USA, MD: Hysteria Brewing Company plans to open brewery and taproom on July 1
The slogan for Columbia’s newest beer producer, Hysteria Brewing Company, is “The Mad Pursuit.” It’s an homage, according to marketing director Zachary Michel, to “the mad scientists who are constantly driving forward to discover something”, the Baltimore Sun reported on June 14
Variety and experimentation are two driving forces for Hysteria, whose brews have been sold only at beer festivals in Central Maryland for the past month and a half.
That changes at noon July 1, when Hysteria plans to open its brewery and taproom to the public at 9570 Berger Road, said Michel.
Hysteria’s owners are Richard Gue and two silent partners, Geoff Lopes and Jordan Baney, said Michel. The three friends began working together in 2011, when they launched the Vaper’s Knoll, a Columbia-based e-cigarette flavor company. They were also homebrewers, so when it came time to try a new business, it wasn’t hard to decide, said Michel, who is also an assistant brewer at Hysteria.
“It’s one of those ideas you have in the back of your head whenever you brew your first batch of good beer,” said Michel, a Bel Air native.
The taproom, which will seat 85 to 100 people, will feature 11 taps of Hysteria beers and a house-made nitro coffee. The 10,000-square-foot building has an open-design plan so visitors can watch the production process without walls or windows in the way.
“You can see, smell and hear all of the operations,” he said. “That feeds back to us wanting our customers to be a part of what’s going on and be connected to it.”
Hysteria is still finalizing which beers they’ll debut with, but expect a range of India Pale Ales, from the hazier New England style to crisp West Coast-influenced iterations. In its first year, Hysteria will be able to produce up to 2,400 barrels of beer, Michel said.
Michel is particularly excited about the 25th Hour, an imperial milk stout made with locally roasted coffee, and Wicked Hands, a sour ale fermented with Belgian-Tripel yeast and sour cherries.
“What we want to do, overall, is balance. We want to be taking risks and putting out things you don’t normally see from a lot of craft breweries,” Michel said. “But we always want the beer to something you can drink more than one of.”
Hysteria plans to can its core line of beers, and to eventually bottle limited releases. The taproom will fill growlers and has a crowler machine, Michel said.
While the six-person operation is focused on opening its doors, Michel said the company is mindful of the long term, and what it will take to become a staple of the Columbia community. The taproom will play sports on its TVs, but Hysteria’s atmosphere will be centered on community interaction, Michel said.
“This is not going to be a sports bar,” he said. “We want it to be a place where you can meet or make friends, make connections and have a conversation.”
Aside from the usual bar space and community tables, the taproom will feature a library, board games and multiple couches. There are plans to create a take-a-book/leave-a-book program, a bike rack and a vestibule with a community bulletin board, Michel said. To accommodate non-beer drinkers, Hysteria hopes to eventually offer house-made ciders and non-alcoholic sodas.
Another goal of Hysteria’s is to address the “fairly homogeneous” craft-beer community, Michel said. Still figuring out the best ways to address the issue, he said Hysteria is brainstorming programs and events that will aim to appeal to different groups.
“Demographically, it’s basically all young white guys as a majority,” Michel said. “We recognize that as [mostly] young white guys ... the need to be mindful and seeing how we can be more inclusive.”
Hysteria Brewing Company will be open noon-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday in July, with plans to expand operating hours after the first month.
15 June, 2017
