Mason Miller's Blog

Olde Bedford Brewing Co.

Olde Bedford Brewing Co. brews their beers with spring water and self grown often hops, they are located in the mountains of Bedford County. They are located in Historic Uptown Bedford, in the same building as Fat Jimmy’s, and outdoor recreation store.

Atmosphere

Arriving at Olde Bedford Brewing Co. the first thing you notice is that they are not only located in the same building but share the same space entirely as Fat Jimmy’s. It is certainly an interesting space.

The brewery is small and when I arrived it was very crowded, luckily a table opened up as I arrived. I set down my stuff at the open table in order to save my space before going to the bar.

Selection

Again, the bar had a great and easy to read chalkboard menu, and as per my usual I ordered a flight of their 4 most popular beers.

First I tried their Rockland MVP Blonde Ale Blonde Ale, named In honor of Sam Pratt of Rockland Manufacturing Company of Bedford, PA and all their Employees. With a 5.3 ABV it was a very good start to the flight, it was light and had a sweet taste to it, it would be very easy to drink a lot of this beer without feeling full quickly.

The next beer in my flight was the Hazy Grey And Underway New England Style IPA. A stronger beer with am ABV of 6.5, it was not my favorite on the flight, but it was a good standard IPA, and would pair well with a nice steak dinner.

Third on the flight was the lightest beer I had, the American Style Patriot Pale Ale, It was a good break after the Hazy Grey IPA, and was a pleasant light beer with an ABV of 4.8. It would be the beer that I would recommend making a session beer.

The last beer on my flight was the English Style Flintlock IPA, a lighter IPA with an ABV of only 5.5, this would probably be my favorite from my flight, it was full of taste with a hint of citrus, if there were growlers available I would have gotten one.

Prices

Their prices were fair and all taxes included in the prices on the menu, which prevents any surprises. They do not have any food options, but do allow for people to bring their own food.

4 Beer Samplers: $8 • Beer by the Glass: $6 • Growler Fill 64 oz: Unavailable

Conclusion

Overall surprised at the quality of the beer from this small brewery located in a strip mall near Historic Bedford. I will definitely return, but I will keep noted that I need to grab food before I go.

Dig Deep Brewing Co.

Dig Deep had their quiet opening on September 13th, 2019, quickly people began talking about this new hipster brewery, so of course I had to check it out.

Owned by Robert Dettinburn who is a Fort Hill High School graduate. Dig Deep is the first production size brewery in Mountain Maryland, the brewery is positioned at the base floor of the Footer’s Dye Works Building at 2 Howard Street, Suite B Cumberland, Maryland 21502, it is right next to Canal Place, which allows for heavy foot traffic.

I followed Dig Deep’s Facebook which they have been very active on, posting every event they have going on, no matter how simple. I decided to go on October 24th. They had posted an event that said that the Good Carma Catering food truck would be there so it seemed like a good day to go.

Atmosphere

When arriving at Dig Deep it is nice to be able to choose from ample storefront parking, which in Downtown Cumberland can sometimes be challenging. So that was automatically a plus in my opinion.

Walking in you can look to your left and see the distillers to your left they aren’t hidden behind walks or glass, and I think that is a huge plus, its great for guests to be able to see where their drinks are coming from. The decorations are industrial, but creates a great atmosphere.

The bar is comfortable to sit at and the light fixture is a kayak that has been re-purposed, its a very cool aesthetic. The bar tender was very knowledgeable and was able to walk me through all of their beers.

Selection

The bar had a great and easy to read chalkboard menu, I decided to order a flight, sampling only 3 of their 9 beers.

First I tried their Cloudy with a Chance of Wheat, which is a Hefeweizen, a cloudy German style wheat beer, hence the name. With a 5.2 ABV this beer was refreshing to drink with only a slight bitterness. It would be easy to finish a growler of this beer while relaxing on a weekend.

The next beer in my sampler was the Never Fail Ale, a 5.4 ABV English Pub Ale, with a very solid amber and prominent orange coloration. Almost no head and a light body. I enjoyed the beer, it had a crisply bitter bite at the end of each sip.

The last beer on my sampler was the Harvest Doom a 4.3 ABV Slightly Bitter American Wheat Beer. What I liked about this was that despite being a light ABV it held the bitterness I enjoy of a stronger darker beer. Which for me would make this a great all day weekend beer.

Prices

Their prices were fair and all taxes included in the prices on the menu, which prevents any surprises.

3 Beer Samplers: $5 • Beer by the Glass: $6 • Growler Fill 64 oz: $12

Conclusion

Overall Dig Deep Brewing Co. was a great experience with good beer, I will definitely return as try the rest of what they have to offer.

1812 Brewery

On 190 acres rests a barn built in 1812 refurbished into 2.500 square feet and two stories of brewery. The perfect place for beer enthusiasts to relax and enjoy a craft beverage and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.

