Baltimost: Union Collective

Union Collective

Union Craft Brewing’s current home base was a literal shell of itself in 2017–an empty, 138,000-square-foot Sears Roebuck warehouse that sat unused for decades.

A little over two years later, it can be challenging some weekends to even find a spot on Union Collective’s sprawling lot. Guests sometimes park up to the top of the sloping driveway from 41st Street, cramming in for events, concerts or just a seasonable day to enjoy a beer, a scoop from The Charmery, a whiskey tasting at Baltimore Spirits Company or something else. 

Union Collective counts those local makers as tenants, as well as Maryland-born rock-climbing gym chain Earth Treks, Vent Coffee Roasters and Well-Crafted Pizza Kitchen. A winery is now setting up shop. And there’s the brewery, of course. 

Union Craft co-founders Adam Benesch, Kevin Blodger and Jon Zerivitz sought a larger space when they relocated from down the street in Woodberry. And that’s just what they got, with a sprawling new tasting room, an expanded quality-control lab, a 60-barrel production system (tripling their production capacity) and more.

But they also wanted to champion Baltimore’s new generation of homegrown makers, giving them a dedicated hub to create and interact with customers. 

Zerivitz now sees their dream becoming a reality. 

“We’ve taken a derelict building that served no purpose to the community and made it a vibrant hub of activity–not only just for consumers to come and spend a few hours and spend the whole afternoon, but also for these small local businesses to flourish.” 

And there are still spots for future tenants to fill.

“We just feel like it’s just gonna keep growing and it’s still in its infancy. Its full potential hasn’t been realized yet.”

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