It’s hard to believe Elkton Brewing Co. is celebrating its second anniversary this month! Read on to learn what kinds of new and exciting beer they’re brewing with their unique Bear Lithia Springs water. Visit their historic brewery, which has been a grist mill, a warehouse, and even a church. You’ll learn community history and connect with locals over the cool names the brewery gives the beer. Bring your kids and your dogs, and keep your ear alert for the train whistle to take advantage of the “Chugga Chug” discount!
Hours?
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
We are closed on Mondays.
Do you offer tours?
There isn’t a lot to see, as our brewing system is quite nano. We don’t currently offer tours of our brew cellar. Space is limited down there, and we are brewing all the time, so the space is just not conducive to tours.
What’s new or what’s coming up?
There is always something new on tap and in the works! In our first two years, we have brewed over 100 unique beer recipes. And we have no plans of slowing down! August and Aaron Napotnik (the brewers of the family) are always working on developing new recipes and tweaking old recipes to make sure there is always a new flavor for our patrons to experience. We have a few “flagships” that we keep on tap most of the time, but we are otherwise committed to producing new and unique quality beers to always keep the tap list fresh!
What are your go-to brews and what makes them unique?
We are always rotating a must-try beer onto the taps. The go-to beer of the week is always changing. There are a few standouts currently on tap (which will change when the batches kick). We have a chocolate, peanut butter, banana stout called “Primate Puncher.” We have a Lithuanian farmhouse ale, with a bit of lactose for creamy and sweet mouthfeel and fruited with raspberry and peach. We have an American strong ale called “The Zetty,” that we fermented with rye whiskey-soaked oak spirals for a unique, full-bodied flavor. And we have a double New England style IPA hopped with French Barbe Rouge hops for a unique, low IBU, somewhat tropical hoppy flavor. The beer recipes themselves are already unique in terms of ingredients and flavor profiles, but the local backstories behind the beer names are often as rich as the beers themselves.
What is something unique/quirky about the brewery that most people don’t know?
Newcomers will notice that we ring a bell behind the bar whenever a train rolls by, which happens at least a few times a day. The bell signifies the start of the “Chugga-Chug” discount, which is 10% off all beer purchases while the train is rolling. Also, our beers are all named after local backstories. This is a great way for locals to connect with other locals and also to newcomers by sharing about those backstories (some of which are hard to believe). Another lesser-known fact is that we brew all of our beers with fresh Bear Lithia Springs water. It is pure, untreated, lithia water that we take straight from the source and truck it to our boil kettle for brewing fresh each brew day. Bear Lithia is one of only a few lithia springs in the entire country, and to our knowledge, we are the only brewery in the country using fresh lithia spring water for our beer. This spring has been used for generations for its medicinal qualities, even being bottled and sold in pharmacies as medicinal water. We truly believe that the unparalleled quality of that water greatly contributes to the overall quality and flavor of our beer.
Do you distribute locally or have any local collaborations?
We do not distribute our beer. First of all, our brewing operation is too small to support distribution. Secondly, and more importantly, our focus and vision has always been on the idea that “small is beautiful.” Small batch beer in our small town is where it’s at for us. Buying a six-pack off the shelf at a grocery store doesn’t give you the experience of what that beer’s brewery is really all about. We want people to come in and experience what we’re all about here. We love our town, and we want to draw more people into it, so if you want our beer you have to get it here!
As for local collaborations, we have not yet brewed any beer with another brewery. However, a collaboration of sorts would be our barrel-aged beers. We source all of our barrels from Ragged Branch Distillery, which is owned and founded by a relative of our family. This works out very well, as Ragged Branch produces exceptional whiskey.
Do you allow dogs? Are you kid-friendly? And do you offer food onsite?
We allow leashed dogs in our outside space (the front porch and beer garden), but not inside. We are family-friendly. Kids are absolutely welcome here, just so long as they are respectful of other patrons in our space. We host food trucks on the weekends, and throughout the week Old 33 Burgers delivers to us at no extra charge. They are just a couple of blocks away, and they have a great menu!
What events do you offer?
We host live music every Friday and Saturday evening, plus we sporadically have additional special events for special occasions. The best way to keep up with what we have coming up is to follow us on social media. Look us up on Facebook and/or Instagram!
