E-Malt.com News article: USA, DE: Third Wave Brewing Co. to open in Delmar by mid-July

Third Wave Brewing Co. at the Beach USA is scheduled to open in Delmar at the Bi-State Boulevard location that until a few weeks ago was home to the Evolution Craft Brewing Co. The new brewery is expected to open with a tasting room in mid-July, federal permit approvals pending, expanding the region's craft brewing industry taking off on the Delmarva Peninsula and nationwide, Delmarvanow.com reported on June, 3.

Salisbury residents Suellen Vickers and Lori Clough partnered to purchase the former Evolution property from Southern Boys Concepts, the parent company of Evolution, which recently relocated its brew operation to Salisbury.

"How many times are you going to ride down the road and there's a brewery for sale?" Vickers said. "We've got big shoes to fill. (Evolution) set the stage for good beer."

Third Wave owners already envision expansion, calling the proposed brewery and tasting room a drop in the barrel of a business model that eventually could include a bottling and local distribution division.

Initially, 3rd Wave will brew an IPA, a porter and an ale.

"We are developing new flavors," Vickers said. "We've been brewing at home for 18 months, trying recipes to improve efficiency, color and taste."

Initially, brews will be poured on draft.

"When we nail down a couple of good brews that people like, we'll bottle it and distribute it locally," she said. "We want three good beers out to enjoy. That's our goal."

Southern Boys principals, brothers Tom and John Knorr, lent 3rd Wave owners their expertise and support, Vickers said. The brothers are regarded as leaders in the craft beer industry and instrumental in putting the region on the map among brew connoisseurs.

"John and Tom have been just awesome, leading us in the right direction to make this dream possible," Vickers said. "Words can't express camaraderie in craft brewing. It's a positive adventure in a growing industry and an exciting time for our local area."

Wesley Cox, a Salisbury realtor at Sperry Van Ness-Miller Commercial Real Estate who handled the turn-key property sale, said the 501 Bi-State Boulevard property was equipped with brewing equipment and other essentials, enabling 3rd Wave to launch the business with little structural preparation.

"The building is 85 percent equipped," Vickers said.

For 3rd Wave owners, the brewery is a dream come true.

"It was a dream, and suddenly, the brewery became available and we hopped on it," Vickers said. "We've gotten a positive response from everybody. We're waiting on federal paperwork, and our tentative opening date for brewing is mid-July."

Vickers and Clough have been best friends for years, having met at a restaurant in Ocean City where Clough was Vickers' manager. Growing up in Ocean City, Vickers knew well that the third in an ocean-wave set typically is regarded among surfers as the best. Hence, the name 3rd Wave was a no-brainer for the new suds business, she said.

"Usually, waves come in sets of three," she said. "I was raised in Ocean City and I know that the third is usually the best."

Next up is hiring a pro brewer, or brew master.

"We want a professional, educated pro brewer," Vickers said. "We hired a consultant to help us find a pro brewer."

The partners count Dogfish Head brewery of Milton, the relatively new Burley Oak brewery in Berlin and of course, Evolution among shining examples of regional quality craft breweries. Their reputations for quality is an automatic marketing mechanism for 3rd Wave.

"They set the stage for good beer," she said. "We want to be known as a great brewing area."


06 June, 2012