Although the Natty Boh man may be one of Baltimore’s favorite icons, his signature beer is actually made in Eden, North Carolina. The iconic American Brewery building sat in disrepair for years before its transformation… into non-profit offices. Baltimoreans may love drinking beer, but much of that beer is made nowhere near Charm City.
However, if J. Hollis Albert III, hopeful CEO of Charm City Brewing gets his way, the city will gain a new brewery in the near future — the city’s first brewery in North Baltimore, in fact. The planned site (401 E. 30th Street), a former ginger ale plant, is just a few blocks away from the Waverly farmer’s market.
The prospective brewery would make beer for two local companies: Baltimore-Washington Beer Works (they make Raven Beer) and Oliver Breweries (they own the Pratt Street Ale House). If all goes well, the Beer Works folks would open a microbrewery/restaurant in Highlandtown, where Haussner’s used to be.
Albert himself is a bit of a businessman-about-town: he used to own Baltimore Pho, ran a heating oil company, and was city fire commissioner under Kurt Schmoke. He’s got City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke on his side, though some Charles Village/Remington residents are nervous about smells and noise. One plus (or minus, depending on how you see things): no beer will be sold on the premises.
