A Bel Air Brewery

Tucked away on the north side of Bel Air, Maryland is a new brewery, Independent Brewing Company.  Independent Brewing Company or IBCO opened its doors October 2015. It is a small batch brewery with 22 available taps, which serve mostly gluten-free beers.

When I first walked through the doors, I felt like I had entered a community, not a brewery. As advertised, IBCO is both dog and family friendly, with children, and dogs among the many patrons. They offer growlers and crowlers (32 ounces canned right at the bar)  to go. A constant stream of people came to refill 2 and 3 growlers at a time. Local art is displayed on the walls. In the back room is a simple game that is in constant use. A string is attached to the ceiling with a ring on the end. Pull the ring back, let it go and try to put the ring on the hook. It took me many, many tries, but my friend succeeded in only 3 (must be some kind of a record!).

The place is sparkling. I am talking eat off the floor clean. And everything is in perfect working order, including the bathrooms. I saw IBCO’s “Chief fermentation officer” and founder, Phillip Rudy, repairing a loose screw at one of the tables the afternoon we stopped by.

Outside, there is usually a food truck. The day we stopped by, we ordered the pineapple pork soft tacos from Crossroads Bistro, which they delivered to our table inside. By the way, they were delicious! The food truck schedule is posted on their website.

Oh yeah, they are also a brewery. Twenty-two beer taps are behind the bar. Beers currently available are listed on the chalkboard and online.  I tried Liquid Pleasure, a Belgian Dubbel, and Caramel Porter, both full of roasted malt flavors. My friend tried Saison De Solstice, a nice Saison/Farmhouse. They also offer flights. Tasting several small pours is a great way to quickly get to know a brewery. In a previous visit, I had a flight consisting of Passyunk Pale Ale, Knucklehead (my Dad’s name for the clueless Warren), Hop Tang Sour and Saison De Solstice. I found the Hop Tag Sour delicious with a lemon tartness and a slight puckery taste. Passyunk was pretty generic, the Knucklehead full of cocoa, but a bit too dry for me (perhaps the name was its downfall).

I was intrigued by their “gluten-free” beer. Unlike most gluten-free beers that use alternative grains, Independent treats barley malt with enzymes to make gluten-reduced beers. The results are amazing, tasting like a craft beer is supposed to taste. The IBCO page gives a great description of their gluten-reduction process.

Overall, our visit to IBCO was very positive, and I plan to stop by when my travels take me to Bel Air. Their ever-changing taps and friendly “community feel” make this place too much of a temptation to pass up.

Cheers,

Warren