The first and only farm brewery in Allegany County, Maryland is located 18 miles from Frostburg State University, 3 miles off exit 46 on I-68 East.

Atmosphere

Starting with when I first arrived at 1812, approaching the farm brewery I see the initial staples of any farm, the silos, fields, gravel driveways and parking spaces.

Everything appears clean and well maintained. I park in the gravel lot and am greeted with the smell from two food trucks parked outside the brewery, the outdoor seating area is packed but still somehow quiet.

I walk past all of the people and enter the brewery, it is a hot summer day, but it is cool inside, you know you are in the bottom of an old barn, but all of the wood has been covered in a polyurethane resin giving everything a clean and new looking shine.

Selection

I approach the bar and am greeted with a smile from the bartender who then walks me through the beer they have available to sample. I order their sample 6 beer sample tray for $11. I took the sampler outside to enjoy the weather and the atmosphere.

Their selection changes frequently but when I went they had 7 beers on tap of which I tried 6, I did not try their Coffee Stout because I know that I am not a fan of most. I tasted the beer from light to dark, starting with their FenceMender Ale, with a 4.5 ABV it would be a great session beer, in terms of IBUs (International Bitterness Units) it ranks at 33, so a little more bitter than some ales, but still very refreshing.

The next beer in my sampler was the Maddy Golden Ale, my personal favorite of their ale selection, with a 4.8 ABV and only a 10 in the IBU department, it was a light refreshing beer that I could easily see myself drinking for an all day drinking session.

The next and last of the ales was the Monroe’s Ale, an English style ale with a smooth texture and a malty flavor, high in ABV for an ale at 5.6, and 30 IBUs giving it a bitter bite with each sip. It was a pleasure to drink, but it sits heavy, so I wouldn’t be able to drink a lot of it.

Moving onto an IPA with the Beach Creek Session IPA, a very drastic change from the ales that came before the IPA is my preferred beer, with the familiar bite of bitterness that is promised with an IPA provides with its 58 IBUs. A lower ABV than expected from the taste of this IPA at only 5.6. I could drink this IPA for an entire evening, great with a heavy steak dinner.

Now when I hear 1812 I think automatically of their Ambush IPA which I have been familiar with for some time before my visit to the brewery. The website description of the IPA perfectly sums up this beer; ” A bold, unfiltered IPA created for hop lovers. Dry hopped with whole leaf hops to amplify the hop character and aroma, which is balanced by a crisp refreshing finish. ” This is your traditional IPA with a 6.5 ABV and 68 IBUs, a strong and satisfying beer with a strong bite at the end. This is the beer that most people fill their growlers with before leaving.

The last beer on my sampler flight was the F.C. Porter, which was my favorite of the night, a dark porter with 5.4 ABV and 32 IBUs, this is the beer that I want to drink with any red meat dinner, or have a growler full of on any outing. The F.C. porter while a little bitter was full of flavor. The F.C. porter was released in November of 2018, and $1 of every glass of this beer is donated to the Schwab Center Cancer at the Western Maryland Health System. Now when I asked what the name stood for I was told “Well the ‘C’ stands for cancer, you can guess what the ‘F’ stands for. Needless to say this was the beer that filled my growler.

Prices

Their prices are consistent and all taxes are included, so you can bring cash and you don’t have to worry about loading up your pocket with loose change.

4 Beer Samplers: $8 • 6 Beer Samplers: $11 • Beer by the Glass: $6 • Growler Fill 64 oz: $17 Growler Fill 32 oz: $10

However they offer deals on Thursday:

Conclusion

Overall 1812 was a great experience with great beer, the company is focused on providing a good product and experience to their customers, I will definitely return.

Blog Post 2: Local Breweries

The focus of my blog will be the several breweries that are within reasonable driving distance of Frostburg State University. I enjoy the atmosphere of a brewery and enjoy doing tastings of the various different beers and wines available. When I travel I always enjoy stopping at as many breweries as possible.

I feel that I have been to enough breweries at this point in my life that I can reasonably compare and rate them on various elements. As well I am a Senior Business Administration student and can apply that knowledge to reviewing these breweries. Thus my next post will cover my ratings and experience of the 1812 Brewery in Cumberland, MD. I will rate its atmosphere, prices, selection, and other elements that are key to running a successful business and brewery.

Following my next post I will review the following, in no particular order, White Horse Brewing, The Toasted Goat, Olde Bedford Brewing, Berkeley Springs Brewing, Briar Valley Winery, and Charis Winery.

If there is a brewery or winery you would like me to review, please let me know in the comments.

Who am I? Blog Post 1

HI, I’m Mason Miller

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
-Albert Einstein

Hello, my name is Mason Miller, I am a senior at FSU and am a Business Administration Major with a focus is Marketing and Minors in Entrepreneurship and Management. I moved to the area when I was 18 from Chicago. I spend most of my time working, I run a hospitality company in Clearville, PA. After I graduate I see myself either running my company or getting a marketing job somewhere. but don’t have a set plan.