“In 1995, the roof of the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland was removed and a brewhouse lowered in, handcrafting fine ales and lagers under the name of Fordham Brewing. Named in honor of Benjamin Fordham, who was given a charter in 1703 by Queen Anne to establish a brewery in the heart of the bustling port city. It didn’t take long for the new brewery to rekindle the city’s old tradition into a passionate following among locals for its artisanal beers. As Fordham’s reputation spread throughout the Chesapeake region, the brewery made the decision to relocate to Dover, Delaware in 2003, where they had room to expand. In what has become known as the Craft Beer Revolution, the year 1989 stands out as a landmark moment when the Old Dominion Brewing Co. established a brewpub operation in Ashburn, Virginia. The small brewpub quickly became a production brewery that was named one of the Top 50 breweries in the U.S. The brewery cultivated a community, in which many discovered the joy and wonder of craft beer, inspiring many of the company’s brewers to start successful breweries of their own.
Dave Benfield, the grand poo-bah of DuClaw Brewing Company, Brewmaster Jim Wagner are the masterminds behind our amazing array of craft brewed beers. Through constant innovation and testing of new recipes, combinations and ingredients, the pair have brewed more than 35 unique beers and countless variations and blends.Having outgrown their original brewing facility in Bel Air, and our 2nd brewery in Abingdon, MD, DuClaw Brewing Company is now housed in a large, state of the art facility on the outskirts of Ball’mer, dedicated to keeping up with the growing demand for their ever-expanding lineup of beers. The rest of the DuClaw Brewing Company staff, from Creative to Distribution, works together with Dave and Jim from the conception of the name to the branding and product launch, to create a unique image and identity for each and every new beer, with Dave’s original mantra still the only guiding principal: Make it cool.
