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Rockville, Maryland, is a Washington, DC, suburb near Bethesda and Silver Spring. It’s a bit quieter than those two cities, but it has a couple of notable pop culture ties. Rockville is the final resting spot of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who are buried in Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. It’s also the subject of the R.E.M. song “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville.”
There are a few nice places for craft beer in Rockville, including a brewery and a couple of good beer bars, including one with excellent sandwiches. Who doesn’t enjoy a beer and a sandwich?
The Best Craft Beer Bars in Rockville
Gilly’s Craft Beer & Fine Wine
Fine, let’s get right to the beer and sandwiches.
Gilly’s Craft Beer & Fine Wine sells both of those things listed in its name, but it’s also a great deli. Inside, you’ll find tons of craft beer and wine, but also a sandwich shop.
While you can, of course, order sandwiches to go, you can also stay and sit at the bar or other tables. There’s a good amount of seating.
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The beer selection includes 19 taps plus several fridges. Four and six packs are available to go, plus you can also mix and match. There’s a ton of beer from local Maryland and DC-area breweries.
The sandwich menu is expansive. If you can’t find something that sounds delicious, there’s something wrong with you. Hot and cold sandwiches are available. You can also turn any sandwich into a salad.
I had the Wild Wally, which was excellent. There was tons of turkey, and the blue cheese and buffalo sauce combo elevated the sandwich.
There are also seasonal specials, daily specials, and other daily deals.
Address: 2009 Chapman Ave, Rockville, MD 20852 (map)
Website
The Rockville Pike Craft Beer Wine & More
The Rockville Pike Craft Beer Wine & More is another bottle shop that’s so much more (as their name suggests).
Yes, there’s a massive craft beer selection with hundreds of options filling coolers and shelves.
There’s also a large selection of wine. The beer and wine selection and close proximity to the Twinbrook Metro station in Rockville make it a great place to go and pick something up on the way home from work.
It’s also right next to Akira, which has excellent ramen. I highly recommend stopping in before or after your beer.
What makes The Rockville Pike special (and worthy of including in this beer bar section) is the nice bar area that takes up the front half of the store.
There’s a nice marble bar to sit at, plus a few other tables. A couple of TVs were showing sports, and the bartender was playing some 80s music.
The bar has 20 taps of frequently rotating craft beer. There are happy hour deals, senior, military, and teacher nights, and kill-the-keg deals. I especially enjoyed the kill-the-keg offers, as there were four different beers available at that moment for just $4 a pint.
I’m a fan of bars that use the Digitalpour menu system. Their information displays are great, and I especially like seeing how much is left in a keg so I don’t miss out on something before it kicks.
The Rockville Pike also offers flights, which is another thing you don’t see too often at beer bars that aren’t breweries.
The bar doesn’t serve food, but we were offered some free snack mix, and some other basic snacks are available for purchase at the store.
Address: 1800 Rockville Pike Suite D, Rockville, MD 20852 (map)
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World of Beer
Beer bar chain World of Beer has a location in downtown Rockville, just a few blocks from the Rockville Metro stop.
The bar has over 500 beers (including 50 taps), a full food menu, TVs, games, a patio, and special events.
Address: 196 E Montgomery Ave #B, Rockville, MD 20850 (map)
Website
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The Best Breweries in Rockville
7 Locks Brewing
7 Locks Brewing is currently the only craft brewery in Rockville (though others have operated in the city in the past).
The award-winning brewery is in a commercial area near Twinbrook, giving them tons of space for brewing equipment and a spacious taproom.
The taproom has around 12 taps, available as regular pours, flights, or growler fills. There are also a few can pours available.
Stickers from breweries all over the country cover the cooler, while there are stacks of barrels for aging along one wall.
Cans are available for takeaway. They even offer the ability to build your own four or six-pack. I wish more breweries would do this since I like to sample beers, and I don’t necessarily want a pack of all the same beer.
Thanks to the cold weather, it was the right time of year to enjoy their Belgian strong ale, brown ale, and porter.
I also love that 7 Locks has a Rye pale ale called Surrender, which is part of their core offering. That’s rare these days.
There are also other drink options available, including wine from local Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards, and a selection of non-alcoholic beers from Athletic Brewing.
7 Locks isn’t just a brewery. It’s also a social hub. The brewery has TVs for watching sports, games, and shuffleboard. It also hosts events such as live music and trivia. Plus, it’s dog-friendly.
You might want to join their Mug Club if you’re a frequent customer.
There’s no food available, but you can bring your own, or there are also food trucks on weekends.
Address: 12227 Wilkins Ave, Rockville, MD 20852 (map)
Website
The Best Bottle Shops in Rockville
In addition to Gilly’s and The Rockville Pike, there are a few other beer and wine stores with good craft beer selections, including On The Vine Craft Beer & Wine, Halpine Beer Wine & Deli, and The Beer and Wine Cellar.
As with most places, there have been some recent changes to the beer scene in Rockville. Notable local brewery True Respite Brewing Company closed in 2023. Silver Branch Brewing Company from Silver Spring is expected to open a new taproom in the former True Respite location sometime in 2025. Bark Social, a dog-friendly beer garden, closed in 2024.
For more nearby craft beer, read my recommendations for craft beer in Bethesda and craft beer in Silver Spring.
Here are some great Washington DC tours & activities & other things to see & do in Silver Spring.
Do you love craft beer? Check out more of my recommendations for the best craft beer around the world!
