World Class Beer, World Class Beauty: Our Story
ShoreCraftBeer.com is an effort to bring all the information related to craft beer on the Shore together in one place. We focus on local breweries, craft beer, hotels that offer packages, bars and restaurants, and general education, in addition to highlighting all the fantastic destinations we have here on the Shore.
The idea started in the fall of 2014 when we realized that we had 19 breweries within a one-hour radius of Ocean City. When we released our first brewery guide in 2015, there were 21 breweries. Today, there are more than 26 craft breweries open for business here on the Shore, and that number only continues to grow.
We discovered through our work on OceanCity.com that many of our local bars, restaurant, and hotel owners didn’t realize how good our locally produced beer was, how much of this great craft beer was being produced locally, and how valuable this resource was to their own businesses. We were hearing that “craft beer was a fad” and that women didn’t like craft beer. Ann started her career working in marketing for an airline thirty years ago. That airline had 10 shuttles a day between Washington Dulles and Boston. They entered into a marketing agreement with Jim Koch at Sam Adams to ONLY serve his craft beer inflight — 30 years does not a fad make!
In addition, 15% of all craft beer is consumed by women. Locally, at least 40% of the people in our breweries and brewpubs are women. While they may not drink as much, you can’t say that women don’t like craft beer. And the burgeoning nature of the craft beer industry and the preference for beers with flavor, body, and personality all pointed to one thing: Education! There is literally a beer for everybody. Low alcohol and served on ice, high alcohol and served in a brandy snifter to be sipped by a roaring fire; Thirst quenching, solid IPAs, award-winning porters, coffee stouts, and fruited wheats. All are here and ready to be enjoyed.
As the craft beer scene has expanded on the Shore, so has Shore Craft Beer. We’ve continued to add new beer festivals to our resume while continuing the old favorites; In 2016 we debuted our Shore Craft Beer app, where we continue to add fun beer challenges where any craft connoisseur can embark on a challenge and win prizes; In 2018 we started “Beer Notes,” the first craft beer-centered radio program available for national syndication; and in 2019 we’re releasing this new brewery guide with added and updated information about all things local craft beer.
We invite you to join us, to enjoy our World Class Beer and World Class Beauty, and to see just what it is that makes the Shore a craft beer destination. Cheers!
Marketing
Together, our team at Shore Craft Beer and OceanCity.com have almost 50 years experience working in marketing, sales, and the restaurant and bar industries. Our goal is the make the Shore a Top Craft Beer Destination. Together with others in related industries, we will lead the way and ensure that our local breweries thrive, our farmers grow crops that are complementary to this industry, our bars and restaurants sell more locally-produced craft beer, and our hotels offer craft beer packages so that craft beer drinkers within a driving radius of the Shore will have Beercations that offer access to our award-winning beer and our world class beauty.
Teamwork
OceanCity.com launched Shore Craft Beer for this very specific purpose of celebrating our local craft beer and making the Shore a Craft Beer Destination. Many businesses and organizations joined us in our efforts and are helping to lead the way. The Ocean City Hotel Motel Restaurant Association, the Ocean City Downtown Corporation, Worcester County, Wicomico County, the Towns of Berlin, Ocean City, and Salisbury, Delmarva Public Radio, the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, and many others have helped our efforts. We thank all of you and look forward to working together to realize this dream of making the Shore a craft beer destination!
