5 reasons Shore Craft Beer Fest: Chincoteague will be epic

This inaugural Shore Craft Beer Fest: Chincoteague event is set to be spectacular. Set out by the bay on the carnival grounds, it promises to be the kind of event that people are talking about long after the last of the revelers heads home for the evening.

The festival, which supports the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, brings together all of the best elements of a community event with some of the best craft beer and food the region has to offer.

The weather report is excellent, the venue is being prepped and you don’t want to miss next weekend’s Shore Craft Beer Fest: Chincoteague for dozens of reasons, but here are FIVE specific ones.

1. This is the best family-oriented beer festival going

Craft beer is all about the taste experience. Enjoying yourself with a pint and hanging out with friends. Increasingly we find that our festivals attract not only young families, but grandparents and grandchildren who want to spend the day in the park. That’s why there is no admission fee, except for people who want to have a beer tasting. Bring the kids, bring the dog.
Tootsie the Clown will be on hand performing magic tricks as well as doing face painting.

We also will have cornhole boards and a bouncy castle to distract children of all ages. Local musicians Alex and Shiloh will be on-hand performing cover songs as well as original compositions. Buy tickets here.

2. Food Trucks, Roasted Oysters, Ice Cream and More

Some of the finest food trucks on the Eastern Shore and local Chincoteague Restaurants  will be serving. We will have food pairings and recommendations to help you enjoy your beer and your food. Here’s just a little taste:
Don’s Seafood Restaurant

Look for Don’s Seafood,  a favorite local restaurant noted for its famous crab cakes, flounder, oysters and clams on the half shell.  They will be dishing up raw and garlic roasted clams and oysters at the festival.  Don’s will also be the spot to head to for the After Party from 5-7pm, with Happy Hour prices and the wet paint sale!

 

 

 

Sobo’s Food Truck

Sobo’s Food Truck is committed to buying local, sustainable and organic products whenever possible.  They specialize in serving creative dishes to pair with great beer and wine. They will be dishing up MD crab cake fish sandwiches and fish tacos (blackened Mahi Mahi) along with pulled pork sandwiches, chicken tenders and hand cut fries. ​

 

 

Pico Taqueria

Pico Taqueria is a family run outdoor restaurant in Chincoteague and they invite you to come try out their creative take on a classic dish that everyone can relate to.  Their motto is “you can put anything on a taco” and new creations are being made every day from the bounty of the Eastern Shore. They will be serving tortilla chips & roasted vegetable salsa as well as burrito bowls with either chicken or shrimp.

 

Island Creamery

…and of course, no meal is complete without dessert, especially when you can use the country’s best ice cream to make a beer float! Pairing suggestions and tasting-size scoops will be available.

TripAdvisor: Island Creamery is best in US

“”I think we’ve become a part of people’s vacation expectations.” When Kelly Conklin received word Wednesday morning that his ice cream parlor was ranked No. 1 in the United States by TripAdvisor, he was surprised. “In the U.S.?” the Island Creamery owner repeated over the phone while inside his shop located on Chincoteague.

3. Local artists and artisans will be doing their thing

Shore Craft Beer Fest: Chincoteague includes a plein air event wherein local artists paint scenes of the festival and sell their work at a wet paint sale afterwards at Don’s Seafood Restaurant. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance who is hosting the wet-paint sale for you.

Craft Beer plein air artists announced – OceanCity.com

The inaugural Shore Craft Beer Fest: Chincoteague will not only feature all and only local beer, but also will be an arts-driven event. Local artists will paint scenes of the beer festival all day and sell them (along with selected other work) at the festival after party.

Plus, there will be vendors including Howl Naturale which makes premier all natural pet treat for your dog, cat and horse, manufactured right here on Chincoteague Island.
Marvelous Creations by Madonna believe every person is a unique work of art. Not one canvas is alike yet equally beautiful and valuable.
MamerSass Reinvented Fashions, Delmarva’s only Shop on wheels! They are an eco-friendly brand that rescues and reinvents unwanted textiles and vintage clothing.
Lost at Sea sell pirate/nautical/drinking themed apparel and items, with a touch of nautical items.. Also flags, mugs, wine goblets, flasks.
and
LuLaRoe is where fashion meets comfort with this very unique clothing company and specialized skin and make up care from LipSense. ​

4. All and only local beer

One of the things that sets Shore Craft Beer Fests apart is we only invite breweries from the Delmarva Peninsula. This means you’re tasting beers and talking to brewers who are part of the Delmarva community, many of whom are pouring their beer on the Eastern Shore of Virginia for the first time ever. There will be more than 30 different beers to taste (responsibly) as well as some special guests.
The next two ESVA breweries coming online, Chincoteague’s Black Narrows and Cape Charles Brewery will be on hand to shake hands and kiss babies in anticipation of their imminent openings.
Blus, the B.I.E.R Homebrew club will be onhand tasting and doing a demonstrations as well as the folks from Xtreme Brewing.

Tickets available here!

5. You can make a weekend of it!

In addition to great packages from the Fairfield and other hotels. Come in a night early and spend some time touring the night sky at the nearby Wallops Island Flight Facility

After the festival, head back to Don’s Seafood for the Wet Paint sale where you can purchase local art and enjoy happy hour prices, even more great local seafood and savor not letting the day end.