10 reasons not to miss this year’s Brews on the Beach

For the 9th Year in a row, Brews to the Beach will give us a chance to spend one of those transitional summer/fall weekends drinking beer and hanging out by the beach. The event always is a blast but this year’s Shore Craft Beer Fest: Brews on the Beach has even more to offer than before.

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In addition to all and only local craft beers, which is what sets these festivals apart, there will be a selection of food trucks, a homebrew competition, and still one of the greatest views available. Here are the best reasons to go in 10 photos from last year’s event.

1. A commemorative pint glass

Of course, the glass isn’t so much the point as the commemoration. We all have those festivals we’ve attended that turned out to be spectacular without our planning to have made it so. When you grab a pint glass from the cabinet, maybe to have a glass of water or something some dreary winter day, it’s a nice remembrance. A little time travel excursion.

2. Location, location, location

The Shore Craft Beer Fest: Brews on the Beach is held at the Hooper’s Crab House property with expansive views of the Assawoman Bay. Since it’s in West Ocean City, there’s no traffic to fight and, if you’re staying in town, there’s a bus stop just across from the festival.

3. Trying beers you might not get elsewhere

One of the great things about this festival is that it’s intimate enough (and long enough) that you get a chance to try beers you might not normally get to try and to talk to brewery reps about them. Many Shore Craft Beers are distributed pretty widely, but lots are not. Even bigger breweries like Evo have beers that aren’t too widely available.

4. You can bring your non-craft drinking friends

There’s music and food and a bar on the premises, so if your traveling companion would rather have an Orange Crush than an orange wheat (although God knows why) they can have it. It’s also a nice change of pace for people who otherwise would have to skulk around not drinking while everyone else was.

5.Many brewers will be on hand

Since the Craft Beer Festival circuit hasn’t exploded just yet, oftentimes brewers themselves can make it to the event to talk about their beers and tell you why they’re great. Even though it’s cool to have the reps (who often can be more enthusiastic than the brewers) having a brewer to talk to is always a nice bonus.

6. It’s a great festival for chilling out

The tents are huge and there’s plenty of space. That means, even when it’s at capacity you don’t have to worry about being on line for days or bumping up against people at every turn. There always are nice crowds (both literally and figuratively) but it’s not claustrophobic and people generally are friendly.

7. More tables than you need

One of the best things about this beer festival that sets it apart from most others is there are plenty of tables and places to sit. There is little more irksome than spending $15 on lunch and trying to balance it or your knee while you drink your beer. Tables aren’t all in front of the band, either, so if you don’t prefer all the music with your dinner, you’re still in the clear.

You can become a regular

People who come to these Shore Craft Beer Fests tend to see one another and remember each other. As the unofficial inaugural festival season event, it’s a great time for people to relax together, have a beer and talk about beers they intend to have throughout the season.

Food selections keep getting better

Recent Shore Craft Beer Fests have been great events for food truck operators. so much so, that it is something both attendees and vendors have come to expect. Although the lineup continues to evolve, you can be sure that the selection will be splendid and the food memorable.

It is a lot of fun

Although it goes without saying that Shore Craft Beer Fests always are fun, as I was going through the photos I couldn’t choose between many of the goofy photos I got. I settled on this one, because this guy was in three of the top five goofiest.