The brewery scene in Frederick MD is deep and plentiful enough to satisfy any visiting or resident brewery lover. Several great Frederick breweries downtown, especially close to Carrol Creek, such as Attaboy, Idiom, and Steinhardt, make for a great beer crawl downtown.
Other breweries, such as Old Mother and Rockwell, have established brands, great Frederick beer, and fun beer halls to hang out in. Day trips to slightly out-of-town breweries like Silly Yak Brewing are fun as well.
While dining at one of our favorite restaurants in the area recently (Vintage New Market), I noticed a beer on their menu from a Frederick brewery that we hadn’t tried yet.
So, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, after running errands and shopping, we headed to Monocacy Brewing to see it firsthand.
The Vibe at Monocacy Brewing
The brewery is located on the north side of town, about 2 miles north of downtown on New Market Street. The first thing you notice is the building it is in.
The brewery was established in 2012 in the old Ebert’s Ice Cream plant, and the brick building gives the tasting room a lot of character.
This is an ‘inside’ city-type brewery that you would want to visit on an indoor day (as opposed to farm breweries sitting outside this vibe).
The Monocacy Brewing Beer Line-Up
The beers are solid. We did our usual thing in getting a tasting flight, which they do in 5s. My preference was definitely for their lighter beers, especially the Brewtiful Lager (same one I had at Vintage).
However the Riot Rye had interesting character. Nicole’s favorite was the Calmdown Brown, which reminded me of the Newcastle Brown Ale I drank a lot in my younger days.
Explaining the Monocacy Brewing Logo
While sipping and tasting, one thing we noticed was the interesting logo used by the brewery. Nicole quickly figured out that this was based on a local Frederick landmark associated with the Monocacy River.
The logo depicts the Monocacy Aqueduct, a 19th-century structure built along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and now part of the National Park Service.
Brewing Beers for Brewer's Alley and Bentztown
Other places you will definitely find beers brewed at Monocacy Brewing is Brewer’s Alley in downtown Frederick and Bentztown. Both restaurants are part of the same ownership group.
Brewer’s Alley is a prominent bar and restaurant in central downtown Frederick. Its brewery operations have been moved to Monocacy Brewing, and today, it mainly focuses on serving great food and beer downtown.
Bentztown is a new restaurant that opened in the summer of 2024 and has a Nashville and music theme. It’s a great place for cocktails and bourbon and serves plenty of Monocacy Brewing beers.
Monocacy Beer Around Town
I’ve started to notice how plentiful Monocary Brewing beers are around Frederick. Not only do you find them served at restaurants like Showroom, but they are also sold at Frederick Keys games.
The marketing machine at Monocary Brewing is obviously doing its job (plus, the beer is just plain good).
While slightly off the beaten path from the rest of Frederick’s breweries, Monocacy Brewing is a solid destination for great beers in a cool venue.
Head over on a rainy day, after running errands, shopping, or whenever you want, check out one of the best breweries in Frederick.
