Burley Oak has new craft beers for summer, and yes, even spirits. Find out what's brewing.

Change and experimentation have always been highlights in the craft beer space.

From IPAs to sours to stouts, something interesting is always just around the corner.

Burley Oak Brewing Company’s fruited sours with lactose are popular with fans of craft beer, but lately lagers and pilsners are getting the love just in time for summer.

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Burley Oak joins in shift to lighter, brighter beers

One fun lager is a rice lager called Blue Duck.

“That’s something fun that we’ve just been playing with. Different lagers and different ingredients. Small changes in ingredients can make some different, some really great flavors,” Bryan Brushmiller, founder of Burley Oak Brewing Company, said.

“We’ve been experimenting with different types of hops too.”

Lately the trend in craft beer has been shifting over to lighter beers and brighter beers.

Right now, there are five pilsners and lagers on tap at Burley Oak. One of which is on a side pull/pour tap, Shepherd, a New Zealand pilsner.

The side pull/pour tap or Czech beer faucet allows better control of the flow to create a creamy and sweet foam. It’s a traditional way to drink a Czech pilsner. Different levels of foam or the head will gave the beer a different taste.

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IPA brews, summer lagers also on tap now at Burley Oak

Another recent addition is Off-Menu, it’s a double IPA.

“It’s incredibly good,” Brushmiller said.

Club Sandwich is another of their double IPAs with a lower ABV (alcohol by volume) than Off-Menu but still having a bold flavor.

Two more lagers released in time for the hot summer months are Sea Heathen Especial, a Vienna lager, and Slice Shop, an Italian style pilsner made in collaboration with The Cap’ns Slice.

The Cap’ns Slice is a pizza shop at 8 Pitts Street in Berlin.

“We do multiple beers that are new every month, so there’s always one or two new beers. The way its trending people are excited when they come in, they see that we’ve got four lagers or four pilsners or something,” he said.

The brew process takes longer for lagers and pilsners, but Brushmiller said they’re very popular.

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So what about Burley Oak's popular sours?

But is Burley Oak moving away from fruited sour lactose beers?

“We still do it, and we still produce two new ones a month. They’re popular. We still have a great following for those. I think if anything we’re moving trying to just do a lot of pilsners and lager beers that we like experimenting with since it’s summertime,” he said.

“We love making beers that we like to drink. Then really the biggest thing for us is moving into the spirits and ready to drink cocktails. We’re able to accommodate everyone.”

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Burley Oak moves into spirits in addition to craft beers

It was last September when Burley Oak Brewing Company branched out into spirits after getting their permit.

Their first line of vodka was launched the beginning of the year.

“Before we were just beer and now, we’re all about all alcoholic beverages, and that’s something nice to be able to accommodate. If you’re not a beer drinker, we have something for everybody now, so that’s awesome,” Brushmiller said.

This season, an espresso vodka and several fruit vodkas have been released and are currently available for purchase.

“We’re seeing grapefruit, orange, watermelon, peach vodkas being popular. And then everybody likes the espresso martini,” he said.

Brushmiller said they started getting into making spirits with RTDs, or ready to drink cocktails.

“We saw that uptick in the market and then also, we had a wonderful experience using fruits in our beers. We thought this would be a great time to use those fruits in some other vodka-based beverages,” he said.

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Move into spirits leads to addition of Burley Oak speakeasy

Bringing in vodka also led to Burley Oak opening a speakeasy. They still have the taproom that will always serve beer, but if go around you can find another bar in the back that serves beer, wine and craft cocktails.

“We also do lots of other different styles of vodka that we can make into cocktails that we do specialty next door,” he said.

If you’d prefer to drink at home, for $25 a bottle you can take them to-go.

Burley Oak’s vodka can be bought at liquor stores in Worcester and Wicomico counties as well as in high-end stores across Maryland and Delaware.

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Live music adds to the fun mix at Burley Oak

Burley Oak has a big outdoor space with a stage for bands to come and perform.

“Because we are a place to see music,” he said.

Three bands are on the schedule to perform in May: The Schizophrenic Boogiemen, The Grateful Allman Band Experience and Summer of the Dead.

With all types of alcohol now on the menu when going to see a live performance, Brushmiller said that now people don’t need to try sneaking in alcohol.

“It’s nice to utilize our own vodkas in these cocktails,” he said.

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Rums and bourbons will be up next for Burley Oak

Burley Oak isn’t going to stop at just Vodka. Rums and bourbons are in the works but right now they are focused on combining their experiences with fruiting beers and vodkas.

“That’s been real fun,” he said.

To stay up to date with what’s on tap and events Burley Oak hosts check out their website at burleyoak.com.

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Salisbury's Evolution Craft Brewing also has new craft beers

If you’re looking for more new releases in the Salisbury area, Evolution Craft Brewing Co. & Public House recently released Evolution White, a Belgian-style beer.

It marries the traditional coriander, clove and citrus from Belgian yeast and spices with a robust backbone of wheat and oats. Naturally hazy in the glass, this wheat beer has enough body and flavor to drink any time of year.

Its 5% ABV and 15 IBU. It can be bought on draft and in cans at EVO. It should be releasing in stores soon.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: New craft beers and, yes, spirits at Burley Oak. What's brewing now.