Max's Taphouse

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.85/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $

Wow, this is one of the best beer bars I've been to. I've been twice, both in the afternoon, before any crowds descended.

The restaurant is set in historic Fell's Point, right off the square, giving it a wonderful ambience, much like inner harbor Annapolis and other classic old seaside urban settings. Enjoy your beer at one of the tall metal tables fronting the plaza.

Walking in you'll notice in a crossbeam a wonderful quote, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." The main bar extends down about eleven big-screen TV lengths, fronting batteries of spigots and six double-doored fridges. Several rooms lead off the main bar--upstairs by the wooden indian, the game room off the side, and a hook to the main room in the back

Decor: dark wood floor, brick walls, floral patterned ceiling tile; paraphernalia scattered around the various rooms; draft handles for window crenellations.

Now the beer. When I went there were 102 beers on draft. Not a dog in the bunch. The Maryland beers are set in bold, in case you wish to go local. All prices were very reasonable. I had an astonishing set of beers, for about $5 each, including Heavy Seas Plank I. The food I had on my first visit was ok, but the mediocrity is not difficult to forget once you get into the hops of the place.

Make Max's a part of your beer journey in Balto.

06-06-2011 20:33:39 | More by Arithmeticus

gillagorilla

Maryland

4.63/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25 | $$

The selection here is THE best in MD, with: 140 taps, 5 Cask Spots, and 1200+ bottles. A lot of these can be quite rare and not found outside of Max's.

Service here is top-notch and they know what they are serving. They are great at recommendations as well.

The atmosphere is quite rustic and the place is dominated by the bar, which spans the entire bar. There is an upstairs but I have never been, I think it is mainly for trivia night on Thursdays. It is pretty dark and gloomy, but everyone there is usually quite friendly. Parking can be hard to find but that is because it is in the heart of Fells Point.

I'm not sure of the food prices, but I have shared some with people there and it is delicious.

05-18-2013 01:10:49 | More by gillagorilla

napetry

North Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Great atmosphere and friendly people willing to talk beer and otherwise chat about the local brews and neighborhoods. Selection of draught and bottle beers is fantastic. Only 3 or 4 beers on the draught menu that were familiar to me. Bartenders extremely helpful and service oriented regardless of the fact they were extremely busy. Will definitely go back next time I visit Baltimore.

01-07-2013 01:05:35 | More by napetry

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.58/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $

I finally visited this well respected establishment today. I have no idea why it took me this long.

I stopped in on a Tuesday afternoon between lunch and dinner hours, so the place was almost void of patrons, which allowed my family and me to secure a nice nook in the back.

Service was extremely friendly and prompt. Service with a smile. The bartender let me try a few 1 oz. pours of beers that piqued my curiosity, and also checked in the back in attempt to locate a few of my special requests. I ended up drinking an Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Vin Blanc) 2011, which was outstanding. I was shocked to find this beer available, and even more surprised when it was listed at $15. I fully expected a massive price gouge, but was pleasantly surprised to see all of the beers on the bottle list more than reasonably priced, especially considering the location of the pub and competitor's prices being considerably higher.

The food was tasty, but nothing exemplary, per se. The nachos with chili and mozzarella sticks were both well done.

Overall, this was a very enjoyabvle experience. I will definitely be back for more brews at Max's.

12-19-2012 03:51:24 | More by Huhzubendah

mendvicdog

Maryland

4.94/5  rDev +12%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Definitely the best bar in bawlmore. They have the most taps, and they go through them quickly. So there is always something new to try and everything tastes fresh. I try to avoid going when I know it will be super busy, but the service has always been excellent. It's a bit dark inside and I would prefer if they had a larger bar area, but it's still a great place. I'm there for the beer, so the atmosphere is not that important to me. I have only had fries once, so I'm not going to comment on the food. I have not heard good things though since I don't think they have a true kitchen. I would plan on eating somewhere else.

