Barley and Hops Grill & Micro-Brewery

 

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Guy S.

Frederick, MD

Decent food and service. But the best things about this place though are the the lack of wait time no matter when you go and the smoke-free atmosphere.  They also have a nice outside seating area with a large awning, too bad your overlooking 355 and the Target parking lot. But hey it's a good place to grub on a nice night. Be prepared to languish for a little while if you eat outside though. Not sure if the wait staff also have inside tables when they serve the patio, but they seem to disappear for a a while.

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Patrick S.

Frederick, MD

If you are familiar with Frederick, you probably know Brewer's Alley as the top micro-brewery in Frederick. But not far away, within view of FSK mall is Barley and Hops. Not quite as well known, but in this reviewers opinion...the best place in Frederick for a tall beer.

If you are looking for good beer, Barley and hops provides several hand crafted beers in a variety of styles. From pale ale, lager, nut brown, red, and stout...they are sure to have something that will fit your taste. In addition to these year-round classic, they always have a seasonal beer on tap. You can often find a "guest" beer as well, which is typically an award winning beer that may not be well known amongst the average beer drinkers (such as Dogfish Head). Although neither is available year-round...I suggest either the DLB(Dirty Little Blonde) or the Hefe Weizen in the summer. The Tuscarora Red is also great.

If you are looking for more than a drink, Barley and Hops offers a large award winning menu. From finger foods for the game, to a great dinner...its hard not to leave satisfied. Not only does the food taste great, but most of the items on the menu have a slight twist to them...which offers a welcomed change when eating out.

The atmosphere is interesting as well. Allot of the decor around the bar is fashioned after that of a private bar located at the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Europe. The burlap sacks that are hung from the walls are the second half of the set (the first located in the Pilsner Urquell bar)...and are the only ones of its kind. Even the light fixture above the bar is a replica of what is found at the private bar in Europe. What also makes the atmosphere so great is the employees. Whether you need help deciding which beer is for you, or simply trying to make small talk...they are always friendly, and make you feel at home.

The best time of day to go is mid-afternoon. They tend to get crowded after 4, and you may have a hard time finding a place to sit (or even stand). If toiling in front of your computer, reading this review hasn't already convinced you...go try it yourself.

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Kelly F.

Brunswick, MD

I've been to Barley and Hops several times, mainly due to the very friendly kid policy they used to have- kids ate free with an adult meal purchase any day of the week.  That worked out really well, especially with an uber-picky kid like mine who won't eat her food half the time.  And they have great kids choices, including a "Make your own pizza" served on an artists pallette- the kids get the pizza crust unbaked with toppings in little ramekins- they can then customize to their hearts content. They have since changed this kids policy- I believe its now Thursdays (might be Tuesday) only, so the thrill is gone so to speak.

That's not to say their food or beer is bad- it isn't bad, not at all.  Its just with the plethora of restaurants in the Frederick area, and with Brewer's Alley so convenient downtown- why would I go out of my way to go to Barley and Hops?

I must say that the recent decor update is an improvement- that guy swinging from the rafters always weirded me out.

Update:

I ate there again last week (the daughter's request, natch), and once again, I wasn't thrilled, in fact, I would say I was downright dissapointed- I doubt I'll go back.  We decided on just appetizers, as nothing on the menu seemed both reasonable and inexpensive outside of those. We ordered calimari, which I usually love, but their's was tepid and chewy, and came with some sort of mayonnaise- in fact, it was so bland, it might have been straight from the Hellmann's jar.  We also ordered the Skins, which instead of the usual cheddar/bacon combo, they put BBQ pork on theirs, and as a dip they have BBQ sauce. Now, I have to give them something on the originality, but otherwise, it wasn't good.  The pork wouldn't stay on the potato, and all in all it was just heavy.  And to top it off, we gambled on the buffalo wings again, and were punished with bland, tasteless wings.  Sigh.  Even the kid didn't seem thrilled with her semi-burned and really tough chicken dinosaurs (straight from the freezer to the fryer- yum!).  Oh, and I almost forgot- the beer was marginal on this trip, surprisingly.  Usually its good, this time, not so much.

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