Brewing Buddies Establishing New Brewery In Aberdeen

ABERDEEN, MD — A new brewery will be opening next year in an old dry cleaner's shop, a labor of love for a trio of friends.

Watchtower Brewing Co. will be located on Howard Street. It is being launched by pals George Handlin, Joe Fino and Frank Young. Handlin and Fino are home brewers and met at a networking event almost a decade ago.

In fact, Fino created a 300-square-foot brewery in his home in order to hone his skills beforehand. It's a fully electric system that mirrors pilot systems many small breweries use. The members also are members of a local homebrew club, the Brewers Association of Maryland, The National Brewers Association and the MD Homebrew Guild.

"The community's been wanting something to anchor this side of the park for a while," Fino told WMAR. "The city wants to rehab some buildings down here and bring in new businesses and bring new life to downtown Aberdeen."

The brewers intend to convert the 3,000-square-foot space into their brewery complete with outdoor seating and a rooftop deck. The friends have been funding their start-up business with personal funds and loans, but anyone wanting to help support their endeavor can turn to an Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign they've launched.

Learn more about Watchtower Brewing Co. here.