Franklins Brews Beer & Economic Recovery for Hyattsville, MD Given the ‘Founding Fathers’ theme in this month’s issue of Fermenting Revolution, it seems appropriate to profile a brewpub called Franklin’s. However, it’s not named after Ben, but after owner Mike Franklin. Mike is a bit of a founding father too though. People credit him with pioneering a community revitalization in Hyattsville, MD when he opened his combination brewery, restaurant, general store, deli at the corner of Baltimore and Rhode Island Avenues on Route 1. Franklin’s quickly became the local hang out, and as one review says, it’s a “restaurant where side-burned college students, families, and little old ladies of various races and creeds mingle so effortlessly.”

The General Store opened in 1992, converting a 100-year-old structure into a funky grab-bag shop with a deli in the back where locals immediately began to congregate. The place was such a hit that Franklin decided to build a shiny new brewpub next door.

"The little sandwich shop in the back of the store has been a kind of community place ever since we opened 10 years ago," Franklin says, "and so you could say that building the brewpub next to it was a response to having been frustrated at not having the room to do the kinds of things I wanted to do. My family and I live two blocks away," he says, "and I always wished there'd be a place like this for us to go hang out and eat."

The first time I visited was with a group of fellow homebrewers. We left our downtown D.C. offices early on a Friday afternoon and biked all the way to Hyattsville for an afternoon beer-drinking-lunch-gabfest. Arriving around 2pm, we were glad to be some of the only patrons in the upstairs bar area, looking forward to the extra staff attention that can accord. We ordered a sampler and asked if the brewer was around.

Noll Knows Beer
Charles Noll came out a few minutes later and welcomed us on a tour of the brew-works. We spent a good half hour or more chatting it up, and although we were grateful for the hospitality, we were also thirsty and had long since exhausted our first round. Charles was so enthralled in shop talk, I think he didn’t notice we were dry. But he made up for it by filling our homebrew club’s large custom swing-top growlers for the same price as their smaller house twist-off ones. A good impression was made all-round.

The food was a passable hodge-podge of brewpub fare mixed with eclectic international offerings. I recommend the beer-battered cod, or the over-stuffed sandwiches that made their deli famous in the first place. The homemade spicy beer mustard is also worth trying.

But it is the beers that shine most brightly. The rich ESB is a favorite, as is the Twisted Turtle Pale Ale. Noll’s signature brew, Anarchy Ale, is made differently with each incarnation and is usually one of his hoppiest offerings, heavy on the Cascade hops. One of their eight house beers is always available poured through a nitrogen system. This produces a smooth, creamy head, like the famous nitro-induced head on a pint of Guinness. Friday nights showcase a rotating house firkin of real ale – now that’s the stuff to try. But arrive early, or expect to wait for a seat. Franklins is crammed on weekends.

Creating Convivial Community
And it is this, a lively, friendly public space, that Franklins has contributed to what can otherwise be a fairly desolate post-urban stretch of road. Since the brewpub opened, an art gallery has also moved in next door, continuing what most locals view as a welcome facelift for downtown Hyattsville.

"I honestly feel that it has sparked interest in the area," said Hyattsville Council Vice President Paula Perry. "A lot of people go down there just to have a beer and socialize. It's a very nice atmosphere."

The brewpub that transformed Hyattsville is even becoming the envy of College Park, MD, home of the University of Maryland, which is just down the road a piece. So much so, that they are trying to attract a brewpub of their own.

The Good Beer Spill-Over Effect
College Park Mayor Steve Brayman commented that: "The right type of microbrewery could be an aid in economic development and also in bringing an attractive retail area. People have commented to me that the only thing wrong with Franklin's is it's not in College Park." He even went so far as to get the Maryland State Assembly to change legislation so as to allow brewpub licensing in College Park. Any takers?