Tuesday 23rd of December 2014 09:50:32 PM

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Monocacy Brewing is indeed at this address, although there are no big signs for the brewery. Instead you'll notice a blue and white Flying Barrel sign in front of the old two-story brick building. (Flying Barrel is a brew-on-premises home brew store.) There is a fountain in a tree shaded lawn out front. There is ample parking to the right, and the brewery entrance is on the front side of the building. Enter the sorghum walled tasting room where they have a small walkup bar. It is standing room only, with no chairs yet. This place started as an offshoot from another Frederick hotspot. The Brewer's Alley brewpub originally offered its own house beer, which was either brewed in house, or contracted at Frederick Brewery. Eventually the owners desired to expand, and the solution was to open Monocacy Brewery, which by Maryland law needed to have a different name. The tasting room has 5 beers on tap: 4 of which are Brewer's Alley house brews and Monocacy has one flagship Riot Rye Pale Ale. The staff is friendly, talkative and informative, and I enjoyed a small group tour. The brewery floor is midsize, with red brick floor. The tour takes you through the grain room, the stainless steel brewhouse, and the adjacent farm of 8 stainless steel fermenters. You'll also see their keg filler and small six-bottle filler, and the tour concludes at their spacious cold room (this building was originally an ice creamery). They don't serve food here, so I recommend visiting here for a tour and then head over to the Brewer's Alley brewpub.