Annapolis Home Brew Provides Tools For A New Kind Of Hobby

If the idea of brewing your own beer, wine, cider or some other fermented beverage seems like something you’d never be able to do from your own home, think again. Annapolis Home Brew, now under new ownership, has everything a hobbyist winemaker or beer brewer might need.

The new president, Shawn Dann, and store manager, Steve Bolton, were customers of Annapolis Home Brew for many years, but when they learned that the previous owners planned to close up shop to move on and start their own brewery on the Eastern Shore, the pair inquired about buying it. Dann rallied a group of interested friends and they moved forward. The team today includes a couple of engineers, a business professional, two retired professionals, a glass artist and a landscape artist – all of whom are interested in making this hobby accessible to residents of Severna Park and surrounding areas.

“Our wide selection of quality ingredients and equipment is ideal to help those just starting out in the hobby as well as the seasoned brewers and winemakers,” said Leslie Brown, the company’s vice president.

Annapolis Home Brew, which Brown described as a unique combination of hobby store and specialty supermarket, carries almost 100 exclusive beer recipes sold as beer-making kits, and each recipe can be tailored to the experience level of beginner, intermediate or more serious brewers. Customers can talk with the employees to learn and improve their craft, and people travel from as far as Baltimore, Calvert and Howard counties, as well as the Eastern Shore and Northern Virginia. Once Annapolis Home Brew launches its new website this month, it will be able to serve people nationwide.

Annapolis Home Brew has been in business for 20 years, having been originally founded by Brooks and Jesse McNew. Severna Park proved to be a great location because, as Brown described, people tend to be creative and social – so a creative and social hobby like making beverages is a perfect fit. The team even prides itself on keeping a child-friendly and dog-friendly store, so busy guests can stop by no matter what their other errands are that day.

“Since we offer unique items, people come from all over the region to shop with us and the store feels like its own community,” Brown said. “It is a place that fellow home brewers and winemakers like to hang out and talk about what they are making and techniques.”

Annapolis Home Brew is located at 836 Ritchie Highway, Suite 19, and can be found online at www.annapolishomebrew.com. For more information, call 410-975-0930.