1623 brewing

What 1623 brewing does

1623 Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery founded in February 2020 by Mike and Sandy McKelvin, operating from a single taproom at 5975 Exchange Drive, Suite L, Eldersburg, Maryland. The brewery produces a rotating lineup of craft beers that have earned recognition including a gold medal for Strobbery and a silver for Syrupstitious at the Maryland Craft Beer Competition, and it was named "Best Brewery" in Carroll's Best 2022. The business serves local Carroll County residents and visitors through on-site pours, flights, and packaged sales (canned and bottled to select retailers), with taproom pricing of $5.20-$8 per pour, $10 flights, $9-$14 cocktails, and $28-$54 wine bottles.

The taproom functions as a multi-product hospitality destination rather than a pure beer outlet. Food service is provided through a co-located partnership with Craft Culture (Liberatore's), eliminating the need for the brewery to operate its own kitchen. The beverage menu extends beyond beer to include cocktails and wine, and the venue hosts private events, sells merchandise, and runs online ordering through ToastTab. Charitable activity includes a partnership with Carroll Hospital, reinforcing the local community positioning. The business operates approximately 50-55 hours per week from a single location with a 1-10 person team.

The revenue model combines on-premise taproom sales (beer, cocktails, wine, food via Craft Culture, merchandise, private events), packaged retail sales through select retailers, and ancillary revenue from events. The brewery has pursued incremental product expansion with new releases such as Eat Your Tastebuds and Gone A'Rye, a seasonal holiday menu rollout in November 2025, and a partnership with Bear Branch Malt announced in October 2025. The overall operating model is a small, locally-rooted craft brewery whose competitive posture relies on award-winning product quality, community engagement, and a destination-style taproom experience rather than scale or distribution breadth.

Name

1623 brewing

Legal name

1623 Brewing Company, LLC

Website

https://1623brewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1623 Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery in Eldersburg, Maryland, serving local Carroll County consumers through a single taproom with craft beer, food via a partner kitchen, cocktails, wine, merchandise, and limited retail distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery & Taproom Hospitality

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Taproom beverages
• Craft cocktails
• Family-owned brewery
• Private event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Eldersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Taproom Beer Sales: Direct sales of craft beers to consumers at the taproom, including core beers, specialty beers, flights, and pints.
2. Craft Culture Food Service: Partnership with Liberatore's family to provide food service at the taproom, offering full food menu including tacos, burgers, flatbreads, and brunch items.
3. Bottled/Canned Beer Distribution: Distribution of packaged beers (cans) through a distributor network for retail purchase.
4. Cocktails and Wine: Sale of draught cocktails, curated wines, and hard seltzers at the taproom.
5. Merchandise: Sale of 1623 branded merchandise including shirts, hats, crowlers, glasses, and gift cards at the taproom.
6. Private Events: Hosting of private events with reduced weekday rates for group bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

1623 Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery and hospitality taproom that brews and serves a diverse portfolio of award-winning craft beers (Pilsners, IPAs, Hefeweizens, Stouts, Hazy IPAs, Light/Mexican Lagers, and seasonal/specialty releases), draught cocktails, hard seltzers, curated wines, and non-alcoholic beverages. It pairs its drinks with a full food menu delivered through the Craft Culture partnership with the Liberatore family, and offers merchandise, private event hosting, and weekly live entertainment at its Eldersburg, Maryland taproom.

