EXHIBIT 99.8



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 CONTACT  Andrea J. Keller
June 8, 1998                                   Frederick Brewing Co.
                                               301-694-7899 ext. 120

                              BAY AREA HIGH ON HEMP
     First Craft Beers Brewed with Hemp Seeds Now Available in San Francisco


FREDERICK, MD -- Frederick Brewing Co. (NASDAQ: BLUE) announced today the San
Francisco launch of Hempen Ale(TM), a brown ale, and Hempen Gold(TM), a cream
ale, the first U.S. craft beers brewed with hemp seeds. The award-winning Hempen
Ale(TM), first released April 1997, and Hempen Gold(TM), launched October 1997,
are now available in the Bay Area.

"The beer is doing very well," said Patrick Mace of Bay Area Distributing, which
also distributes competitor Humbolt Brewing Company's hemp beer, Humbolt Hemp.
"Hempen Ale(TM) is easily outselling Humbolt," Mace asserts, "it's just a better
product with better packaging."

"As the originators of North America's first hemp beers, we consider the recent
development of several other hemp beers as not only a compliment, but as
evidence that Hempen Ale(TM) has created a whole new product category," said
Steven T. Nordahl, Frederick Brewing Co.'s vice president of brewing operations
and creator of Hempen Ale(TM) and Hempen Gold(TM).

The hemp seeds used in Hempen Ale(TM) and Hempen Gold(TM) do not contain
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, although
hemp and marijuana are botanically related. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms has approved both Hempen Ale(TM) and Hempen Gold(TM) for
distribution.

In 1997, Hempen Ale(TM) was awarded a bronze medal for brewing excellence in the
herb/spice category at the 16th Great American Beer Festival(TM), the nation's
largest and most prestigious beer event. Hempen Ale(TM) was also an award-winner
at the 1997 Hemp


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Industries Association conference, where it was recognized by HempWorld magazine
for product innovation. Most recently, readers of BarleyCorn's Bay Schooner
edition, the Mid-Atlantic's leading beer trade publication, voted Hempen Ale(TM)
"New Craft Beer of the Year."

Founded in 1992, Frederick Brewing Co. completed a successful initial public
offering (IPO) in 1996. In March 1997, the company moved from a converted
warehouse to a purpose-built, 57,000 square foot facility. In December 1997,
Frederick Brewing Co. merged with two other Maryland microbreweries, Wild Goose
Brewery, Inc. of Cambridge, MD and Brimstone Brewing Company of Baltimore, MD,
creating the largest craft brewery in the Mid-Atlantic region. Today, Frederick
Brewing Co.'s award-winning beers are sold in 31 states and the District of
Columbia.

Free public tours and tastings are held at Frederick Brewing Co.'s brewery every
Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Reservations are not required. Directions are
available by calling the brewery at 888-258-7434, visiting the Frederick Brewing
Co. website at http://www.fredbrew.com, or referring to the map on the bottom of
a six-pack. Downloadable label artwork and brewery photographs are available at
http://www.fredbrew.com/prphotos.

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