MOUNT AIRY, Md. — What sounded like an explosion, turned into flames burning down Red Shedman Farm Brewery in Mount Airy.
It happened overnight Thursday, luckily while nobody was inside.
By the time Melissa Aellen arrived with her uncle, who co-owns the brewery, the taproom was destroyed.
“At that point, my uncle and I… it was pouring down rain… we just sat in his car and watched the building burn cause there’s nothing to do,” Melissa recalled.
Red Shedman sat next to its sister company, Linganore Winecellars, on a nearly half-century old 200 acre farm on Glissans Mill Road.
“A couple would come up and they would park in the parking lot here and the husband and wife would get out, and we would always think it was hilarious, because the guys would peel off to the brewery and the women would come up to the winery and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s just the way it is,’” said Brewery Co-Owner Anthony Aellen.
In its first decade of operation, the microbrewery attracted 40,000 people a year, producing about 2,000 barrels of beer and cider.
Named after a storied fictional character passed down by the family, the owners are vowing to rebuild Red Shedman, no matter how long it takes.
“It’s devastating. It’s been a wonderful addition to our Linganore family here,” said Melissa.
The official cause remains a mystery for now, but Melissa says the fire marshal is considering the weather as a potential factor.
“There was definitely a strong storms, and the fire marshal mentioned they’ll look into lightning reports and things to that effect,” said Melissa, “Luckily, we do have some cameras on the property so we can kind of see, but we don’t have anything specifically at the point right inside and everything so at this point we don’t know.”
