Prince Frederick, MD (Dec. 8, 2017)

MD Brewery Challenge #49

Mully’s Brewery was our second brewery on our 6 Brewery Southern Maryland tour. It is also number 49 in the Maryland Brewery Challenge. Mully’s is a family-run brewery, where owners Jason and Cindy Mullikin handle the hot and cold sides of the business and Jason’s mom helps out behind the bar. 

It had already been a great day before reaching Mully’s. We had just left Ruddy Duck Brewery and Grill and it was beginning to snow. We hit a snow squall heading north on Route 4 that temporarily blinded us. My little Ford Ranger is a reliable vehicle in nice weather but this “Steady Eddie” turns into “Slidey Sam” in the snow. After a half hour of fishtailing our way north, we arrived at an industrial park, the home of Mully’s Brewery. I was a bit tired of driving and nearly missed the Mully’s sign. From the outside, Mully’s was not what I expected.

Inside, the people were warm and friendly. We ordered a couple of flights from Jason’s mom and admired her hand-drawn beer list – pretty amazing artwork!

I found their beer delicious! Here are my beer notes:

• Hazy Not Lazy – a NE-style IPA. Not bitter but a flavorful juice bomb. Loved it! I’ll look for this in the stores – yum!!
• Blood Orange Blonde – A refreshing light tasting beer with lots of citrus flavors.
• Habanero Stout – Warning, warning, Will Robertson. This one is hot! Initially, it is a nice stout, then the heat starts building. Too much for a sissy like me.
• Gingerbread Red – A wintry red ale. I like anything with ginger, and this has plenty, as well as cinnamon. Easy drinking.
• All Gourd Out – It tastes like a nice pumpkin ale with some subtle holiday spices. Made with Butternut Squash.

Husband and wife, Jason and Cindy Mullikin have owned Mully’s for almost 5 years. Cindy handles the cold side. She was just recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Brewers Association of Maryland. We did not see her at the brewery but had met her at the Reform on Tap Act of 2018 in November. Neither Jason nor Cindy had commercial brewing experience before Mully’s, but both are graduates of the World Brewing Academy of Chicago. Prior to starting the brewery, Jason worked for Verizon and had a bushy beard to keep warm during all the outdoor work. Unlike other brewers, he didn’t need to grow a beard for the profession, he already had one –  it just needed to be trimmed.

Jason is an engaging man excited about his brewery and making beer. Jason gave us a tour of his 15-barrel brewery. They have been making beer at this location since 2013. As they advertise, they are the first production brewery in Calvert County.

We did not plan to stay long, but Jason’s description of the wood-fired pizza changed our plans. And we were lucky we did. The pizza was amazing. Also, the Friday night crowd started to fill up the place. The energy on this snowy night was fun and electric. An old friend, Austin, who used to work at Red: Wine Beer & Spirits in Clarksville happened to be there and stopped by for a chat.

Self-described beer nerds, Cindy and Jason have successfully introduced Calvert County to craft beer. If you make it to Southern Maryland, make a point of stopping by Mully’s and see what all the fuss is about. It is an experience you don’t want to miss.

Cheers!

Warren