Shore to Shore: Burnish Brewery Celebrates 5 Years and The Start of Oktoberfest
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. One local brewery opened its doors in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Now it’s looking ahead to its 5th anniversary and the start of Oktoberfest in this week’s edition of Shore to Shore.
Inside this brewery, the team is preparing for their spooktacular celebration that’s centered around good food, good beer, and even better company, but Burnish’s story started at a time when gathering together was anything but easy.
One of six owners, Virgil Shockley said, “This all started, in the middle of Covid. So, we built this out and took 17 months to build it, and we opened up October.”
In a time, when businesses were closing, people were staying home, and nobody knew what the next day would bring, Shockley decided to make some beer and design the spot all by hand.
“We literally took the wood off the pallets, put it on the wall and stained it, the wood by the bar. I personally it took me a week to stain it. Different colors at the time and going through. So part of yourself in any business, it’s a small business. It’s part of you,” said Shockley.
From the picnic tables outside, to refurbishing indoor tables and chairs, the Shockley’s handy work is in everything you see. With the family business nearing 5 years of hoppy-ness, it’s all hands-on deck for this year’s Oktoberfest.
He said, “That’s when we do the Stein holding, which, if anybody has ever tried that, it looks like it’s no big deal. Hold a sign out and put your thumb on top of it and put 24oz of beer in it and see if you can hold it for ten minutes.”
If you’re more into seasonal food and drinks special, Burnish Brewery Beer Company’s Oktoberfest menu will having you falling in love.
“We’ve got one more that’s coming out in about two weeks from now. So we’ll actually have three in October. This is Pumpkin Spice Brew Goblin’s pumpkin Spice, Fest bier is German, kind of a German style beer. So, we try to go with the seasons,”
Burnish’s Chef Taylor Fallon said, “We have a savory option and a dessert one with cinnamon and sugar and then some cream cheese dips. We’re doing a pork schnitzel on a pretzel bun, sauerkraut, German potato salad.”
