Annapolis brewpub sails off into the sunset

Word is out that Bill Muehlhauser, hard on the heels of his agreeing to a partnership with Anheuser-Busch, is ceasing brewing operations at his Annapolis, Maryland brewpub - Ram's Head - while keeping open and expanding the music club itself.

News of stopping the on-site brewing comes just two months after Mr. Muehlhauser announced a partnership with Anheuser-Busch. The local brewer and the beer giant created the Coastal Brewing Co., which joined Fordham Brewing's beers with Anheuser-Busch for marketing and distribution along the Eastern Seaboard.

In a March interview, Mr. Muehlhauser, now also managing partner for Coastal, told The Capital that the small microbrewery in Rams Head would continue operating under Fordham, "making the same beers that it's always made."

The Rams Head Tavern was not part of the Coastal deal, but as a result customers will now be able to order Old Dominion beers at each of the six Rams Head locations and can expect to see an increased presence of the Fordham brand in Maryland, Virginia and Washington. D.C.

My opinions of the Fordham Brewpub beers have waxed and waned over the years. I think the quality of the beers reached its zenith under Ohio and Maryland craft beer pioneer Allen Young and his immediate successor at the pub.

The equipment is a gorgeous Beraplan system; it was initially installed at the pub in part to serve as a showcase here in the US for the German manufacturer. (Ahh, if I only had the funds ...!)