by Justin Odendhal

After months of waiting and speculation, Evolution Craft Brewing Company has finally opened the doors to the brand new Evolution Public House and Brewery here in Salisbury.

The great beer and service is still here, but with improvements all around and great food, this sure isn’t tax-free Delmar, Delaware anymore.

In the Last Round, we covered the Eastern shore staple of Evolution beer and the snug, but obviously too small brewery, just a few miles north of Salisbury. Moving into the old Reddy Ice plant located off of Rt. 13, Evolution takes over a much larger building to accompany their growing company.

Taking keys from other successful micro-brews across the country, Evolution has kept their famous tasting room for their “Flight” tasting program, but added on the Public House. Knowing that food instigates conversation, Evolution takes pride in the food they are bringing here to the college town of Salisbury.

Your first steps into the Public House you are welcomed into the bar area, where you can view everything from the bartender pouring your Primal Pale to the head chef checking the fondue.

For those SU students with legal palettes, you are given your fresh Evo and a few select other beer choices on a large chalkboard with the locations, IBUs and other beer facts that you’ll forget. For those under 21 year olds looking for a good meal. don’t worry: even the sodas are artesian, no Coca-Cola here.

Glancing at the menu, you appreciate the selection of dishes created by the Chilean head chef, who brings a solid mix of South American and pub food, with a slight Asian flair, to Salisbury. The wait staff is particularly helpful, knowing small details about each dish that only the kitchen staff would know.

To provoke conversation and make the environment livelier, food is served in large portions and as ready, almost family style. Even the dishes get you talking though; Lucky 7 flavored bacon and other beer infused ingredients get the table excited.

Following the recommendations of Wally, our waiter extraordinaire, we ordered the Sweet Potato Fries, Pac & Cheese and the Crab Cake Sandwich; a standard Eastern shore meal. To add on to that Delmarva feeling, almost all of the ingredients used are fresh and local.

As with any new restaurant opening, there was still some tweaking to be done with the recipes we were told, but not much change is needed. Small things in each dish made them stand out.

Don’t fret about seeing edamame in your Pac and Cheese, you’ll start to appreciate the vegetables you were told to eat as a child. The apple slaw that no one usually touches? A nice vinegar surprise and a snack in its own.

Feeling like a kid in a candy store, but instead a brewery, I had to insist on a Lucky 7 Float despite already being healthily engorged and three pints deep. This little concoction shows the fun of Evolution, taking what they know best and making you love it more.

With one of the better menus in area and the freshest beer in town, there’s no wonder the excitement that has come with the brewery and Public House. Now what will you be having?

Make sure you read the next installment of Another Round for an interview with Evolution Craft Brewery’s owner Tom and a review of the Evo Belgian Sprung.

by Diana Dwyer & Justin Odendhal 

The roads are slow and the beer flows fresh at the Delmar, Del.-based Evolution Craft Brewing Co., known affectionately as EVO.

Regulars pop into the small, wooden barrel-laden bar to refill their growlers on a regular basis while EVO virgins can find their new favorite at a tasting. The EVO brewery and the tastings bar are only separated by a glass wall, so you can peer in the brewery while perched at the bar.

The tasting tour is a deal even if you’ve tried all of the “Mainline” beers available year-round because it includes five 6.5 oz tasting glasses of beer, adding up to over two pints for only $5. The Mainline beers include Primal Pale Ale, Exile ESB, Lucky 7 Porter, Lot No. 3 India Pale Ale and Rise Up Stout.

Growlers cut beer fund costs after an initial purchase of the glass container for $5. Mainline refills cost $7 and seasonal brews cost $8. The current seasonal is Secret Spot Winter. Growlers hold 64 oz, which equals four pints.

A growler refill costs only slightly more than a pint at a typical bar and tastes much fresher than bottles stocked on shelves. Sealed growlers have a fridge shelf life of nearly a month, but once they’re opened, they’ll go flat after two or three days.

Those unwilling to trek up to Delmar need only wait until February for EVO to move to the former Reddy Ice building on Eastern Shore Drive in Salisbury. However, it’s worth the ride if your palate is sick of Keystone tendencies.

 Best Brews:

Diana’s top pick: Exile ESB

Justin’s top pick: Rise Up Stout

by Diana Dwyer and Justin Odendhal

It’s Wednesday, and you’re halfway done with classes for the week. You probably need a beer.

