Franklin's Brewery

Franklin’s Brewery

Breweries, craft beer, MD Brewery Challenge, , , ,

MD Brewery Challenge #28

Hyattsville, MD

On a beautiful afternoon, we drove past College Park, stopping just before the Washington, DC line. Our destination was Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery,  and General Store in Hyattsville, MD. 

It would be difficult to miss the sign for Franklin’s. We made a left across the busy oncoming traffic on Baltimore Ave into the parking lot right next door. I found it challenging to decipher the parking machine but it was not very expensive.

Outside Franklins
Outside Franklin’s

We ordered a crab dip appetizer (not exceptional) and a Chinese pizza with bean sprouts and peanuts (terrific). We were also amazed at the large variety of beers from such a small brewery – 20 beers!

Franklin's Restaurant
Franklin’s Restaurant

To wash down our food, we ordered 2 flights of six. I’m not sure it’s fair to review such small pours split 3-ways (I’m sure Keith from Frisco would not approve), but here goes:

  • Bramble Blast – Light, sweet and fruity. Loved the tartness and blackberry flavor. A very pleasant surprise.
  • Oktoberfest – Nice Marzen
  • The Half Man – Not really getting the Belgian esters. Interesting sweet vanilla taste.
  • Weizenbock – Surprisingly dark beer with a nice blend of sweet malt and earthy hops with a touch of tart.
  • The Night’s Watch – Initial stone fruit taste, overly sweet. Band-aid/glue finish.
  • Anacostia Ale – Light, hoppy, sweet red ale or alt beer.
  • Milk Stout – Nice stout on nitro. A bit too sweet for me but I can see having with ice cream.
  • Twisted Turtle Pale Ale – Caramel tasting pale ale. Nice easy drinking.
  • Rubber Chicken Red – Sweet vanilla malt taste. A very drinkable red.
  • Tenacious C – Nice initial sour burst. Finishes with a fizzle of hops. Not sure I like the finish.
  • Alryet, Alryet, Alryet – Never a fan of rye. This lives up to expectations.
  • 16 Ounce Bully – Nice clean IPA with Citra hops. Delicious!
Franklin's flight sheets
Franklin’s flight sheets

No visit to Franklin’s is complete without perusing the general store. It’s just crammed with stuff – candy, knickknacks, you name it, they have it.

Franklin's Store
Franklin’s General Store

We sat downstairs, but I needed to take a gander at the brewery. Past the bar upstairs are two rooms containing the brewery. Again, I was amazed how many different beers were made on this small system.

Franklin's Brewery
Franklin’s Brewery

Brewery #28 of the Maryland Brewery Challenge was a fun, unique place to hang for a few hours. The general store was a bit too kitschy for this minimalist, but overall a fun trip. The variety of the beers and food was a real treat and the service was exceptional.

Just to keep you up-to-date, I have updated the Maryland Brewery Challenge map showing all the breweries I’ve visited in Maryland this year.

Cheers!

Warren