Silver Branch Brewing Co., a brewery and taproom in downtown Silver Spring, is planning to open a location in Rockville, according to co-founder Christian Layke.
The brewery, Rockville Beerworks, is slated to open at 7301 Calhoun Place in the spring of 2025.
Silver Branch, known for brews including its Glass Castle Pilsner, Dr. Juicy IPA and Cloud Nine Wheat Ale, announced the news about its new location on social media Friday afternoon.
“We’ve been brewing in Silver Spring since we opened [in 2019] and it’s just gotten to be that space is too small for the amount of beer that we are trying to brew now,” Layke told MoCo360 Monday. The Silver Spring brewery and taproom is at 8401 Colesville Road.
He said the new location, the former home of True Respite Brewing Co., is “better designed and situated” for beer production. True Respite closed in September 2023, according to a Facebook post from the company.
The opening of a Rockville brewery and taproom continues the brewery’s expansion. In September 2023, Silver Branch opened a brewery and taproom in Warrenton, Virginia, and had been looking for a new space for its brewing operations “for a while,” Layke said.
Once open, the Rockville location will be the home to the company’s primary beer production operation, according to Layke. Rockville Beerworks will also have a taproom and an outdoor dining area.
Layke said the Silver Spring location plans to use the additional space resulting from the removal of its brewing equipment to add a new kitchen and host events, such as watch parties for the World Cup, wedding receptions and birthday parties.
“We want to just be able to host slightly larger groups, or host groups without having to close down the rest of the taproom,” Layke said.
Silver Branch also plans to expand its pizza brand, Mosaic Pizza, to the Silver Spring and Rockville locations, Layke said. The Warrenton location currently serves Mosaic Pizza.
Crowdfunding the expansion
Silver Branch is crowdfunding its expansion, according to the company. So far, 130 people have invested more than $152,000 into Silver Branch’s expansion by purchasing shares of the company, according to the crowdfunding website.
By putting in $500, investors can claim a part in helping the local brewery expand and open a new location in Rockville, Layke said.
“Traditional funding methods can lack the personal connection that comes from having our biggest fans directly involved in our growth,” the company said in a Monday blog post. “By choosing crowdfunding, we’re not just raising capital — we’re growing our network of advocates and ambassadors who share our passion.”
Silver Branch also hopes to raise $300,000 to make streetscape enhancements at the brewery’s Warrenton location; and another $500,000 to make brewery improvements and to purchase food trucks for Mosaic Pizza and to serve beer.
Layke said Silver Branch is applying for a small business administration loan. “But those take a long time to get through approval on everything,” he noted.
“The important thing about the equity raise is that, unlike crowdfunding fundraisers, it’s not debt-based. They’re actually buying a little piece of Silver Branch, buying actual shares,” Layke said.
In an email to MoCo360 Layke explained that new shareholders will get to join in on “shareholder celebrations,” with an upcoming event on Nov. 16. In addition, “larger investors” who own more than 200 shares, will receive two free six-packs a month and a discount when visiting Silver Branch locations, according to Layke.
“Based on comments on the [crowdfunding] site, the intangible benefit of knowing that their investment is helping a local company to expand and thrive is a strong motivator for many investors,” Layke wrote.
Hope for a spring 2025 opening
“In terms of Rockville right now, additional resources just help us move a lot faster,” Layke said. “But yeah, the ball is already rolling on this deal. It’s definitely going to go forward at this point.”
While Silver Branch aims to open the Rockville location in March or April 2025, Layke noted that applying for permits and construction could delay opening until the summer of 2025.
