Attaboy Beer new brewery in heart of Frederick, Maryland
You gotta love a story about unlikely romance, the optimism of the naive, the embrace of family, and, oh yeah, beer. Attaboy Beer is about all that, as well as tons of creativity. The new craft brewery is located right by Frederick's scenic Carroll Creek in the bustling downtown. Its taproom welcomes men, women - and toddlers. While not all imbibers may like legos with their lagers, it's a great spot for the rest to chill and hangout. And - from the looks of it - the few kids around on a late Saturday afternoon were well-behaved and not killing anyone's vibe. With a well-placed taco truck outside, visiting Attaboy to relax over some craft brews is a good move for a fun time with friends. Alternatively, you could fill a growler or crowler (32 ounce can) and take the good stuff home.
Founders Carly Fuller and Brian Ogden met on a blind date that was almost finished before it started when Brian took her to a chi chi rum bar that was an immediate turn-off to Carly. On the verge of defeat, Brian was going to leave for a gritty beer bar -- which immediately captured Carly's attention. Clearly the beer = love equation is working for this couple, who since got married, quit their day jobs, started this brewery, and had a baby!
Carly and Brian have a simple vision - they only brew beer that they'd like to drink. At a recent media tasting, Carly shared, "To brew a good beer you have to like it. We like to brew beer we'd want to drink on vacation." Those include seasonals, pales, and IPAs with hops that contribute more to aroma than bitterness.
Carly poured a round of samples for us, starting with Pure. The beer is 4.6 ABV with (as Carly said) a "crackery, clean, crisp taste from American yeast." Simple was next - exact same ingredients but with Belgium yeast giving it more heft.
Creek Life Citra was an extra pale ale with American yeast that I found delicious. As Carly poured, she shared some of their early optimism, "After two years of home brewing you think your beer is amazing." Creating a brewery had a lot more challenges than they would guess as home brewers, but so far the entrepreneurial couple is meeting them with aplomb, judging from the quality brews and the happy crowd in the casually hip taproom.
Next came Pina Fresca, a hoppy Saison/Belgium style and then Golden Fields, a 6.4% Saison which was nicely crisp and lemony. Our tasting ended with Fredhead Red, a red IPA that had coffee and malt notes. The Attaboy brewer is always experimenting and the rotating taps keep giving customers something new to try.
The branding of the new brewery is on point - a retro vibe label with big bold letters that convey the sense of fun of the owners themselves. And as for the name? Carly explained that she and her husband love the idea of getting up and doing what they love. Don't we all want to do our best and get a well-deserved Attaboy?
