It’s wintertime here in Ocean City, MD, and that means seasonal beers from our Shore Craft family of beers. After you read this, hopefully you’ll have a beer for all seasons, featuring winter. Let’s take a look at a sampling of the best seasonal offerings from our local Shore Craft Beer brewers.
A Critical Hit, Crooked Hammock Brewery, Lewes, DE
“Inspired by our brewer Justin. He and his aunt shared love for chocolate-covered-cherries, and her antagonist stance on his dreams of becoming the next Ash Ketchum, this liquid delicacy is as crisp as it is complex.”
Secret Spot Alt Ale, Evolution Brewing Company, Salisbury, MD
Our winter seasonal is a nod to the classic altbiers of Dusseldorf. A full toasty malt profile is countered by generous additions of German hops. Well balanced but assertively hopped, this complex but approachable beer is ideal for shaking off the chill of winter.
Bad Luck Banana, The Fin City Brewing Company, Ocean City, MD
“This robust porter is a malt bomb that makes other porters blush. we mash seven types of dark, caramel, chocolaty malts with fresh bananas to provide a smooth backbone to this winter treat. to keep this ale a traditional porter, we balance it with a fair amount of english hops to round it out and add depth. while bananas on a boat might hurt your chances of catching fish, bad luck banana will definitely help your chances of catching a buzz…”
Up All Nitro, Backshore Brewing Company, Ocean City, MD
Speaking of a beer for all seasons, winter, check out this “Espresso stout – From our Nitro Line Series. Dark, roasty, and chocolaty. Infused with espresso coffee provided locally by Coastal Coffee Roasters.”
Delaware Dreamsicle, Big Oyster Brewing Company, Lewes, DE
Galactic Black, Tall Tales Brewing Company, Parsonsburg, MD
Galactic Black is an IPA containing Black/Cascadian Dark Ale. It’s 9% ABV and has 30 IBU. “Citrus and pine hop aroma with a hint of roasted malt flavor come together in this beer mashup. Let the flavor flow through you and remember even beer has a dark side.”
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout, Brick Works Brewing and Eats, Smyrna, DE
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout is an American Stout with 9.5% ABV and 30 IBU. It’s “a stout brewed with salt, chocolate and wheat designed to embody the delights of a chocolate covered pretzel.” It’s delicious and definitely worth trying!
Jelly Not Jam,Burley Oak Brewing Company, Berlin, MD
Sounding Joy, Black Narrows Brewing Company, Chincoteague, VA
This beer for all seasons is a fruited wild ale with a 5.0% ABV. It is tart, bubbly, and citrusy. You can also get a crowler of it for $17.
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Blue Earl Brewing Company, Smyrna, DE
Special Occasion Raspberry Sour, Bull and Goat Brewery, Centerville, MD
This beer is “brewed using natural souring process, using over 30lbs of fresh raspberries/BBL and is aged in French oak of 6 months using fresh dumped Meritage red wine BBLS. This Sour has all of the body and flavor one could want of a sour beer.” (Source: untappd.com)
Barrel Aged Banana Phone, Burnish Beer Company, Salisbury, MD
“Barrel Aged Banana Phone – Collab with our people @magnifybrewing in Jersey, this 14% imperial stout is brewed with lactose, aged in rum and bourbon barrels for a year, and conditioned on Wild Thai Bananas, Nila wafers and Vanilla beans. ~available @magnifybrewing.”
Bayside Belgian Farmhouse Ale, Cape Charles Brewing Company, Cape Charles, VA
This beer for all seasons, winter, has a 6.5% ABV. According to the brewery, it is “our nod to the Belgian Farmers of the past & their “Saison” or seasonal brews. Perfectly balanced with notes of coriander & a hint of pepper.”
Oatmeal Stout (Nitro) , Cult Classic Brewing Company, Stevensville, MD
This stout has a 5.1% ABV and 30 IBU. It’s “Jet black with a creamy tan head and roasted coffee aroma. Roasted barley is balanced by the oatmeal and the silky-smooth, nitro-dispensed creaminess. A clean finish with a hint of coffee will leave you wanting more!”
