| Franklin’s Restaurant Brewery & General Store 5123 Baltimore Ave | Hyattsville, Maryland 20781 (301) 927-2740 www.franklinsbrewery.com |
Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery and General Store opened in 1992 in historic Hyattsville, Maryland in a landmark building built in the 1880’s as a blacksmith and carriage shop. The building housed the Hyattsville Hardware Company from 1910 to 1992. When Franklin’s opened in 1992, they offered a unique experience, combining great food and beer with practical and offbeat shopping. Franklin’s brewpub was added in 2002, at which time they also expanded the store.
On the main floor of the building, Franklins quirky general store sells a variety of wine, beer, toys, games, gifts, jewelry, cards, candy, stocking stuffers and more. Using many of the fixtures from the hardware store, they sell “necessities” like penny candy, rubber chickens, chocolate body paint, and hot sauce. The retail space will expand later this year, offering even more unique items. On Thursday evenings from 4 PM to close they also offer wine tastings.
In the back of the general store, there is a small, but great selection of craft beers to go. There is a small fridge featuring beers brewed on site to go, most of which are not available on tap in the brewpub. I picked up a bottle of Bustin’ Loose, a 9.0% ABV barrel aged “funk” beer aged two years in a red wine Bordeaux barrels with brettanomyces. I also snagged the last bottle of Maine Beer Company’s Lunch. If you like their Facebook page, they often post pictures of new beers and wine at the store.
The brewpub area is located on two floors. There is a small bar downstairs, but the larger bar (which also offers happy hour deals) is located upstairs. This bar is also located next to the brewing equipment. We sat upstairs and checked out the list of beers on tap:
- Bombshell Blonde – 4.5% ABV lightly hopped blonde ale brewed with Pilsner malt.
- Rubber Chicken Red – 5.0% ABV amber all with a toasty malt character and subtle sweetness.
- Twisted Turtle Pale Ale – 5.5% ABV English inspired pale ale brewed with British malts and Kent Golding hops.
- Private IPA – 6.5% ABV India Pale Ale brewed and dry hopped with Columbus and Amarillo hops.
- A Modest ProposALE – 4.5% ABV Irish-style stout with notes of coffee from roasted barley.
- Once Upon A Train – 5.8% ABV English porter brewed with Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops balanced by chocolate and roasted malts.
- Hefeweizen – 5.0% ABV unfiltered Southern German-style wheat beer brewed with Bavarian yeast.
- Guardian Angel – 7.3% ABV French-style Biere de Garde lagered for six weeks.
- Mic Czech – 5.0% ABV classic European lager brewed with Pilsner malt and Saaz hops from the Czech Repulblic.
- Eight Miles High – 8.0% ABV double IPA brewed with Falconer’s Flight hops, giving citrus, pine, and herbal notes.
- 97 Pound Weakling – 10.0% ABV American wheat wine aged for 3 months.
Charles Noll was Franklin’s first and only brewer up until 2010 when he returned to upstate New York. Mike Roy, a New Hampshire native, took over the position. Mike had been brewing and bottling at a Boston area brewpub chain prior to joining Franklin’s.
The menu at Franklin’s also offers a variety of tasty meals. Some unique pizzas include Thai Pie (Thai peanut sauce, Grande pizza cheese, smoked chicken, peanuts, cilantro, and bean sprouts) and South By Southwest (Grande pizza cheese, cheddar cheese, smoked chicken, roasted red peppers, red onion, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime).
Some tasty sandwiches include Holy Frijoles V2.0 (house-made black bean patty with oats, onion, roasted garlic, cumin, coriander, and flax seed topped with avocado, queso fresca, crema, pickled jalapenos, lettuce and tomato) and The Big Enos (Pimento cheeseburger, fried green tomato, Creole remoulade, and bacon).
They also offer big bowls of pasta and entrees like Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Fish & Chips, Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf, Roseda Farms NY Strip Steak, Grilled Hanger Steak, Pulled Pork Platter, and St. Louis Style Spare Ribs.
If you’re looking for a tasty meal, a pint of hand-crafted beer, or a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, definitely check out Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery, and General Store.
