Hoping “to bring a business …back to (his) hometown,” Joshua Shores, a Delmarva native with a fitting last name, is opening Ocean City Brewing Company in the heart of OCMD. This new arrival opened its doors this past weekend, offering a new stop on our beer tour and a new flavor for a day at the beach.
Shores wanted to start up his own brew spot because of the “brotherhood of craft brewing,” but he is blowing some of his other brothers out of the water with the size of his brewery. OC Brewing is housed in an 18,000-square-foot building on Coastal Highway in a building that once housed a lumber company.
Inside the spacious brewpub, a 15-foot long bar made from wooden barrels and with seating for 100, awaits the eager summer visitors. Here you can hang out and drink beer with 99 of your closest friends, or at least meet some new people. You can sample one of the many beers made in the 30-barrel brewing system. Of course, many of the beers carry a beach theme both in their names and on their colorful, cartoon-like labels.
The Surf Ryder is a mixture of a rye ale and IPA featuring a strong rye taste and a variety of hop flavors. The Sunset Surf is a kolsch, German style beer that is light, refreshing and recommended to be sprinkled with Old Bay. The Kraken and Black Sails also have a tie to the sea but with a pirate twist. The Kraken has a light malt start followed by “a tsunami of citrusy bitterness.” When drinking Black Sails, a black IPA, you’ll also be hit by a smooth wave of malt and hops.
While these selections may sound like traditional beers, OC Brews also offers some out of the box choices. The Mad Scientist is called “the dessert of beers” with sweet notes of pecan pie chocolate stout. Loads of chocolate accompanied by fresh pecan flavor makeup the drink. If you’re looking for the “true taste of summer,” try the Alrighty Then watermelon mint beer. The luscious notes of watermelon and refreshing mint create a perfect remedy for the heat and humidity.
And now for the holiday beers; Elf is the official Christmas beer for OC featuring honey, pomegranate and gingerbread flavors. Sounds like a merry cup of cheer to us! There is also Pumpkin Hollow for Halloween. The sleepy hollow inspired brew adds yet another variety of pumpkin beer to the market, seasoned with “grandma’s secret pumpkin pie spices” it is perfect for the harvest season.
OC Brew’s spacious facility not only holds all of the brewing equipment, but also a restaurant with 200 seats. OC Brew’s menu includes food that goes great with craft beer and is perfect for the pub with choices including heaping burgers, gourmet flatbreads and dishes that are great for sharing like their “Almost Famous” egg rolls. Combining great food and great beer in our seaside hometown is an experience we cannot wait to run in and try out.