Controlled Voltage, Dewey Beer Company, Dewey Beach, DE
“Brewed with Vic Secret, Citra and Falconers Flight. Every time we brew a new IPA we’re working on the subtleties and nuances. We traveled a lot of the winter spending time with phenomenal brewers and one thing we wanted to get after was a softer, more fluid, devoid of “green” tasting IPA. Controlled Voltage is an example of a creamy, citrus forward non hop-burn flavor. Plenty of polished lemon, grapefruit and pineapple.”
Utopias Barrel-Aged Worldwide Stout, Dogfish Head, Milton, DE
“Chock full of intricate aromas and warming flavors, Sam Adams Utopias is a unique blend of aged ales dating back more than 25 years – the perfect complement to an already complex World Wide Stout. And thanks to a shipment of freshly emptied Utopias barrels from our friends at Sam Adams, we were able to see just how well these two beloved brews would mingle. After sitting in the barrels for a full seven months, Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout was born.
The result is a jet-black, rich and roasty beer with balanced notes of espresso, cocoa, sherry and vanilla that clocks in at
17.3% ABV.”
Winter Warmer, Eastern Shore Brewing Company, St. Michaels, MD
Winter Chills Ale, Fordham and Dominion Brewing Company, Dover, DE
This ale is 7.5% ABV and 28 IBU. “Warm up this season with Winter Chills, a limited release ale with a sweet aroma and caramel malt taste. With a small bite and medium body, this copper-colored dry ale leaves a lasting impression, just like a winter chill.” It contains Caramunich and Pale Smoked malt with Perle hops.
Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery, Rehoboth Beach, DE
“When you crack open the can and pour that first splash into your glass, you know exactly what we mean. With impressive tasting notes of dark chocolate, espresso, and citrus rind, this almost 10% ABV beer is one that you can’t resist sitting down and just enjoying. And while we recognize that an Imperial Stout is not for everyone, we think a great back story IS.”
Kunkle, Mispillion River Brewing, Milford, DE
Krunkle is described as a Winter Warmer with a 5.7% ABV and 19 IBU. It’s available as a 16 ounce draft or in a 5 ounce taster.
North County Pale Ale, Patriot Acres Farm Brewery, Sudlersville, MD
10 Layers with Mint, RaR Brewing, Cambridge, MD
Speaking of a beer for all seasons, have you had this seasonal gem yet? This brew is available seasonally, is an American Stout, and has an ABV of 7.2%.
Downtown Donut Brown, Revelation Craft Brewing Company, Rehoboth Beach, DE
“This beer is our imperial brown ale. We had fun making this one and used over 400 pounds of grain, 7 different malts, brown sugar, maple sugar, a touch of cinnamon, and it has 2 dozen donuts in the mash given to us by our friends at The Fractured Prune. While this is or highest ABV at 7.6%, it is a nice almost dessert style beer without any high alcohol perception.”
Bicycle Face with Sugar Plum, Ten Eyck Brewing Company, Queenstown, MD
This is a sour, fruited beer with an ABV of 7%. “The second in our Bicycle Face series of sour ales; Sugar Plum features loads of plum and candy flavors complimented by vanilla sweetness and aroma. Tart and sweet and pours a lovely light purple.”
Revelry, Thompson Island Brewing Company, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Have you tried this beer for all seasons (winter)? Revelry is a spiced “Amber IPA with classic hop notes from, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops, as well as a light touch of honey and cardamom for a light spice note.” ABV is 6.7%.
Fresh Porter, Sinepuxent Brewing Company, Berlin, MD
Fresh porter and a happy pup = “
The Loakal Branch, Delmar, DE
Author: Jack Bradley
Jack Bradley is a contributor to Oceancity.com and ShoreCraftBeer.com and works as an Academic Counselor at Delaware Technical Community College. He assists students with academic advisement, teaches first year seminars, manages the food pantry, and serves as advisor for the Alpha Zeta Kappa Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the Community College Honor Society. An English major at the College of the Holy Cross, Jack has always loved to write and is grateful for the opportunity to be a contributor to this site. He received an an M.B.A. from Clark University and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware. When he is not working or writing, he can be found out and about in Ocean City and surrounding towns, enjoying the amazing attractions they have to offer.
