"What's a farm brewery? I only just found out myself, and dang son, let me fill you in. I spent most of my childhood in the Pylesville/Whiteford area. Now 41, and having left Maryland 15 years ago, my chief memories from that time were that North Harford County was always so unchanging and boring. It's always been a quiet area with a little more of a rural, home and hearth kind of vibe. Never that much to do. I was back in town for a funeral and wanted to drown my sorrows; my brothers, sensing my vulnerability, suggested Slate for a nice night out. We pulled up to a generous parking lot, looking up at multiple structures in a spot that, long ago, was probably a lame ass cornfield or something. The brewery is kind of a complex, honestly. The main tap room is spacious and friendly. There was a better than average guitar duo getting in touch with their inner Springsteens. We ordered and made our way to the back tent, also heated on a cold night. So, the beer: I had (1) the Kiss Me stout, a nice clean Irish that's a little less dry than say, Guinness (2) the Scally, a crisp Irish red this style is undersold these days and this is a very lovely example. (3) the Scott's Swagger Kolsch this one is super clean; I had this with a very competent burger. We spent maybe three hours there. Slate would fit solidly into any other hyper hip beer market of the southeast (say, Asheville or whatever). The beer recipes are really solid, without a shred of irritating hipster pretense. Pure joy, this place."
