More than 50 specialty beers are coming to Max’s Taphouse August 14-16. We stopped by for the inside scoop on what Maryland breweries are bringing to the bar.
If hops are your thing, this is a great weekend to be at Max’s. IPAs, double IPAs and triple IPAs take over the taps, with five-ounce pours making it easy to try something weird, compare a few beers or find a new favorite.
And this is Max’s, so the choices don’t end with Hopfest. There are 115 rotating draft lines and more than 1,000 bottles and cans to work through, which General Manager Jason Scheerer describes a little differently.
“It’s a beer library,” he says.
With that much beer to choose from, we asked Jason to break down what he’s bringing in from Maryland makers and why he’s excited to put it in front of customers.
“I don’t like getting the beers that everybody’s had in the past,” he says. “I like to see something crazy.” He encourages Maryland breweries to bring him the experiments, too. “If you’re doing a small-batch experimental, anything that you want to try out, anything, I’m willing to put it on.”
That curiosity shows up all over the Hopfest list. Peabody Heights Brewery is bringing High And Dry Hopped, a Hefeweizen they double dry hopped. “It came out surprisingly hoppier than I thought it was going to be.”
With Union Craft Brewing, Jason actually asked them to make three cask versions of Duckpin Pale Ale, featuring Amarillo, Chinook and Mandarina Bavaria hops. “Every hop is different and will give you a different flavor,” he says. Putting all three on gives people a chance to “taste and compare.”
Other beers find their way to Max’s more organically. Jason discovered Burnish Beer Co. while in Salisbury for his son’s baseball tournament. It was 95 degrees, the brewery was nearby, and he took some of the other parents over for a beer. Their Grapefruit Shine stood out. “It’s just easygoing. Just enough grapefruit just to make it refreshing enough,” he says. His reaction: “That needs to come to Hopfest.”
Sometimes the name gets you in the door. Crooked Crab Brewing Company is bringing Juicenado, a hazy double IPA that did exactly that for Jason. “People don’t realize that naming your beer means a lot,” he says. “Juicenado has a great name. It’s a great beer. When the beer matches their excitement for the name, it’s a win-win.”
Berlin Beer Company, Evolution Craft Brewing and Pherm Brewing Company round out the Maryland breweries on the Hopfest list, alongside beers from around the country. For Jason, the locals have earned their place. “They can compete with a lot of other states when it comes to beer. They really can.”
There’s plenty of room to find out for yourself. Compare the Duckpins. Try something you’ve never heard of. Ask what’s local.
Max’s Hopfest 2026
August 14–16, 2026 | Max’s Taphouse, 737 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD
Doors open daily at 11:30 a.m. Admission is free, 21+. Hopfest beers are available in 5-ounce, 10-ounce and 14-ounce pours.
See the full Hopfest event details and latest beer lineup at https://maxs.com/hopfest-2026/
Every ticket and T-shirt helps support the Brewers Association of Maryland and our work to promote and strengthen Maryland craft beer.
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