Welcome to RaR Brewing! Keeping it Local, Keeping it Reale.

RaR Brewing opened its doors in the summer of 2013 in downtown Cambridge, MD. Locals Chris Browhan and James Merryweather, buddies since high school, started their RaR adventures as home brewers and now are producing beers right there on Poplar Street where the old pool hall used to be. Browhan and Merryweather stay true to their Eastern Shore roots (their mission is ‘Reale Brew. Reale local.’ by the way) by sourcing many ingredients from local DelMarVa farmers. Much of the fruit, vegetable, and spice that they use to create their crafts are grown locally. Even their 3878 Belgian dark strong ale is made with molasses bought from a local producer. The names, flavors, and vibes of many of their brews are also nods to iconic images of the region. Bottom Feeder, a light crisp and earthy Blonde/Belgian, tips its hat to our beloved Blue Crab. The Nanticoke Nectar, a beautiful fruity, hoppy IPA is named in honor of Nanticoke Indian Tribe. Groove City, a German Style Hefeweizen, acknowledges Cambridge’s very own back-in-the-day nick name. And Bucktown Brown, a brown that features notes of caramel, coffee, and chocolate, pays homage to an old farming village located just outside of Cambridge.

Bartender pouring beer cocktail.
Beer Cocktail genius, Paul Dendorfer, has some very unique mixes up his sleeve, like the one currently in this infuser featuring Jack Daniels, peanuts, and Nap Town Brown.

Abracadabra! Mixology Magic at RaR

If you time your visit right, Paul Dendorfer, bartender extraordinaire will be behind the bar working his magic. Paul was brought in to the RaR family this past fall to do what he does best, mix drinks. Not the concoctions you’d expect at your everyday bar though. He’s using an infuser to create some amazing beer cocktails starting with RaR’s already delicious and interesting brews. He selects ingredients that will play well together and creates some memorable one-offs such as Nap Town Brown with Sour Patch kids and another customer favorite, Mine Layer Saison infused with orange peel. Currently, Paul is infusing Jack Daniels’ soaked peanuts into Nap Town Brown. This takes an already nutty and robust brew, deepens it, and then gives it a boozy character that is simply sublime. What happens to the peanuts after their job is done, you might ask? Let’s just say if a PB&J sandwich were to materialize, you’d have to show some ID.

RaR 32 ounce bottle.
RaR to Go: Fill up your growlers, oil cans, and this 32 ounce bottle with your favorite RaR craft. Or swing by for the newest to-go brew, the Northeast Nectar IPA can.

What Else is Going On at RaR?

So what else can you expect from your visit to RaR Brewing? Look for the Northeast Nectar IPA can release on January 23. At their RaRtunes event on January 30th, show up for ‘breakfast’ including donuts and, wait for it…their maple bacon bourbon stout.  But any day is a good day to visit RaR. Amazing art adorns the walls (see cover photo) and merch created by artist and bar manager BJ Wheatley. There’s also lots of friendly folks hanging out and happy to meet a new friend, and if you’re really lucky, a happy pooch, like my new buddy Sophie the English Lab, will make you feel especially welcomed as you settle into your bar stool to enjoy your RaR beer.

Cheers!

Kate Parkinson
Author: Kate Parkinson

Kate Parkinson currently resides in Salisbury, Maryland and is a come-here from another mecca of craft breweries, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She is a professional cook, a mom, keeps a zombie apocalypse go-bag, loves her cowgirl boots, and a big, interesting beer. She lives with her best guy, Skeeks the Australian Shepherd.

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