By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON
For Grays Harbor News Group
It should really come as no surprise that the Ocean Pours Taproom came about as the result of “a lot of beer drinking and brainstorming,” according to co-owner Randy Gardner, of Shoreline.
His cousin, Roy Seeman, lives in Olympia and owns a house in Ocean Shores. With Seeman’s godson, Chris Shifman, they make up a trio that has frequented the area for years and “long lamented the lack of a beer destination type establishment” near the beach, Shifman said.
About six months ago they noticed a small building for rent in a good location — 759 Ocean Shores Blvd. NW, just north of the Shilo Inn — and the dream started to become a reality.
Three months ago, Shifman moved to Ocean Shores from Portland, where he has been teaching college-level Latin and English, to oversee the remodeling needed to accommodate 16 taps serving an open main area and a separate party room.
Ocean Shores Taproom has already established a strong social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, and that seems to be working. “We were getting lots of questions before we opened,” Shifman said.
Even so, their “soft open” on Dec. 14 surprised them. “We poured 269 pints our first day. That’s pretty incredible,” he said.
“It seems to be working; everybody seems to really like it,” he added. “The people in Ocean Shores have been fantastically supportive!”
Shifman is the general manager and the “Cicerone Certified” beer expert who will be responsible for implementing what the partners see as the true taproom concept: a huge variety of craft beers that is in constant rotation, such that they will offer hundreds of different brews over the course of a year.
“I’ve tasted every beer, wine and soda” as part of the quest “to serve excellent craft beer in Ocean Shores,” he said. “Even the sodas we serve are craft.”
They have employed a sophisticated software system that offers detailed information about all of their current offerings and lets customers keep track of and rate the brews they’ve tried. It’s accessible online and at the Taproom.
Come spring, they plan to open an outdoor beer garden, and they’re making arrangements for an Ocean Shores Beer Fest in early September. They’ve made a deal for quick delivery to the taproom of most menu items from nearby Double Barrel BBQ. They also intend to conduct monthly promotions that will give a portion of proceeds on specific beers to several area nonprofits.
For the winter, Ocean Pours Taproom is open Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.. They plan to expand their hours in the spring.
For more information, call 360-940-9180 or visit www.OceanPoursTaproom.com.
From left, bartender Beth Douglas, general manager Chris Shifman and co-owner Randy Gardner of the newly opened Ocean Pours Taproom.
From left, bartender Beth Douglas, general manager Chris Shifman and co-owner Randy Gardner of the newly opened Ocean Pours Taproom.
