BabyCat Brewery – Bethesda

BabyCat Brewery’s Bethesda taproom is the second location of the Kensington-based brewery and has its own kitchen. Founder Sam Mussomeli started out brewing at home, and the brewery takes its name from Alice, a small tuxedo cat who watched over his early batches from the kitchen doorway, back when he and his wife lived in an apartment on Battery Lane in Bethesda. The Bethesda taps have included hazy and double dry-hopped IPAs, German and Czech pilsners, a hefeweizen, a Vienna lager, a brown ale and a pumpkin ale, plus cider, wine and cocktails. The setting is deliberately casual. Guests can sit at the bar, order at the counter or order from staff, and the kitchen serves a full menu. The Bethesda location also has its own brewhouse, where a head brewer makes beers poured only at this taproom.