From left to right: Krissi Humbard, Matt Humbard, Matthew Geist and Lauren Geist. Photo courtesy of Patent Brewing Co.
The Route 1 corridor’s already dynamic local brewing and distilling scene could soon see another addition: Patent Brewing Co.
Co-founded by microbiologist-turned-brewer Matt Humbard, Patent Brewing will take an unusual approach to beer-making, buying wort from other breweries to ferment.
Humbard, a Hyattsville resident who oversaw brewing at the now-defunct Handsome Beer Co., said this gives the new brewery several advantages: there’s no need to buy and install certain expensive equipment, allowing it to open more quickly and cheaply. Plus, he said, it’s simply not necessary.
“There are plenty of insanely competent brewers in the area working on state of the art systems,” he told the Hyattsville Wire. “They can produce wort to any specification needed. Wort making is manufacturing. The art and execution of beer making is in the recipe design, fermentation, blending, and packaging.”
And that’s where Patent Brewing will spend more of its time and money. Humbard plans to brew everything from traditional German lagers such as pilsners and märzen to newer American styles such as IPAs and traditional Belgian beers such as dubbels.
“Our line up of beers will be changing all the time,” he said. “That’s not to say there won’t be repeats or regular offerings. At Patent, you can expect to find something new, something different, something good to drink.”
Humbard and his co-founders — his wife, Krissi; and Lauren and Matt Geist of Fort Washington — are currently looking for a space for Patent Brewing. So far, he said they’ve looked at a dozen spots along Route 1, though they are leaving open the possibility that they would go farther out.
One thing they’re looking for in the location is to make it a good place to learn.
“At Patent Brewing we are going to show you and tell you how we made the beer and sell that beer,” he said. “We want Patent to be a place where people can experience experimentation and innovation in the brewing industry. We have plans to hold classes on hops, brewing, yeast care, we want to make a place where people who want to know more about beer can meet with experts in the field and understand the history, art, and science of brewing beer.”
