Manor Hill taproom behind the bar

Manor Hill Brewing

Beer Tastings, Breweries, craft beer, MD Brewery Challenge, , , , , , ,

Maryland Brewery Challenge #6

Far off Maryland Route 108 stands a farm on a hill, Manor Hill Brewing.  Travel to the end of Manor Lane and turn onto the long drive leading to “the Manor”.  Fields line either side of the drive with a field of hops near the brewery.

Owners of Victoria Gastro Pub, the Marriner family, established the Manor Hill Brewery, bringing their farm brewery to full-scale production in May 2015.  Also, the Marriner family has plans to open the Manor Hill Pub, a new downtown Ellicott City restaurant that will serve Manor Hill’s beer.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about Howard County’s newest farm brewery. Neighbors of the brewery requested officials revoke permission for visiting hours at the taproom. Fortunately for us, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman deemed the brewing operation acceptable.

Manor Hill taproom
Manor Hill taproom

The Manor Hill taproom seems more like a winery than a beer tasting room.  Dark wood and oaken barrels decorate the interior. This is no sports bar. There is not one TV. All the beer taps are carved wooden handles. A small wooden keg sits on the bar. Aside from the murmur of the patrons, this is a quiet, “well-manored” place.

 

Beer flights of 3 are available for $6. The small tasting room is small and seating is limited.
Hours of operation are limited to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with reservations recommended. We met on a Saturday afternoon, tasted a few beers and walked through the informal brewery tour.

The Beers

Grisette farmhouse ale
Grisette farmhouse ale

Head brewer Ben Little oversees the making of their many fine beers. I sampled a few:

  • Passion Fruit IPA – Passion fruit nose. Fruity IPA with a grapefruit taste.
  • Barrel Project: Spicy Pecan Porter – Nutty Porter, mild chili finish. Chili taste
    accumulates but becomes too spicy at the end of the beer glass.
  • Grisette – Liquid grapefruit! This is labeled as a farmhouse, just an unusual one. Love this one!

The Brewery Tour

Manor Hill Brewery Tour
Manor Hill Brewery Tour

Manor Hill is a 15-barrel brewery.  They have 5 15-barrel fermenters and 5 30-barrel fermenters. Sisley, our patient tour guide, walked us through the brewery and answered all our nosey homebrewer questions. It’s a quick tour, but it’s always fun to see how real brewers make their beer.

 

 

 

Cheers!

Warren