In this week’s Beer with Strangers sub episode we speak with 3rd Wave salesperson Traci Huggans about her time driving from tip to tip of the peninsula and beyond sharing the 3rd Wave gospel. Traci started out in the hospitality industry but eventually moved into working for a distributor and eventually leveraged that experience into her current gig.
Since her arrival, the Delmar brewery has added contract canning to its lineup and also an additional 60 barrels of capacity. There’s plenty of 3rd Wave being made and finding the right places for it remains a real challenge. As craft beer grows, the fight for shelf space and bar tap handles can get a little competitive. Traci said that being diverse makes them competitive.
3rd Wave Events
Traci also gave us a rundown of some of the upcoming events at 3rd Wave, which you can check out on their website if you don’t happen to listen with a pan and pencil. One of the most anticipated events, though, is going to be when the 3rd Wave crew opens up the patio section at the brewery.
The place already is a pretty popular local hangout, but when it rains it can get crowded in the tasting room. When it’s beautiful out dozens come to sit in the cordoned-off parking lot area that has picnic tables and benches and the like. For the last year or so plans have been in the works to get that area expanded to include the unused portion of the property directly next to the brewery.
The plan is eventually to get it covered and install bathrooms, etc. making it a shelter from the sun and even from the cold in the winter. Once that’s open 3rd Wave, which already is a local destination brewery likely will become a regional destination brewery.
We talk about plenty more that I’m not going to recount here. Remember, you can check out the podcast above or you can subscribe on iTunes (also above).
Author: Tony Russo
Tony Russo has worked as a print and digital journalist for the better part of the 21st century, writing for and editing regional weeklies and dailies before joining the team that produces OceanCity.com and ShoreCraftBeer.com among other destination websites. In addition to having documented everything from zoning changes to art movements on the Delmarva Peninsula, Tony has written two books on beer for the History Press. Eastern Shore Beer was published in 2014 and Delaware Beer in 2016. He lives in Delmar, Md. with his wife Kelly and the only of his four daughters who hasn't moved out. Together they keep their two dogs comfortable.
