FREDERICK, MARYLAND

Tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood within walking distance of downtown Frederick, OLDE MOTHER BREWING COMPANY originated a few blocks away and opened its doors, Halloween ’15. Now with a larger production facility and tasting room since 2018, Olde Mother occupies a spacious red brick building (with green awning and insignia-stenciled windows). Its cement-floored, steel-beamed expanse features a rustic bench-laden front bar and rear 10-barrel brewhouse stationed behind the auxiliary community-tabled back bar.

Offering a ‘few twists’ on many traditional styles and a tad bolder than the norm, Olde Mother’s refined sour ales and India Pale Ales led a menu including a hefewiezen, lager and English Brown (the only dark ale available).

While sitting in the alleyway patio I quaffed three beers during my sweltering June ’20 noon sojourn.

Lemony banana-clove stead stays subtle alongside sweet vanilla creaming for moderate-bodied hefeweizen, Tempest, utilizing open fermentation to expose delicately dank floral herbage.

Dry champagne-tinged rosé wining silkily lather Aurora Rose, a spritzy sedation with floral hibiscus wisps teasing its grape-leafed wine must.

Bold flagship IPA, Impressionist, maintained a mildly embittered grapefruit-orange-pineapple influx, tangy tangerine run-up and perky mango salting enjoined by dry pine resin over softly creamed crystal malting.