Spirits are alive at Beach Time Distilling
After working for seven years at Dogfish Head, Greg Christmas was committed to getting into the craft beer game – he even developed a business plan to open a brewery. But when the Delaware Legislature passed a law legalizing craft distilleries in 2012, Christmas shifted focus.
Three years later, Beach Time Distilling has opened its doors in Nassau, producing a variety of locally made spirits.
“I decided that betting my nest egg on something like [a brewery] without any practical experience was foolhardy,” said Christmas, who worked as a plant engineer at Dogfish.
Spirits are where Christmas is most comfortable. Several years ago, while living in the Appalachian Mountains of east Tennessee, he learned to make liquor by way of clandestine distilling.
“It's a deeply, culturally engrained thing, and people actually pay a premium price for an inferior product just because they know who made it or they knew the money was staying local,” he said. “I learned you have to be there awhile before you earn people's trust to talk about it a little. I dabbled in it and learned how to run a still while I was down there.”
Christmas has honed his skills since those days. After deciding to opening a distillery, he took a course on distilling at Michigan State University to get a better knowledge of the science and technique required. He also toured several distilleries in Florida and connected with other distillers he can rely on for advice and guidance.
“I'm still refining the process,” he said. “I think that's just a part of it – continuous improvement will go on forever.”
Right now, Christmas is offering a silver rum, spiced rum and vodka. In short order, he expects to release a gin. Further down the line, he said, he's planning to produce fruit-infused rum, a watermelon vodka with Delmarva watermelons and a coffee liquor.
Christmas' location at the corner of New and Nassau roads is ideal to pull in passersby, he said. A simple sign saying “Open. Slow down for rum” and a post to Beach Time Distilling's Facebook page was enough to generate a crowd. Shortly after opening earlier this month, Christmas said, curious people driving past or visiting Old World Breads next door walked through the door.
“I had this fear that I would open and it would just be me and my music,” he said. “Fortunately, we had a good opening.”
The tasting room is open 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday; 3 to 7 p.m., Friday; noon to 7 p.m., Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday. Folks can try Christmas' products, buy a bottle or two and even pick up some Beach Time Distilling merchandise.
For the short term, Christmas said, his products will be available only at the distillery. His goal is to have his liquors added to the bars of several local restaurants. Eventually, he'd like to see some changes to state law that would allow him to sell at farmers markets and sell directly to Cape Region restaurants.
For more information about Beach Time Distilling, call 302-644-2850 or go to www.facebook.com/BeachBumDistilling.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
