USA, VA: Chesapeake Brewing Company to open in Annapolis next month

Chesapeake Brewing Company plans to bring its Eastern Shore fare and beers to Annapolis next month, CapitalGazette.com reported on January 7.

On Feb. 9 — Fat Tuesday — Carolyn and David Marquis will open their restaurant and brewery at 114 West St., the site of the former Crush Winehouse. They have an existing operation in Crisfield in Somerset County, but have temporarily closed it while they get their Annapolis venture off the ground.

The upcoming site will offer a menu that includes stout burgers, crab cakes and lamb chops, as well as beers from Eastern Shore breweries. Since they will be within the Annapolis Arts and Entertainment District, each month they will host a forum devoted to the arts. Drink specials will also be offered to U.S. Naval Academy alumni because David Marquis is a 1985 graduate. Their Beat Army Golden Lager had already been selling here.

Chesapeake Brewing has been in Crisfield for seven years and the couple has long been looking to expand to a second location. They talked to officials in St. Mary's and Calvert counties, as well as looking at potential sites in Florida and South Carolina. They didn't think they could afford Annapolis, but then were able to meet with landlord John Chritzos and Hollis Minor, the city's economic development manager. They were offered the best incentives and a timetable that was suitable for when they wanted to open, Carolyn Marquis said.

"It's basically taking what we've been doing in Crisfield and expanding it by bringing in all other Eastern Shore brewers," Carolyn Marquis said.

"You have to know beers and understand beers," she said. "That is critical. You can't just open a brew pub… You have to know the difference between an IPA (India Pale Ale) and a stout, the difference between a porter and an ale."

08 January, 2016