Business

Frederick, Maryland-based Flying Dog Brewery has launched a new business beyond beer called Gonzo Drinks, and its first product is a hard tea. Killer Hard Tea is available at retailers in Maryland now, and will be in D.C. stores., as well as New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, in January. Killer Hard Tea has an ABV of 8%, is lemon flavored, and is sold in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans. It is lightly carbonated. Flying Dog, founded in 1990, currently ranks as the 35th-largest craft brewer in the country, based on sales volume, according to the Brewers Association. A new distillery has opened in White Plains, Maryland, just south of Waldorf. Copper Compass Craft Distilling Co. is co-owned by cousins Herb Banks, a 23-year Navy veteran, and April Toyer, a pediatric dentist.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) has been awarded a $150,000 Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) grant under its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program. The grant will help the MPA develop a thorough flood and storm vulnerability assessment and improve overall coastal resiliencies at the six state-owned public marine terminals of Maryland’s Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. The study will also include the World Trade Center Baltimore, which houses the MPA’s executive offices as well as adjacent communities to the public terminals in Baltimore city and Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties.

Brick Oven Pizza of Fells Point, a longtime restaurant nicknamed B.O.P. that helped introduce wood-fired pizza to Baltimore before it was trendy, is on the market. Owner Zion Gavriel bought the 30-year-old pizza shop a year ago but said he has decided he doesn’t want to stay in the restaurant business. He said he purchased it because of the key Fells Point location and foot traffic at the corner of Broadway Square. The restaurant sits directly across from Bertha’s, the famed mussels bar and restaurant that is in negotiations to sell before it closes at the end of the year. The B.O.P. building at 800 S. Broadway, owned by 800 S. Broadway Associated L.P., is not for sale, Gavriel said.

When the developers of the Port Covington project announced last week they were changing the name to Baltimore Peninsula, it brought all kinds of questions from curious residents and readers. Some poked fun at the name or said they didn’t get it. Others wondered if they were essentially changing the name of a whole community, and if so, how they were allowed to do it. The change — an attempt by the development team to turn a page and build excitement around the 235-acre, mixed-use waterfront project — came at the suggestion of consultants hired to help rebrand the development, said MaryAnne Gilmartin, founder and CEO of MAG Partners, the lead developer.

It’s Thanksgiving week, that one time of the year where the whole nation is focused on the dinner plate. I’ve always preferred the sides to the main dish. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy a traditional roasted turkey and gravy. But there’s something special about creamy mashed potatoes, aromatic stuffing, sweet corn pudding and broccoli topped with decadent hollandaise sauce. They’re even more satisfying when you combine them all in one bite.

LifeBridge Health is raising the minimum wage of many workers — including all of its hospital employees — to $16 an hour. More than 270 employees recently saw a bump in their paychecks this month, the nonprofit Baltimore-based health system announced Monday. The increase also will apply to the starting wage for almost 2,500 jobs where current employees already make that much or more.

The Betfred Sportsbook at Long Shot’s in Frederick has successfully completed its controlled demonstration with the Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency and officially opened its doors for the betting public on Friday. All proceeds from the four-day demonstration procedure have been donated to The Community Foundation of Frederick County. The initial sportsbook, which is just across from Long Shot’s, which specializes in off-track betting, will be in a temporary location while the permanent sportsbook is under construction. A permanent 6,000-square-foot sportsbook with a video wall and theater-style and lounge seating will open in spring 2023. In addition to the retail sportsbook, Betfred and Long Shot’s also recently secured online betting licenses and will be launching an online betting product in early 2023 pending regulatory approval.