Since its opening in September 2009, Specific Gravity has been a favorite of Salisbury University students and locals alike. Specific’s Pint Night plan evolved when the staff decided the best way to boost sales and mid-week morale was to start the weekend on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. And it worked. Wednesday’s crowd trumps the weekend’s.

“We had to come up with something to bring people in, something new,” Operating Manager Brian Polcynski said.

A major draw to Pint Night is collecting glasses from the featured brewery that usually cost $1, depending on the brewery. Polcynski knows his patrons enjoy collecting glasses from different breweries and does his best to find a new brewery to offer, typically from a microbrewery. He does this by contacting suppliers and developing relationships with distributors.

Long ‘Last Supper’-style tables invite conversation with friends and strangers alike in a relaxed atmosphere. Once the specialty keg is tapped, conversations flow. Share conversations and a pizza with friends, but order early because with large crowds come long waits.

“Specific… it’s a low-key joint,” said graduate student Chris Ward. “It has some pretty special craft brews on tap. Definitely a place to check out.”

Beer Club sheets log every beer tasted with a rating system, which is intended to be fun and increase knowledge of craft beers.

“It’s all about saying, ‘I don’t like porter beers,’ but then you go back and see that you do,” Polcynski said.

It’s a learning experience for some and bragging rights for others, as full sheets cement ‘regular status’ and flex beer-tasting expertise.

Pint Night is the perfect opportunity to alleviate Hump Day stress and sample something new.

by Diana Dwyer and Justin Odenhal

“Do you know where the wine is,” slurred one already-overindulged participant at the Autumn Wine Festival wobbling in front of a sampling station last weekend.

The ninth-annual festival featured 22 wineries strictly from Maryland, as well as attendees from across the state. This is part of an ongoing effort by the Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism to attract visitors.

Compared to the Good Beer Festival last weekend, which was also hosted in Pemberton Park, the average age of participants was older. There were fewer SU students because wine did not seem as popular with the college students as beer. However, it drew a bigger and more diverse crowd than the beer festival, including wine novices and experts alike.

Salisbury University senior Sam Kempf started the day knowing little about wines, but was given the chance to learn while working at the Boordy Vineyards stand.

“I learned about the different types of wine categories and the nuances that encompass each,” he said.

Kempf said Boordy harnesses the uniqueness of Maryland by using apples grown and harvested in Harford County in its Chilled Apple wine. The winery advertises its 100 percent apple wine to be “as close as a wine can get to an apple without hanging from a tree!”

From dry to sweet, white to red, the options seemed nearly endless. The samples satisfied any palate.

“The younger, hip crowd goes for the sweet, fruity stuff,” observed sophomore Sean Keating, who also worked at Boordy.

This wine festival didn’t target the younger college crowd, but it did provide an opportunity to unwind on the weekend and learn about wine.

by Diana Dwyer and Justin Odendhal

College budget crunches make beers like Natural Bohemian popular party picks, but the tradition of craft beer on the Eastern Shore is no exception in the college scene.

The second-annual Good Beer Festival offered unlimited 2-ounce samples of more than 50 craft beers from over 25 local breweries as well as those from as far as Colorado and California.

“If I had a nickel for every 2-ounce beer I drank, I’d be rich and drunk,” senior Bryant Howard said.

The challenge of finding a table on featured pint night on Wednesdays at Specific Gravity Pizzeria & Bottle Shop is a testament to the popularity of craft beer on Delmarva.

Participants queued at the festival for the plentiful pumpkin brews, as well as a variety of ales and lagers. Senior Cody Robbins said Oskar Blues G’Night was his favorite beer at the festival.

“I came here to support local breweries,” senior Kevin Palmer said.

Twelve bands on two stages entertained the crowds. Chris English, a blues musician and lecturer of the music department, sang and played guitar with his band on Saturday.

“I came for the good times and the great times,” senior Scott Wise said.

Eastern Shore heritage was represented by more than the craft beer. Attendees played cornhole games and ate traditional Eastern Shore fare such as crab balls and cakes, barbeque pulled pork, kettle corn and fried pickles.

“I love the craft beer. It has flavor unlike Budweiser and Natty,” said an attendee who identified himself as Tyler Durden, a character from the movie Fight Club.

The six-hour festival was a test of endurance for some and a race against the clock for those who wanted to try as many samples as they could (responsibly) consume.

“Does anybody have a pillow?” asked senior Sam Kempf, who searched for the most generous sample-pourers.

The Maryland Autumn Wine Festival will similarly offer unlimited samples from Maryland wineries on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 6 p.m. in Pemberton Park.