It’s a serious Maryland staple. We coat our crabs in it, we dust our wings with it, and we even spread it on our corn. We “Marylander’s” love our Old Bay, so we sure were thrilled to learn that one of our own Maryland breweries had done the unthinkable by adding our beloved spice to another Maryland staple… craft beer. Best of both worlds? We think so.
Flying Dog Brewery, located in Frederick, MD, started experimenting with brewing Old Bay with their beers over two years ago. At the time they released a Gose, which is an ancient German sour beer brewed with salt. They tested this as a small-batch limited release and it did well. This time, instead of brewing with straight sea salt, Flying Dog incorporated Old Bay. Enter- Dead Rise.
Flying Dog approached Old Bay with a lighter, more refreshing, and easier drinking concept which is the current recipe for their Dead Rise beer. “It was the perfect way to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the iconic spice. From there, we couldn’t not release it during crabbing season,” said Erin Weston, Director of Communications at Flying Dog Brewery.
This side of the Bay Bridge, we have definitely jumped on board of this Old Bay train. Over 92 of the restaurants/bars and stores carry this product all the way from Ocean City to Cambridge and up and down the Delaware Shore. Some of these businesses in OC include Pickles Pub, 45th Street Tap House, Fish Tales, Pizza Tugos, Hooked and Liquid Assets, just to name a few.
Right now, Dead Rise is a one-time release and will be available through September. At the rate its popularity is going though, we have no doubt that we will see this brew again. “Time will tell if it will make an appearance next summer,” said Weston. The responses have been astounding and the locals are loving it too. “People have dubbed it “Maryland in a bottle”. The response to it has been excellent, from the Old Bay-obsessed to people who were a little weary about Old Bay in a beer,” continued Weston. It seems that the fans are not only Maryland natives but tourists who visit and want to take it home with them. “The reason for that is because the beer is a perfect balance between the distinct spice and light and refreshing citrus, notably lemon, notes.”
The name “Dead Rise” comes from a boat built specifically to navigate the waters of the Chesapeake, which are known to go from deep and choppy to shallow and calm very quickly. The bow of the boat is a deep “V” shape, but the hull flattens out, making it more navigable.
What’s even better is that a portion of the proceeds from Dead Rise benefit the True Blue Program, which advocates on behalf of the 5,500 watermen working on the Chesapeake Bay. So you’re drinking some seriously delicious beer and helping out our local fishermen. We’re hoping to see it again next summer!
To find where they are carrying Dead Rise in your area go to:
