With more than 20 local craft beverage producers, Montgomery County, Maryland sets the scene for the perfect beverage-centric weekend getaway. Sip and savor your way through our Tastemakers Trail to experience them all.
Visit Montgomery joined WUSA 9 Great Day Washington hosts Ellen Bryan and Kristen Berset-Harris to talk about Montgomery County’s craft beverage producers. Here are the makers we mentioned, plus a few of our other favorites.
Waredaca Brewing Company
4017 Damascus Road, Laytonsville
Located on Montgomery County’s 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve, Waredaca is the only place in the Washington, DC region where you can enjoy local beer on a working horse farm. Every beer they produce includes ingredients grown or produced on the farm, and their production schedule is timed to align with harvest time. They also serve snacks that are made in-house or are locally produced.
True Respite Brewing Company
7301 Calhoun Place, Suite 600, Rockville
True Respite produces classic and seasonal beers in their above-industry-standard brewing and fermentation equipment, and they give all leftover grain to local farmers to use as livestock feed. Visit their taproom to try all currently available and coming soon beers. Complementing their frequently changing tap selection are trivia nights, food trucks, fitness classes, and a variety of other events.
Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Company
4200 Sundown Road, Gaithersburg
Elder Pine is on a passionate pursuit of better beer. Their facility is built on their family farm, where they brew and blend modern twists on classic styles. Their blending style combines beers into a harmonious array of flavors, textures, and aromas for a remarkable and unique experience. Their tasting room features up to 19 rotating beers on tap with three nitro lines and regular can releases.
Twin Valley Distillers
1029 East Gude Drive, Rockville
Twin Valley is Montgomery County’s first operating distillery and the third in Maryland. Their goal is to return the tradition of great whiskey to the state, which is fitting because Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania were the birthplace of rye whiskey in the United States in the late 1700s. Their ever-expanding product line includes tastes of Maryland, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
Windridge Vineyards
15700 Darnestown Road, Darnestown
With rolling views of Sugarloaf Mountain, Windridge is an idyllic spot for a tranquil escape. More than 50 years of family farming has guided the selection of their three vineyard sites and continues to underpin their commitment to craft wine. Their wines are classic in style yet celebrate the nuances of Maryland’s unique terroir.
Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co.
5000 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney
Lone Oak is a 28.66-acre farm with a brewery, bucolic fields and streams, a pond, and wide-open spaces filled with wildflowers and wildlife. They produce the ingredients that go into making their craft beer right on the farm, including barley, hops, berries, hay, and honey from the bees they raise. Visit their homey taproom to try their signature and current brews.
Denizens Brewing Co.
1115 East-West Highway, Silver Spring
Denizens lives up to its name, which means inhabitants of a particular place, by becoming a community gathering place for locals, regular customers, and newcomers to the craft beer scene. Everyone has a seat at one of their tables under the guiding principle that we are all unified by beer. All beer is brewed on site, and the wine, mead, cider, and liquor they carry are also locally or Maryland-made.
61 Vineyard
28712 Kemptown Road, Damascus
61 Vineyard is a small, family-owned and operated farm winery and working vineyard. They started their business to fill a gap in what was then a lack of winemakers in Montgomery County. Their cozy tasting room offers a view of Sugarloaf Mountain that families and friends can enjoy while sipping sensational wines.
Two Story Chimney Ciderworks
7115 Damascus Road, Gaithersburg
Two Story Chimney grows seven varieties of apples with innovative sustainability practices on their orchard, resulting in refreshing hard ciders. All ingredients not grown on their farm are sourced through partnerships with surrounding Maryland farms. Visit their tasting room to enjoy ciders on tap and take in the beauty of the Agricultural Reserve.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard
18125 Comus Road, Poolesville
Located at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain, the team at Sugarloaf specializes in wine education, and they will guide you through every step of their award-winning vintages that reflect precision and passion in the science and art of winemaking. Stop by for a glass after a long hike, enjoy special wine tastings, listen to live music, and spend fun time with the family among their large outdoor spaces.
Our free Adventure Planner app can help you plan your ideal Tastemakers Trail experience. Check out the app’s craft pass, where you can see all the county’s different beverage producers and create your own custom itinerary.
