Ocean City Brewery Granted Wholesale Distributor Request

OCEAN CITY – Assawoman Bay Brewing Co. received the green light last week to become a separate entity from Shallow Waters Restaurant and move forward as a wholesale distributor.

On Feb. 18, the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing to review the request of the existing Assawoman Bay Brewing Co. to receive a Conditional Use Permit to operate separately from Shallow Waters Restaurant, which is for sale.

The Conditional Use would also allow for the brewery to distribute as a wholesaler other than being limited to only distributing to 45th St. Village restaurants.

Currently, Assawoman Bay Brewing Co. operates alongside with Shallow Waters Restaurant located in the 45th St. Village under the same ownership of the Sibony family, which owns the remainder of the village including OC Steamers and 45th St. Taphouse restaurants.

“There is a brewery at the 45th St. Village that is an accessory to the food and beverage establishment that is there. You can have a retail type of operation onsite but it has to be sold onsite,” Zoning Administrator Blaine Smith said. “They would like to distribute offsite and that is why it has to be a Conditional Use, similar to what was approved as a Conditional Use on 56th Street at the Ocean City Brewery Company because they do off-site sales.”

OC Brewery went through a stringent process to receive its Conditional Use as it broke the seal in Ocean City for being a wholesale distributor and being partially surrounded by residential neighborhoods. However, Smith reported OC Brewery has been a good neighbor and there have not been complaints of noise or odor.

Smith pointed out the operations are similar except Assawoman Bay Brewing Co. is surrounded by commercial properties.

Brewmaster Jason Weissberg has been with Assawoman Bay Brewing Co. since its inception last year but has been professionally brewing since 1999. Most recently he served as general manager at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Del.

According to Weissberg, Assawoman Brewing Co. is not a large enough operation to require large trucks to pick-up the product for delivery.

“We don’t have the facilities or the equipment to create enough beer for deliveries like that. This is just moving kegs by hand traffic,” he said.

However, the brewery’s goal is to increase its volume for off-site distribution.

“I would like to get to the point where I can hire more staff and create more jobs in regards to a sales force, assistance in the brewery or general labor. We are well underway,” Weissberg said.

Since the brewery has already been in operation for over eight months without any issues, the commission had little discussion prior to approving the Conditional Use.

“It is an asset to Ocean City,” Commissioner John Staley said.

In case of a change in ownership, the commission did vote to place stipulations with the approval.

Commission member Lauren Taylor made a motion to approve the Conditional Use based on the conditions if the brewery moved forward with canning or bottling they return to the commission for approval, grain waste is removed daily, all grain storage remains inside, wholesale draft only, the applicant pay any fees related to the treated wastewater from the brewery and the monitoring of any site plan changes.

The commission voted to approve with commission member Peck Miller recusing himself and member Palmer Gillis abstaining.