March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 40 F

Happy Birthday Rams Head Tavern

RHTHappyBirthdayWOW!  25 years!  Happy Birthday to the Rams Head Tavern.  Tonight, the Annapolis institution is celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a big blow out with throwback pricing to 1989 and 1990 from 8pm to the wee hours.  Come on out and we will see you tonight!

I am not sure anyone foresaw that expansion and success of the business back then; but thanks to the insight and acumen of Bill and Paula Muehlhauser the little restaurant has grown into one the area’s best places to eat and see top notch live music.

Annapolis and Anne Arundel County could not ask for a better corporate citizen. One does not need to look far to see the fingerprints of the Rams Head–often times purposely left under the radar. Polar Bear Plunge and the Ice Lodge. The Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitor’s Bureau. Annapolis Restaurant Week. Midnight Madness. Silopanna Music Festival. First Sunday Arts Festival. And so much more.

Today, the little tavern on West Street has grown into 5 full service restaurants–Rams Head Tavern, Rams Head Roadhouse, Rams Head Shore House, Rams Head Savage Mills, and a Rams Head Tavern at BWI Airport. They expanded beyond the restaurant business to bring world class entertainment to Annapolis in the Rams Head On Stage and Baltimore’s Rams Head Live and Pier Six Pavilion. And most recently, Rams Head Center Stage at the newish Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover.

For that the community offers a huge thanks to the Muehlhauser family and the incredible team they have assembled to bring great things to the area 365 days a year for 25 years!  Here’s to the next 25!

For those interested in the history…..(from the Rams Head Tavern website)…..

1703 A young brewer named Benjamin Fordham crossed the Atlantic and established a brewery in the new world. It was the first industry of the new provincial capital, soon to be re-dubbed Annapolis. His hand crafted beers made fresh daily slake the thirst of merchants, politicians, craftsman and sailors bustling in and out of the growing ports along the Eastern Seaboard.   During this time period, 33 West Street (where Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis stands today) was owned by St. Anne’s parish and leased it to William Reynolds.  Reynolds subleased the land to Constitution signer Samuel Chase in 1769. Nearly 300 years later, Fordham’s roots in Annapolis would be key in re-establishing the Fordham Brewery.


1792: Located at 27 West Street in Annapolis , the “Crown and Dial” was opened and owned by William Faris, whose gardens inspired William Paca.   William Faris kept a diary, which is one of the best surviving accounts of colonial life.  Originally from Philadelphia, Faris was also a clockmaker and silversmith. This is the future location of Rams Head Tavern located at 33 West Street.


Along the Years: Although once the location of an inn run by Kezian Lindsay Murrow Clark, the 31-33 West Street site has chiefly been the locale of taverns throughout the years. The location went by “Sign of the Green Tree” in 1794, which was referred to as a “house of entertainment.”  During this time, the ghost of a young girl named Amy began inhabiting the building; she is rumored to still haunt the house today.  Ask the bartender to show you where Amy’s bedpost still resides today.


December 1989: In December 1989, Bill & Paula Muehlhauser purchased the Rams Head Tavern from previous owners. The establishment sat 30 customers (patio sat 10) and employed five and housed 100 world famous bottled beers. The tavern served only beer and offered a “make your own sandwich” service for 35 cents an ounce to be eaten atop tables adorned with fresh flowers in beer bottles. The upstairs “Buttercup Tea Room Restaurant” sold fresh quiches to the Rams Head prior to the sandwich service (Hence, the “Tea Room”).


1992: West Street Dry Cleaners on West Street was purchased to accommodate the demand for more bar space at the Annapolis location.


1993: The adjoining Barber Shop is purchased in order to add more seating capacity at Rams Head Tavern Annapolis.


September 1995: The Fordham Brewing Company is reestablished nearly 300 years later in the old Savings and Loan bank on West Street. A handcrafted family of beers are made fresh daily for Rams Head Tavern using the time-honored traditions and the latest in brewing techniques.


November 1997: Rams Head On Stage, a National Entertainment Venue, opens it’s doors in Annapolis (the location of the old Blue Cross/Blue Shield building). The venue features acts such as Livingston Taylor, Aaron Neville, Lyle Lovett and Joe Sample.


1997: As the plaque states in the Down Bar, “On October 25th, 1997 at Table 6… the plot was hatched which led to the succession and glorious independence of the Martime Republic of Eastport.”


July 1999: Rams Head Tavern Savage Mill is opened. The largest of the Rams Head Taverns, Savage Mill is 4 floors offering an array of dining for your atmosphere appetite.


2001: Fordham Brewing Company awarded “Best Local Lager” Baltimore Magazine’s Best of Baltimore 2001


November 2003: Fordham Brewing Company relocates to the brand new 15,000 square foot facility in Dover, Delaware.   Bottling 3 different lines of Fordham brew and kegging a variety of seasonals, this location has the ability to produce up to 50,000 barrels annually.


April 2004: Rams Head opens the latest concept, Rams Head Roadhouse (formerly Rudy’s Tavern), on the border of Annapolis and Crownsville, Maryland.  Featuring over 30 types of sandwiches, pizza and over 100 kinds of beer, Rams Head Roadhouse is happy to serve you with the same quality atmosphere and food you’ve come to love from Rams Head.


December 2004: Opened December 15th, 2004, Rams Head Live! features national acts in it’s 21,000 square foot entertainment venue.  Featuring a 120 seat Tavern, 5 bars, 3 food stations and 44 monitors and screens for watching, Rams Head Live is the region’s premier national entertainment venue consistently ranking Top 50 in the World.


October 2006: Rams Head ventured to the Eastern Shore of Maryland opening Rams Head Shore House (formerly the Island Inn).  With seating for 180, the Rams Head Shore House offers a little something for everyone.  The Dining area offers a quiet retreat amongst photos of the Eastern Shore of Maryland while the Tavern side compliments nicely with bar stools, pool tables and features the famous Rams Head happy hour.


April 2007: Rams Head Promotions began the booking and operations of Pier Six Pavilion, located in waterside in Baltimore. This outdoor music pavilion is surrounded by water on three sides and offers a picturesque view of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. From April until October, national acts play to the 4200 capacity audience. Past acts include: James Taylor, Chicago, Mac Miller, Billy Idol, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Trace Adkins, Earth Wind & Fire, Cake, Thievery Corporation, Willie Nelson and the Beach Boys to name a few.


December 2007: Rams Head BWI Airport opened in Terminal C


August 2011: Rams Head Promotions created a one-day festival to take place in Annapolis, Maryland called Silopanna Music Festival. With 3 stages and 18 bands lined up for success, Silopanna had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. Silopanna ultimately debuted in 2012 and returned again in 2014.


August 2012: Rams Head Center Stage opened in late August with the Charlie Daniels Band performing to a sold-out crowd.

 

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