"These concepts really thrive when they are the community gathering place first," Justin Dvorkin told the Severna Park Voice in early November. "The beer will sell itself."
Dvorkin is a partner in Oliver Brewing Company. Its new home at 8370 Jumpers Hole Road has been running since spring. Beer brewed in Millersville has already been sold across the state for months under several labels. What the building still needs is the part a neighbor can walk into: a taproom with a kitchen, outdoor seating and a banquet room. In the same Severna Park Voice report, the owners gave late November or early December as the opening target.
So the warehouse on Jumpers Hole Road is already an established production plant. The taproom is the piece the owners expect to carry the business from here, and they designed it around the people who live nearby.
A Baltimore name with a long history, now in 21108
Oliver dates to 1993. Bill Oliver started it in the basement of the Wharf Rat, the downtown Baltimore spot that later became Pratt Street Ale House. The Baltimore Banner calls it one of Maryland's oldest brewpubs. According to the Banner, Oliver moved to a larger space in a small East Baltimore industrial park in 2015. When the lease there was running out, the brewery started looking for a new home.
Oliver bought the Jumpers Hole Road building in 2024. WMAR reported the sale that September, describing the property as a 43,895-square-foot warehouse and flex building and putting the price at $5.5 million. Dvorkin told the Banner the brewery picked Anne Arundel County for the extra space and because it would not be surrounded by other breweries. The build-out took two years, longer than he expected.
Here is how the move unfolded:
- 2015: Oliver moves to a larger space in an East Baltimore industrial park.
- 2024: Oliver buys the building at 8370 Jumpers Hole Road.
- January 2026: Oliver closes its East Baltimore brewpub to focus on the move.
- Spring 2026: Brewing begins in Millersville, and the whole production staff comes over from Baltimore.
- Late November or early December 2026: The owners' target for opening the taproom.
Who already brews on Jumpers Hole Road
The Millersville building doesn't brew only for Oliver. The Baltimore operation had grown into a contract brewer and co-packer, making and packaging beer for other companies. That business came to Millersville too. According to the Banner's August reporting, the same equipment turns out products for a list of brands most Anne Arundel residents will recognize from a store shelf or a bar tap:
| Brand | Home base | Connection to the Millersville building |
|---|---|---|
| Oliver Brewing Co. | Now Millersville | Flagship and seasonal beers, plus new limited batches |
| Forward Brewing | Eastport, Annapolis | Moved more of its production here last winter. Its Eastport brewpub stays open with the same recipes and labels |
| Fin City Brewing Co. | Ocean City | Contract brewing |
| Liquid Intrusion Brewing Co. | Brandywine | Contract brewing |
| RavenBeer | Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe | Contract brewing |
| Ceremony Coffee Roasters | Regional coffee shops | Canned cold brew |
The Forward Brewing arrangement has a practical side. Owner Cam Bowden told the Banner the move gives Forward room to increase production and cuts energy use at its Eastport brewpub, where he said BGE bills keep getting more expensive. A pint at Forward on the Eastport waterfront may now have been brewed about a 20-minute drive from Millersville.
All of that brewing has happened since spring without a public room on site.
Why the owners built the business around the room
According to the Banner, distribution has long been where most of Oliver's money came from. Dvorkin told the paper he expects a taproom and direct-to-customer sales to pay better. Smaller craft brewers fighting for retail shelf space are left with thin margins, he said, and the cost of supplies like aluminum cans keeps rising. The Banner also reported that the move comes as changing tastes, changing drinking habits and too many breweries in the market have pushed a number of breweries to close.
"As the tap room culture developed, it was a missing piece for us," Dvorkin told the Banner. He called the move something that "secures our future for the next 10 to 20 years."
So the taproom is what the owners are counting on for the brewery's future. A business that needs customers to come back again and again has to give the surrounding neighborhood reasons to visit, and the plans reflect that.
What the room is designed to hold
The Severna Park Voice lists what the owners plan to offer:
- Outdoor seating.
- A full kitchen, with pizza made in-house.
- A banquet room for events.
- Wine, cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks alongside Oliver's regular and seasonal beers. The owners say this makes it a family-friendly stop, not only a beer bar.
Dvorkin has been specific about who the room is for. He wants Oliver to be "the first place to go" for people hosting events or meetings and for "groups or teams after their games and tournaments," he told the Severna Park Voice. Hiring is part of the plan too. The brewery expects to add 30 to 50 jobs on top of the production crew that came from Baltimore.
The county paperwork matches that plan. The Anne Arundel County liquor board's hearing agenda for April 8, 2025 lists an application from Oliver Brewery LLC for a new Class B restaurant license at the address. The application covers beer, wine and liquor, Sunday service, outdoor service, dancing, and growler and crowler sales.
The owners already run restaurants in the area. Dvorkin and Donald Kelly operate Oliver through the 206 Restaurant Group, which also owns JB's and Park Tavern in Severna Park, Donnelly's Dockside in Arnold, Pratt Street Ale House, Chesapeake Cider Company and Peake Catering. Dvorkin lives in Severna Park and Kelly lives in Arnold. "When (the Millersville location) became available, it was right in our backyard, right in the community we live in," Dvorkin told the Severna Park Voice.
Small batches only work with a taproom
The bigger building also changes what Oliver can brew. In Baltimore, the smallest batch the brewery could make was 600 gallons. A batch that size needed a marketing plan and advance orders from several distributors before it went into the tanks. In Millersville, the brewery has equipment for seven different batch sizes.
That matters because of the taproom. A small experimental batch is too small to send out to distributors. It makes sense when it's poured in the brewery's own room and the brewers hear directly what customers think. "The guys can really take the gloves off and try ideas," Dvorkin told the Severna Park Voice, because the facility can support "that direct customer feedback."
The Banner reported more plans built on the same idea: limited-edition batches, specialty products and a beer club. Dvorkin also wants to use ingredients from Anne Arundel County farms. "There are growing options for brewing malts and hops that are grown in Maryland," he told the Severna Park Voice, and he talked about going to local farmers for ingredients for both the beer and the food.
A new lager, and where to watch for the taproom
Oliver and the Katherine's Light Foundation, which funds cancer research and supports people facing a cancer diagnosis, planned a November launch for Katherine's Light Lager. The Severna Park Voice reported that the beer is expected in cans at local liquor stores and on tap at area restaurants, and that a release party was scheduled for November 5 at Severna Park Taphouse. The foundation's site is katherineslight.org.
For the taproom itself, the Severna Park Voice points readers to Oliver's social media and oliverbrewingco.com for hours and the food menu. The company's website gives the Jumpers Hole Road address and has a sign-up for people who want to be among the first through the door.
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