with many community charities for fundraisers. We are a destination brewery for the Montgomery community.
True Respite Brewing Company: Rockville
7301 Calhoun Place #600
True Respite Brewing Company, which started as a home brewing hobby, has transformed into a business whose mission revolves around creating a relaxing environment for people to connect over great beer.
Bailey O’Leary, Co-Founder
Q: Why do you love that True Respite Brewing Company is located in Montgomery County, Maryland?
A: Montgomery County is an incredible place to live and work. Geographically you’ve got almost everything a person can want. We’ve got town centers, we’ve got the metro that can get us around, we’ve got mountains, we’ve got lakes, we’ve got rivers, and we have the agricultural reserve. I can’t think of many places in the world that have as many opportunities as Montgomery County does. The people are amazing. It has both old families who can share all about the history of the area as well as a constantly growing group of new faces. As relative newcomers to the county, we appreciate new faces who are looking to get to know their neighbors (just like we did!). The local government in Montgomery County has been fantastic to work with and the County Council has been extremely supportive of breweries. Councilmember Hans Riemer helped us tremendously while we were trying to open by putting us in contact with all the right people and passing brewery-friendly legislation.
7 Locks Brewing: Rockville
12227 Wilkins Avenue
Established in 2015, 7 Locks Brewing is an award-winning taproom and brewery that features pints, flights, rotating food trucks, and events, including live music every Saturday night.
Keith Beutel, Owner
Q: Why do you love that 7 Locks Brewing is located in Montgomery County, Maryland?
A: We love the area and want to help make it better through taproom events with local nonprofits, being a relaxing and inclusive gathering place, and by providing high quality and accessible beer options to the community. From our flagship Surrender Dorothy RyePA to our Blockhouse Point Stout — and everything in between — we expect anyone from the casual beer drinker to beer nerds alike will find appreciation in what we are brewing.
Silver Branch Brewing Company: Silver Spring
8401 Colesville Road
Silver Branch Brewing Company was founded by long-time beer lovers in 2017, making them one of the most recent additions to the Montgomery County, Maryland brewery scene.
Brett A. Robison, Co-Founder/General Manager
Q: What was the experience of starting Silver Branch Brewing Company like?
A: Crazy! Absolutely the most rewarding, and difficult, thing I’ve ever done professionally and personally. I think sharing both the successes of opening Silver Branch and the difficulties of it wouldn’t have been possible without my business partner and Head Brewer, Christian Layke. The highs and lows of every transaction are orders of magnitude more intense when it’s your own business. Owning a brewery is a dream come true, sometimes you just have to dream big enough and be crazy enough to make it a reality.
Q: How does Silver Branch Brewing Company unite the Montgomery County, Maryland community?
A: We were fortunate to have partnered with several breweries in making collaboration beers before we opened our doors to the public. The camaraderie of that makes me well up with pride knowing that so many of our fellow brewers are such generous, thoughtful people with a vision for building a better Montgomery County beer scene for all. Especially want to say thanks to: Denizens, Astro Lab, True Respite, Waredaca and Brookville Beer Farm for making some incredible collaboration beers with us.
Saints Row Brewing Company: Gaithersburg
15 Fulks Corner Avenue, Suite 101-102, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Family-owned and operated, Saints Row Brewing Company prides themselves on sharing their craft and space with the local community. They are open Monday through Wednesday from 4pm-8pm, Thursday – Friday from 4 pm-9pm, Saturdays from 12pm-9pm and Sundays 12pm-6pm.
Tony Prebula, Brewer/Co-Owner
Q: Why do you love that Saints Row Brewing Company is located in Montgomery County, Maryland?
A: This is my home; it’s where I’m from. Setting up shop in Gaithersburg has given me the chance to raise my family in a place that has meant so much to me. I get to share with my family all of the things I did growing up. My daughter is experiencing my childhood in a sense, and I have a very intimate connection with what she’s experiencing. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a very special thing to be able to share with my family, in a very tangible way, those things that were so special to me as a child.
Q: Which fellow Montgomery County, Maryland small businesses do you like to partner with or visit in your spare time?
A: As a part of the MoCo beer community we really enjoy the friendships we’ve developed with our other brewery partners. Whether it’s stopping at True Respite on my way home, visiting our friends at Waredaca on a nice evening, or heading into Silver Spring to visit any number of great breweries, there’s always somewhere to go and have fun.
