With the current trend to eat and shop locally taking center stage on the Eastern Shore, artisan businesses are abounding. One such business is the brewery. Perhaps showcasing our area’s love for beer, the local brewery also allows entrepreneurial creatives an outlet to experiment with flavors and styles to produce something their neighbors can enjoy. More people in this area are coming to appreciate the intricacies of the craft, welcoming what each brewery has to offer. I had the pleasure of recently visiting one of the newest additions to this list, Tall Tales Brewing Company.

Tall Tales in located only a few feet from Route 50, at the Forest Grove Road intersection, in Parsonsburg, MD. The inspiration for the Brewery is found in folk lore that has been passed down through the ages. Calamity Jane, Paul Bunyan, Red Headed Step Child, Annie Oakley- each beer is inspired by real or fictitious noteworthy people. These stories are rich in tradition but stand out because of something unique or extraordinary. These sound like good qualities for beer and so far I have not been disappointed.
Sacrificing nothing in the style department, the building is welcoming and classy. The brewery shares a structure with Blue Heron Landscaping. You can almost smell the ‘new car smell’ but still feel as though you can throw your feet up on a coffee table in their lounge area. The bar is to the left where we were greeted by the incredibly friendly staff. You definitely get the feeling that the employees are more like family. This seems to be a running theme at breweries in general.
Brewing beer is an incredible commitment and requires a certain dedication and passion to make it work. This passion is likely what draws in customers or “followers” and is evident at Tall Tales. Like artwork, this is an amazingly personal craft. The beers are available in $2 tasting glasses. One exception to this is their once-a-month “Pint Nights” where you can get your favorite tastes by the pint. My favorite beer was the John Henry. A delicious stout; it is dark but not heavy. The bar offers some of their mainline beers but also features new small batch brews. These are only available in the tasting room and allow for experimentation. This is something fun and ensures a new beer to try every trip.
Tall Tales also serves food on the weekends and is in the process of expanding their kitchen hours. I was told that they want to keep the menu small (so as to remain a brewery that serves food) not a restaurant that serves beer. The small of amount of food items that they do offer, they do well. Brick oven pizza, wings, salad, and crab dip are perfect brewery offerings. All of the sauces are made in-house from scratch and do not include any artificial flavorings. So strong are these commitments that only soda from Mexico is sourced to remain consistent with this theme.
Vegetarian and vegan options are also available. The brewery features live music every weekend making it a perfect spot to hang out with friends. They close at 9 so you can even bring the kids for lunch or dinner. Plans to expand the outside area for the spring and summer are in the works. I already want to relax with a beer at the existing fire pits and water feature so I’m sure whatever they come up with will be just as cozy.
Come check out Tall Tales Brewing Company; hopefully making Parsonsburg a destination, not just a town you pass through on the way to Salisbury! Support local businesses and eat and drink locally.
For more information, visit the Tall Tales Brewing Company on the web or on Facebook.