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UPDATE: Due to Covid, the reopening has been delayed. No new date currently, but renovations have already started.

Back in 2017 a local pastry chef attempted to raise money to bring back The Cider Barrel. Her efforts fell short and the barrel remained unusual on the side of 355.

A new Facebook page by the Germantown Historical Society, The Cider Barrel Revival, has announced that the historic landmark will re-open this spring.

As of now, details are unclear, but we are certainly excited! Here’s some history of the historic Cider Barrel.

The Cider Barrel in Germantown opened in the mid-1920s and sold non-alcoholic cider from the Ballincar Orchard in Germantown during the height of Prohibition.

The 12 foot tall barrel is located on the side of North Frederick Rd. in Germantown (Rt. 355) and Oxbridge Drive, next to The Elms apartment complex.

After 77 years of selling what a lot refer to as the best apple cider they’ve ever had, apples, pumpkins, and more, The Cider Barrel closed in 2003. Owner, Bill Cross, sold the property because operations became too stressful for the 86 year old gentleman and his business partner.

In 2009 there were talks of moving the Barrel to a location in the Germantown Town Center, but it never occurred because there was a chance the handmade structure would not survive the move.

In 2012, the Germantown Historical Society had the Cider Barrel added to the Maryland Historic Trust’s Most Endangered Historic Places List, which has saved it from being moved or destroyed.

