USA, MD: Elk River Brewery expected to be open for business in time for summer

There’s something brewing on Main Street in Elkton, the Cecil Whig reported on January 17.

Scott Beiber is eagerly watching the beer mixture fermenting in the basement of what is becoming Elk River Brewery at 112 E. Main St. For now, he’s working with a small system that turns out a couple gallons of heady brew. What used to be a jewelry store and an energy company is being transformed into the brewery, which will feature tastings as well as beer to go.

“You can purchase growlers here, or bring your own. We’ll be able to fill growlers,” said Brad Carillo, who owns Elk River Brewery with his wife, Jessica.

For the uninitiated, a growler is a heavy glass bottle into which beer is tapped for consumption off site. A typical growler holds 64 ounces of beer. Elk River Brewery will sell beer for tasting too, so fans of brew can experience Beiber’s efforts.

“The cool thing about what we’re doing is we can test experimental beer throughout the year,” Brad Carillo said.

That would include flavors brewed using as much local product as possible.

“And we’ll stay on top of the trends,” Beiber said, sipping a heady red beer he poured from the basement set up. “We’ll have a standard lineup but then a half dozen others.”

That smaller system will operate until the six-barrel system is installed. In the meantime, work continues to transform the 118-year-old store front into a trendy beer tasting venue.

“We’re trying to preserve as much of the architecture as we can,” Carillo said.

During demolition the best find so far has been decorative hammered tin ceiling tiles. Those will stay, he said.

While Beiber has been brewing his own beer for 30 years, Carillo calls himself a fan of craft beer.

“I like beer and I always wanted to be part of brewing beer,” he said. “This was an opportunity for us.”

Jessica said the name for the brewery came easily. The view from the back of the building affords a good look at the Big Elk Creek, which runs to the Elk River.

“We take pride in our area,” she said, noting the couple also started Aspen Property Management in North East. “There’s just something good about Cecil County.”

Elk River Brewery is expected to be open for business in time for summer.

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