FREDERICK BREWING Q2 REVS ROSE 82 PERCENT

FREDERICK, Md., July 20 (Reuters) - Frederick Brewing Co., one of the
United States' first producers of beer made from hemp, said Monday its
second quarter gross revenues increased 82 percent to about $1.6 million
from $875,000 during the same period last year.

The brewer plans to release its full second quarter earnings results on
Aug. 4, the company said in a statement.

The company said its gross revenues from the first six months of 1998
jumped 129 percent to $2.6 million from $1.14 million last year. A company
spokesman attributed the increase to the brewer's intensified marketing
efforts, the growth in distribution of its so-called Hempen brands and
sales of the newly acquired Wild Goose and Brimstone brands.

Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant, but the federal government
requires that hemp seeds used to make beer must be free of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the narcotic agent found in marijuana.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)