My family has taken several trips to Ocean City, Maryland over the last few years. While we love the vibe of the OCMD Boardwalk, eating Maryland crabs and other fresh fish, swimming, building sand castles and flying kites on the beach, and most importantly, spending time with our children, the one thing that has always been missing for my husband and I is the availability of craft beer. Dogfish Head has a brewpub about 30 miles away in Rehoboth Beach, DE and we have made that trip in the past with kids in tow. We can usually find their 60 Minute IPA in a bottle at most of the restaurants we visited, but we wanted to uncover other gems of beers that we might not be able to taste at home. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of good craft beer that we found this summer in OCMD.
Shorebilly Brewing Company
Opening on the Boardwalk at 10th Street in the Spring, Shorebilly Brewing Company brings a cool vibe and solid craft beer to the beach. My husband and I ordered a sampler of the 5 beers they had on tap and enjoyed them all. The sampler comes on a modified table top mini skateboard which contributed to the fun factor of the tasting experience. The beers we tried were the Four-Ten, a light bodied Kolsch; Downtown Sugar Brown, a smooth brown ale infused with subtle cinnamon; Intergalactic IPA, made with Northern Brewer and Fuggle hops; Happy Camper Amber Ale, which had toasted malt character and light fruitiness; and Sun’s Out Guns Stout, dark in color, but lighter than average stouts. All of the beers were straight-forward: nothing outlandish or overly different. And that was perfectly acceptable and completely refreshing after spending a day on the beach. We enjoyed sitting at an outside table, watching the people pass by in the shadow of the converted brightly painted bus that sits just outside the bar. Our 8-year-old daughter very much enjoyed taking her turn behind the wheel of the bus, as did I. There is a very small food menu of duck, pulled pork or short rib sliders, peel and eat shrimp, crab-stuffed tomatoes and a bucket of mussels. They also serve “moonshine” shots for those who like liquor. I tried two of them, the strawberry and the salted caramel. If you like boozy tasting schnapps, then this is for you. I will happily stick with the beer.
Find Shorebilly Brewing Company at 913 Atlantic Ave. Ocean City, MD
(443) 373-1224
facebook.com/ShorebillyBeer
45th Street Taphouse Bar and Grille
I happened upon 45th Street Taphouse while googling “craft beer in Ocean City” and was really glad that I did. After perusing their website and beer menu, we decided to take the kids out for an early dinner. The restaurant is directly on the bay and there are stellar views from either the deck or from the spacious dining room that is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. They boast 36 taps of craft-heavy beer, with a few macros thrown in for the unadventurous. The food was standard American pub fare: burgers, sandwiches, salads and wings, but the beer list and the atmosphere were the real draw for our family. The kid’s meal came with a shovel and bucket, so the children can wander into their roped off sandy beach area and play while the parents relax for a bit in a comfy chair nearby. They had several local breweries on tap, including Evolution, Dogfish Head, and Heavy Seas, but I had never heard of one of the local breweries, Burley Oak Brewing Company. Of course, I tried their Child Labor Pale Ale, which had a heavily hopped nose, but without the excessive bitterness. I was immediately a fan of both Burley Oak and 45th Street Taphouse and Grille.
Find 45th Street Taphouse and Grille at 4507 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD
(443) 664-2201
45taphouse.com
Burley Oak Brewing Company
After trying the beer from Burley Oak Brewing Company at 45th Street Taphouse, I googled more and found out that it was located just 15 minutes outside of OCMD in Berlin, MD. We were having an adults-only date night, so my husband and I jumped in the car and went for a short ride. Burley Oak is a small microbrewery with a taproom. It has a very homey feel, like that corner bar where everyone knows your name. Burley Oak has made a commitment to using sustainable practices, local materials and craftsmen in the building of the brewery and the making of their beers. You get the feeling that they really care about both their beer and their patrons. We enjoyed a nice flight of beers including Just the Tip, a light and crisp Kolsch; Aboriginal Gangster, an IPA with hints of lemon and lime; Bullet Proof, a double IPA that had just the right amount of bitterness for me; Waffle Stomper, a Belgian IPA with hints of both bitterness and fruitiness; and Rude Boy on nitro, a red ale with with hints of smokiness. They call the Rude Boy a sessionable barleywine, but at 8% ABV, I don’t exactly think you could down several in a session. But it is smooth and easy to drink, so feel free to have a session with it! Be warned that they don’t serve food, but have some pre-packaged bar snacks for purchase. If you stop by on a Saturday or Sunday at 3 p.m., you can take a tour.
Find Burley Oak Brewing Company at 10016 Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin, MD
(443)513-4647
burleyoak.com