10-10-2012 20:40:37 | More by mendvicdog

AleYes

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Was here twice in 2011, once during Baltimore Beer Week in October. This place is a beer-lover's Paradise! They have about 6 cask ales and 100 beers on tap, plus a countless number of bottles.

The food is about average bar food, but again, this place is about the BEER!

It has a used and abused look inside, which it is; it gets very busy on the weekend nights, with good reason.

The staff knows their beer and when it's not too busy willingly to talk about the styles and give samples so you can find a beer to meet your tastes.

Based on the vast beer selection and friendly staff, this is a bar every town wishes it had.

The only negative about the place is, it's in Baltimore and I'm in Richmond.

05-16-2012 12:11:31 | More by AleYes

mcdoug

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5 | $$

The best thing about Max's is that it's BIG, both in terms of size and selection. The worse thing about Max's is that it's BIG... quite popular and can be very crowded to the point that you can feel awash in humanity and it can take a little longer than average to catch a barkeep. The best thing is that they have a whopping FIVE taps dedicated to cask ales! That alone earns them a 5-star selection rating. Alas, when we went yesterday they had only three of five cask ales available. Food was so-so at best-- wifey and I split an appetizer of crab pretzel and a main of fish and chips. Crab pretzel was swimming in the crabby cream stuff, which was of mediocre taste. The fish and chips featured good fries, though a fairly skimpy quantity. The fish were alright, though sort of flat and lacking in thickness. Definitely a better beer bar than a pub for eats.

04-13-2012 21:59:29 | More by mcdoug

mdwalsh

Iowa

4.16/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in a few times during a conference. Didn't get a real warm reception from the staff. No one checks on tables and we waited a good while at the bar. The selection was very good, but it slanted towards a few breweries (a good, in depth selection from those breweries, but still...). Also there wasn't much for session beers. But still, this was a fantastic bar experience. Also got a little tour, which was fantastic, and learned a lot. I would say this is a bar to go by yourself and take the time to talk to your bartender, or bring a group that you want to spend time with. Or, apparently, go during an event.

04-11-2012 02:05:03 | More by mdwalsh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Stopped in here twice on a recent trip to Baltimore.

A - Both times I was in here were midday, so I didn't get much of a feel for the regular crowd. There were actually some families having lunch. In any case, it's fairly typical bar decor - perhaps a bit more American than somewhere like Hopleaf but in the same ballpark.

Q - You can tell the beers are well-cared for here. Draft lines seemed clean, cask beer tasted fresh, and bottles were either refrigerated or stored at cellar temperatures. If you order something obscure from the copious bottle selection plan ahead as they chill things down the old-fashioned way - in a bucket of ice. The Thumbsucker I shared with thorpe429 had clearly been cellared appropriately.

Sr - Service was attentive and friendly - I liked that the bartenders remembered me on my subsequent visit. The service was quick and very helpful in locating obscure bottles from the depths of the cellar.

Sl - Draft list was extensive, but I could have stood for a few more selections that aren't available at the store. Bottle list is fantastic, with some great pricing on obscure gems like BFM Grand Crus. I suspect it was even better before the craft beer explosion led to speculators raiding their reserves.

F - I ordered some crab sliders one day and a blackened tilapia sandwich on the other. Both were enjoyable and easy to finish, but not particularly mind-blowing. Food menu seems secondary in a place like this, but I appreciate that they've made the effort.

V - Compared to Chicago the pricing is quite reasonable. Some of the bottles were cheaper than they are at our bottle shops.

04-07-2012 01:52:48 | More by MasterSki

MrGossett

Florida

4.4/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Really cool local Baltimore place. They have 120 beers on tap, including a few local brews. They have 5 rotating casks (my first time trying cask ale--delicious!).

The bartender was pretty friendly, and very helpful when I asked for a recommendation. I hadn't heard of Biere de Garde (one of the styles they had tapped from the cask) before, and he explained what it is, and where it came from.

I was sent here on a recommendation from a local beer enthusiast (he writes BeerInBaltimore.com), and it was a great choice.

03-12-2012 16:23:01 | More by MrGossett