Australian-Themed Brewery ‘M8 Beer’ To Open in September Near M&T Bank Stadium
M8 Beer, a new Australian-themed brewery by entrepreneur Jeff Osborne, will open in September at the soon-to-be-former Checkerspot Brewing Company space at 1399 S. Sharp St. in South Baltimore. Checkerspot Brewing is relocating a couple blocks away to 1421 Ridgely St. and is set to have its grand opening on September 16th.
Osborne is an Australian native from the Gold Coast who came to Baltimore a couple of decades ago as a squash pro. He worked at Meadow Mill Athletic Club, which was owned by Himmelrich Associates, the landlord at the Spring Garden office complex where M8 Beer is opening. He also spent time in New York City as a squash pro before moving back to Australia for 20 years. He spent this past year in Mexico where his wife was born.
Osborne has run different businesses as well as worked for fitness company F45 in Australia and Asia. Recently he got a call from a couple Baltimore friends connected to Himmelrich who told him about the opportunity to open a turn-key brewery. Having seen the success of a friend’s brewery in Australia, Osborne was intrigued by the idea and decided to move back to Baltimore to launch M8 Beer.
Osborne has two silent investors and the trio purchased the brewing equipment from Checkerspot Brewing Company. M8 Beer will paint the building, add new signage, and reorganize the second-floor event space in the near future.
Australia is known for “easy-drinking beers,” such as lagers and pilsners, according to Osborne. The team plans to offer 15 beers including its M8 Lager, a Czech Mate pilsner, and a Pacific-style ale. M8 will also offer different IPAs.
M8 is already contract-brewing beers at Peabody Heights Brewery in preparation for the opening.
M8 plans on offering beers in its tap house, as well as distributing them to bars and liquor stores.
The team at M8 was initially thinking of calling the brewery 8M and honoring the brewing styles of the eight United States that start with M, including Maryland. However, when they reversed the spelling and saw M8 is pronounced like the popular Australian saying “mate,” they knew it was a fit.
The food at M8 will be Texas-style BBQ with an Australian twist. M8 is partnering with Mount Washington restaurant Woodrow’s Bar-B-Que on the menu.
M8 will play sports games on its televisions including Australian rules football. The bar manager at M8 also hails from Australia.
Osborne loves the location across the street from M&T Bank Stadium, as well as the proximity to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Osborne is thrilled by the 2023 Orioles success and its potential impact on business. He has also never lived in Baltimore when the Orioles had a playoff season, so he’s excited to experience that likely scenario.
M8 will be the fifth brewery in South Baltimore in the blocks surrounding M&T Bank Stadium where the neighborhoods of Stadium Area, Carroll-Camden Industrial Area, and Pigtown collide. Existing breweries Checkerspot, Wico Street Beer Co., Picket Brewing Company, and Suspended Brewing Company recently collaborated to create the South Baltimore Brewery District. Diamondback Brewing Company in Locust Point is also less than two miles away.
Osborne said he is excited to be in an area with so many breweries and called the industry “collaborative and helpful.” He noted that South Baltimore and Hampden are the two hotspots for breweries in Baltimore.
M8 will be open every evening with additional daytime hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
M8 gets the keys to 1399 S. Sharp St. on September 1st and Osborne hopes to be open by the Ravens first game on September 10th.
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
