Valhalla just recently opened its doors a few months ago in Elkton, MD. This brewery may be the first in its town but it's the third in the county. Valhalla being the single brewery in town only lasted for a short period of time. Elk River Brewing Co. has opened for business very recently. And soon enough, Maryland Brewing Company will be welcoming guests as well, leaving Elkton with three microbreweries!
Valhalla was founded by Kevin Taylor and Tim Muhlmichl. When they decided to open a brewery, they realized it needed a bad-ass name, and well... Valhalla! According to Norse mythology, it's where brave warriors go to drink after they die in battle. They did a creative job tying that into the theme of the brewery.
Christian and I visited Valhalla last month. We figured parking on a weekend would be rough but we didn't think it would be THAT bad. There is a very very limited number of parking spots and obviously, they were all taken. We ended up having to park in the lot of another place down the block. The location however, wasn't terrible. It was in a cool area with a field across the street.
Before we went to Valhalla, we had friends and family tell us about the food here. They have a full pub style menu. We were advised to try the wings or pizza! Christian and I already had plans to eat somewhere else so we skipped out on food -- until next time. The menu is very fitting for the sports bar/pub vibe the brewery gives off. They even have a kids menu which gave me the impression they are family friendly.
We walked in and the place was pretty crowded. Luckily, we were able to snag two seats at the bar. The brewery was small but offered plenty of seating. We were sitting down for quite some time before we were acknowledged by any of the bartenders, which was a little disappointing. They took the orders of the people to the left of us and to the right of us and it felt as though we were invisible for awhile. Eventually we were noticed and after you get the bartenders attention, they end up talking and engaging with you.
They had a very small section of beer on tap but that's normal for a brewery that's just opened. Three of the beers were made right there at Valhalla! They also carried a mead from Liquid Alchemy Beverages -- a different brewery nearby that I have already written about). Christian and I ordered a flight that consisted of their three beers. Our fourth beer was Tröegs. The beers that were brewed at Valhalla were: White IPA, Chocolate Porter, and Chocolate Pumpkin Porter. I'm not a Porter or IPA girl so I wasn't the largest fan of their beer selection. However, I did enjoy their White IPA -- surprisingly!!
While we were sampling our different beers, Christian had struck up a conversation which the guy next to us. They ended up talking about Treehouse Brewing, which Christian and I had just visited the month prior). Treehouse is located in Massachusetts so it's not everyday you run into someone in DE/MD that have been there as well! I enjoy getting to know the other costumers in the brewery and the stories that they have to tell. Being at a brewery makes you feel like you are a part of a community.
That being said, here is my rating:
Atmosphere - ★★★★ - I really enjoyed the atmosphere here at Valhalla. There were people we knew here, friendly customers to talk to, and the overall sense of community.
Beer - ★★★ - The beer was decent. I only enjoyed 1 out of their 3 so I definitely took Christian's consideration as well.
Employees - ★★★ - The employees didn't give a great first impression but the longer we were there the more we got to know them and were able to talk and interact with them.
Location - ★★★ - I liked the location of the brewery itself. It's on a decent spot of land on back roads, with a little field across the street. But, parking was absolutely terrible -- horrible enough to make me second guess myself whenever I want to go back there.
Social Media - ★★★ - Valhalla uses their social media platforms decently. However, their website could definitely need some help.
Total: 3.2 STARS!
Cheers!!
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