Ben Franklin is often misquoted as saying, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” While there’s no evidence he actually said those words, the sentiment rings true for millions of beer drinkers. And for those in Bel Air, AleCraft’s new storefront on North Bond Street is great news.
A paradise for home-brewers, AleCraft opened a storefront on Office Street in September 2013 before moving to larger quarters on Bond Street this month. The expanded store has an indoor brewing setup and sells everything needed to brew your own beer.
AleCraft Beer-making kits and ingredients on display at AleCraft, a home-brewing supply store on Office Street in Bel Air. The store is moving to a larger location on Bond Street in March 2015. (Brian Krista / Baltimore Sun Media Group)
“We’d been home-brewing for seven or eight years, and in 2010 we started growing our own hops,” says Brad Streett, who co-owns AleCraft with his wife, Eryn.
From growing their own ingredients, the couple developed the idea of opening a shop to help other home-brewers in the area.