Burnish Beer Company celebrated their second anniversary in October 2023. For a relatively new brewery, they have come a long way in that short time. But then, the Burnish team has brought a lot of experience and a diversity of talent to this brewing venture.
Meet Randy
I'd met Randy Mills at several beer festivals and had heard his name from others in the Maryland beer industry for some time before that. Randy is one of the four owners of Burnish Beer.
I traveled to Salisbury MD in November 2023, to meet up with Randy to learn more about where he came from and how Burnish Beer Company came into being.
Starting as a home brewer and later attending brewing school at Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, Burnish is the third brewery Randy has helped build out. He worked for five years at Evolution Brewing at their original location in Delmar DE and later in Salisbury, MD, and then was a co-owner at RAR Brewing in Cambridge, MD. If you know Maryland Eastern Shore beer, you understand those are some big names in the business.
Randy Mills, Burnish Beer Co. brewer and co-owner
An Old Boat Factory
In May 2020, beginning with what was a rusted and abandoned boat factory, the Burnish team made smooth and bright, and from that optimism and foresight came the name for their brewery. Randy’s wife Brenna enjoys photography and tells how one day she was taking photos of the building that would become the brewery. They were still struggling for a name at that time. Rust was foremost in the building and so she went to the thesaurus to she how she could play off that. The opposite of rust is burnish — or maybe better thought of as a refinement — was revealed in her research and she suggested that as a possible name for the brewery. And thus Burnish was adopted. Perhaps as a reminder from where they have came, the rusted metal behind the bar that greets you as you enter the taproom was repurposed from Randy’s father-in-laws old chicken houses. It was allowed to rust a bit more and sealed and now sits behind the polished Burnish lettering. An aesthetic touch with a lot of meaning.
On October 21, 2012, Burnish opened their doors to the public.
Rusted roof metal adorns the taproom bar
“burnish [bur-nish] verb
1. to polish (a surface) by friction.
2. to make smooth and bright.”
The Beer
Burnish signature beers include Shine IPA and Roy Light, a gateway to craft beer for those that may only know light American lagers. At the taproom they pour an array of IPAs, sours, and styles for all tastes currently including a couple of barrel-aged imperial stouts. For non-beer drinkers they offer wine, ciders, and seltzers.
Burnish Beer Co. - Salisbury MD
The Kitchen
They were surprised by the success of the restaurant side of Burnish and plan to expand the kitchen. Still, patrons will discover food options for many tastes including beyond-pub-food items such as a wood-fired Bavarian Pretzel, Baja Shrimp Bowl, a Belgian Waffle dessert, and wood-fired pizza, plus a kids menu.
Wood fired pizza and beer
Meet Matt
Co-owner Matt Shockley was once an art teacher and does the art work for the labeling. He had done labeling work for Burley Oak and RAR as well as some other local breweries.
Matt Shockley at the computer.
Burnish co-owner Matt Shockley pours at the Easton Beer Festival.
The Brewing System
Burnish is currently working with a 15-barrel production system, and 2.5 barrel pilot brew system. They expect to brew 2,000 bbls in 2023, their second full year of production. In December 2020, soon after they had opened they brought on a canning line which they picked up in Austin TX. At that time, breweries were scurrying to move beer as taprooms had been closed and if they didn't have a canning line, they got one.
Final Thoughts
This old converted boat factory provides a lot of room with room to grow. Currently they can sit up to 300 people inside and outside. In the Spring they plan to open an outside bar converted from a shipping container. Burnish will soon be expanding distribution to Northern Virginia and are getting ready to send their first shipment to Japan.
Just a few miles off US Route 50, Burnish Beer Co should be a planned stop on your way to or from ocean beach destinations. Grab a pint and bite and then some beer to go.
