The Chester River Brewing Company Finds a Home

Keven Shertz, owner of The Chester River Brewing Company, appreciates coincidence, especially when it resonates historically. When he discovered that Kent County had been home to a brewery 230 years ago he appreciated the precedent.

That precedent was set by one of the county’s more illustrious heroes of the Revolution, Col. Isaack Perkins, whose grist mill north of Chestertown near Urieville Lake made much needed flour for the Continental Army who were suffering from the harsh winter of 1777. Perkins was also brewing quite a lot of beer.

“I was happily surprised to discover a reference for Perkins’ business in a 1780 edition of the Pennsylvania Packet and Adviser newspaper,” Shertz says. “It’s just a little historical footnote but I like the sense of lineage.”

 Perkins was looking for a buyer for his operation and ran an ad that read, “To be sold or Let for one or more Years,  for a Malt and Brew-House situated in Kent county, Maryland (a rich, healthy and plentiful country). At this house may be manufactured 30 or 40 barrels of strong beer per week, and is situate(d) on the head of Morgan’s creek..”

Shertz, a local architect whose blueprint for a new business—a  “nano” brewery to create small-batch artisan ales in Chestertown—now includes an attractive location on Morgnec Rd.

“We think this is the right place for a successful on-premises tasting room and brewery. It was built in the early 1900s but has an older feel to it. I believe bricks from the nearby Chestertown Brick Co. were used and they’d probably been making them the same way for more than a century. We’d very much like to embrace the look and feel of the place when we work on the interior,” he says.

Shertz plans to post a copy of the article somewhere in the new facility to go along with some of the vintage brewery signs he’s collected over the years.

“It has been an interesting process getting this far,” he reflects. “Sometimes the regulatory process, zoning specifically, has been perceived as being contentious, but that’s not as accurate as saying that it has been a complex matter of defining a “nano-brewery” and how it works commercially,” Shertz explains. “New businesses often don’t fit current and outdated zoning rules, so when a business heads into new territory there’s often a lot of wrangling that goes on to accommodate the county, town and the business. It can be a steep learning curve for all.”

Microbreweries—small-scale artisan beer brewers—have become a quickly growing phenomenon in the U.S. with over 2,000 craft beer producers nationwide. While most distribution is regional, some sell their brew to a wider market using professional whole distributors who in turn sell to the marketplace.

“Nanobreweries” are an even more distinctive beer brewing operation. Born out of the home-brewing movement, “nonos” are home breweries on steroids with more reserved commercial aspirations. And they’re working. Across the country the demand for good locally brewed beer has grown exponentially. Offering a very limited supply of craft beer, most nonos do not seek to compete at market with the larger breweries. Those that do will some severe challenges.

“There’s limited shelf space for one thing and by the time a distributor is paid and wholesale price to the market deducted, a nano is left with a very slim margin to work with.”

Shertz has been watching this phenomenon closely and senses that there is something akin to the Dot Com and real estate bubbles of the past. He’s also wary of the giant beer companies who will eventually respond to the craft market. After all, they’re watching the market respond so favorably to the artisan beer phenomenon and are sure to make amove of some sort.

“We’ve actually installed the possibility of this kind of ‘market correction’ into our business plan. Right now we want to get established locally. First and foremost this is a community nano. It has a social element along with a commercial element and I think it’s good for everyone. Beer aficionados travel great distances to try out new craft beers. That means they come to Chestertown. Along the way they will probably do some shopping and drop in on one of our restaurants.”

For Shertz, the simplicity of on-premises tasting and direct-to-customer sales are the heart of his vision for success. “At this point I don’t want to risk the distributor-market sales plan. To do that would leave the future of Chester River Brewing Company up to fate. And right now I want to create great craft beer and invite my community to enjoy it. From there, we’ll see where it goes.”

The Chester River Brewing Company hopes to be open by mid-2014. Building permits, site plans, a county liquor license, a building addition and interior design will keep the architect of this new venture busy throughout the winter. But soon, Kevin Shertz will l be able to hoist an amber mug of his own concoction toward Urieville Lake and the memory of Kent County’s first brewmaster.

 

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www.chesterriverbrewingcompany.com is under construction.