Product overview

1623 Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery and taproom offering a diverse portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages alongside a full food menu through its Craft Culture partnership. The core product line includes seven flagship beers (Pilsner, IPA, Hefeweizen, Stout, Hazy IPA, Take Flite, and Nuestra Playa) complemented by rotating specialty beers and seasonal releases. The beverage program extends to draught cocktails, curated wines, hard seltzers, and craft mocktails. Food service is delivered through a collaboration with Liberatore's family (Craft Culture), providing complete dining alongside drinks. Additional offerings include merchandise and online ordering for pickup.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Beers Seven flagship beers brewed and served at the taproom: 1623 Pilsner (5.2% ABV), 1623 IPA (5.2% ABV), 1623 Hefeweizen (5.6% ABV), 1623 Stout (5.75% ABV), 1623 Hazy IPA (6.0% ABV), Take Flite American Light Lager (4.4% ABV), and Nuestra Playa Mexican Lager (6.0% ABV).
• Specialty Beers Seasonal and limited-release brews including Everything But The Pit (Peach Cream Ale), Gone A'Rye (Baltic Rye Porter), On Hop 9 (West Coast IPA), Hanami (Cherry Blossom Rice Lager, gluten-free), Udder Orbit (Milk Stout), and Eat Your Tastebuds (Double IPA).
• Cocktails & Seltzers Draught cocktails and hard seltzers including Seasonal Crush, Margarita, Water Hazard, Smoking Old Fashioned, Java Buzz Martini, Blackberry Bramble, Copper Cobbler, The Spritz, Bloody Mary, Sunny Side Up (House Mimosa), and Juice Box Seltzer (Mango Guava Hard Seltzer, 4.5% ABV).
• Wine Selection Curated wine offerings by the glass or bottle, including sparkling, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, non-alcoholic sparkling, Moscato, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet, and Toscana.
• Non-Alcoholic Beverages & Mocktails Non-alcoholic options including Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, sweet/unsweet tea, house-brewed lemonade, Shirley Temple, and craft mocktails such as Squeeze Play, Spritz Less, and Mim(no)sa.
• Merchandise 1623 Brewing branded merchandise including shirts, hats, crowlers, glasses, and gift cards available for purchase at the taproom.
• Private Event Hosting Taproom venue rental and full food and beverage service for private events and group bookings, with reduced weekday rates available.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• Bear Branch MaltstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Bear Branch Malt is a local maltster based in Westminster, MD. 1623 Brewing partnered with them for Craft Malt Month to brew Gone A'Rye, a Baltic Rye Porter, using Bear Branch's locally malted grains. This partnership supports local agriculture and showcases unique flavors from local sourcing.
• Craft Culture (Liberatore's)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraft Culture is a partnership between Liberatore's family and 1623 Brewing to deliver craft beer, craft cocktails, and craft food at the taproom. Liberatore's provides exceptional food and catering services, bringing perfect pairing of great flavors and great brews under one roof.
• Carroll Hospital and BridgingLifecoreOthers1623 Brewing Company supports Carroll Hospital and BridgingLife through charitable events including Pink Fling, Bands & Brews Music Festival, and Taste of Carroll, helping raise significant funds for the hospital.
• King TriviaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing Trivia provides trivia hosting services for 1623 Brewing's weekly Trivia Wednesdays and Music Bingo Thursdays events, enhancing entertainment offerings at the taproom.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Tröegs Independent Brewing: Independent, family-rooted craft brewery in Hershey, PA with taproom and broad distribution. Comparable mid-sized craft peer with a similar family/independent DNA and rotation of specialty/seasonal releases.
• Heavy Seas Beer: Baltimore-based craft brewery with taproom and broader Maryland distribution. Comparable as a Maryland craft brewery producing core and specialty beers for both taproom and packaged channels.
• Jailbreak Brewing Company: Laurel, MD craft brewery with taproom and packaged distribution. Comparable Maryland craft peer competing for similar shelf and tap accounts across the region.
• Flying Dog Brewery: Frederick, MD craft brewery producing a portfolio of core and seasonal beers with regional distribution. Directly comparable Maryland craft peer operating in the same geography.
• Union Craft Brewing: Baltimore-based craft brewery with a strong taproom and community-programming model. Comparable as a Maryland craft peer combining on-site experience with wholesale packaged distribution.
• DuClaw Brewing Company: Maryland-based craft brewery operating multiple taproom locations. Comparable as a Maryland craft peer with a multi-location taproom strategy and broad packaged presence.
• Pub Dog Brewing Company: Family-influenced craft brewery and taproom based in Westminster, MD — same Carroll County, MD market as 1623 Brewing. Directly comparable as a Maryland community-rooted brewpub serving similar local demographics.

Broad incumbents

• New Belgium Brewing: National craft brewery (Fort Collins, CO / Asheville, NC) with taprooms and broad portfolio. Comparable as a broader craft incumbent whose packaged and on-premise footprint illustrates the bar a regional craft player must clear to scale.
• Sierra Nevada Brewing: National craft brewery with taprooms and broad portfolio of core and specialty beers. Comparable as a broader craft incumbent benchmarking the kind of scale, brand, and distribution reach 1623 aspires to grow into.
• Dogfish Head Brewery: Large, established Mid-Atlantic craft brewery (Delaware) with extensive distribution and a taproom. Comparable as a broader regional craft incumbent whose portfolio and distribution scale set the competitive ceiling 1623 would need to differentiate against.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1623brewing
• Instagraminstagram.com/1623brewingco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1623-brewing-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 1623 brewing