Silver Branch Brewing Co. in Silver Spring is one of two Maryland producers of alcoholic beverages to produce a special product to help mark the 70th anniversary of the county’s Alcohol Beverage Services this month.
Silver Branch created a custom beer for ABS named “Together We Can—70th Anniversary Cold IPA” to highlight the expansion of county breweries supported by ABS in recent years.
In addition, Old Line Spirits in Baltimore created two custom whiskeys for the anniversary: “Pat’s Pick, American Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength Private Barrel” and the “Perennial Pick, American Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength Private Barrel.”
“For 70 years, ABS has served Montgomery County well, and over the past few years, has successfully refocused its efforts on improved customer service and efficiency,” County Executive Marc Elrich said in a press release. “ABS provides the county with millions of dollars in revenues that help fund government operations.”
ABS has its roots in 1933 at the end of Prohibition, when the county formed the Montgomery County Liquor Board to uphold alcohol laws.
The current department was launched on July 1, 1951, as the Department of Liquor Control. The department officially changed its name to Alcohol Beverage Services in 2019.
In 1951, net income was approximately $579,750 for the department’s liquor and beer divisions. In 2020, department net income was $30,816,091, a 50-fold increase, according to the release.
The anniversary products are now available in most ABS stores around the county. Silver Branch is located at 8401 Colesville Rd., #150.
Graphic courtesy Silver Branch Brewing