Riley’s Mill Ale Works - Serving Up Craft Brews In Chestertown

buildingdelmarva
Jun 1
3 min read

Riley's Mill Ale Works fully opened this Spring in Chestertown. I recently paid them a visit!

The brewery is a family affair - owned by local healthcare workers and first responders. I caught up with one of them, Alec and we talked about their success so far and plans for the future.

Riley's Mill Ale Works in Chestertown, MD

Riley's Mill Ale Works just recently celebrated their fifth month in operation. They are located at 860 High Street, in Chestertown. This is in the same parking lot as popular sushi restaurant Cafe Sado. They are still working on getting a sign out front, so for now it can be a bit hard to spot!

The building gives off a rustic feel, which gives it a lot of character to start with… and the team did an awesome job with the interior vibe.

The interior of Riley's Mill Ale Works has a cozy, rustic feel

Upon entering, you're greeted by a cozy bar area along with several tables. The ceilings are surprisingly high...maybe 20 feet or more. Wood beams and reclaimed wood finishes adds to the rustic charm. Four beer fermentation tanks are prominently displayed.

The inside of Riley's Mill Ale Works has high ceilings, bar seating for 6 and plenty of table seating

Brews

Right now, Riley's Mill Ale Works has five in-house beers on tap - Finn's Dry Irish Stout, River City Pilsner, McIntyer's Peated Scotch Ale, Murphy's Irish Red Ale and Treason Colonial Style Ale, which is listed at 5.25% ABV.

Alec informs me they also have a German Hefeweizen in the works. Hefeweizen is a traditional Bavarian wheat beer characterized by its hazy, unfiltered appearance and distinctive banana and clove flavors. It's a type of weissbier (German for "white beer") and is known for being crisp, effervescent, and very drinkable. Also, their next batch is going to include a Hazy IPA.

Currently, they have 10 taps in total. Six will be in-house beers mentioned above, one sour, one cider, a lager from Big Truck Brewery and a RAR Nanticoke Nectar IPA. The last two will be cycled out on a rotating basis.

They also have Miller, Yuengling, Natural Light, Coors Light, Michelob Ultra and Busch Light in cans available!

Grub

While they are still working towards a larger menu, customers can pick up a burger or dog and if you're lucky - a pit beef sandwich. Alec tells me the Pit Beef is as time allows, and is usually offered on the weekends. Bar food is in the works though!

Beer fermenters are displayed adjacent to the bar area

Entertainment

Riley's Mill Ale Works is featuring live music from local talent on Saturday's. They also have a trivia game on the first Thursday's of every month. Check their Facebook for updated information!

One thing deceiving about the inside...is that there's a whole other room around the corner!

Alec tells me that they are looking at expanding the use of this room to include options for rentals and other events. There's definitely room in here for 40-50 people.

Events board greets you upon entering Riley's Mill Ale Works

Mug Club

They also offer a Mug Club for repeat customers! For $100 a year, you can get 20oz pours for the price of a 16oz, $1 off beers on Monday's and early access to new beer releases! Plus, you get to keep the mug at the end of the year!