Sometimes, you simply need a change.

Such was the case with our newest driver, Darius Clark. After years in retail, he couldn’t resist the call of the open road, and wanted to become a driver.

“In his interview, I liked him immediately,” says Distribution Manager Justin Vitti. “He came highly recommended from one of our current drivers, Brandon Jones, who is turning out to be a great asset to the brewery. Darius had characteristics that spoke to our Core Values, so it wasn’t a difficult decision.”

Welcome Darius!

Dennisville native Darius Clark graduated from Ocean City High School before working at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Cape May Court House, but found the need to get out of retail.

“The people got to me,” he says, laughing. “I was done.”

So, he traveled to Springfield, MO, to try to get his CDL. A trucking company was sponsoring people to come down to get their licenses, so he endured a 30-hour ride on a Greyhound bus to get there.

“I got to go through a lot of different states to get there,” he says, “which was nice. The ride was horrible, but I did have a two-hour layover in Pittsburgh, so I got to eat at Permanti Bros.”

A Pittsburgh institution since 1933, they’re the ones who put fries on their sandwiches. So good! 

“It didn’t get me any further in my career,” he says. “But, I had to pay nothing for it, except for my trip back. However, I learned that I didn’t really want to do cross-country trucking.”

Darius is an aspiring homebrewer — meaning that he wants to, but he just hasn’t started yet.

“I think I want to start off making mead,” he says. “It’s a little easier to get into, but honey’s not cheap. I was thinking about getting one of those new Flow Hives — they’re minimally-invasive.”

When Darius is out on the road, odds are he’ll be listening to such bands as Rise Against or A Day to Remember — harder stuff — while he dreams about getting home to his video games and relaxing.

“I’m a big fan of RPGs, action games,” he says. “You know, games where not everything is handed to you, where you’ve kinda got to go out and do it yourself.”

He sounds like a guy who’s a bit of a go-getter — he was done with retail and needed to move on. Thus far, Darius has been enjoying the switch.

“It’s a better opportunity,” he says. “And I’m learning something new, learning the different way beers are made and what makes certain beers the way they are in terms of ingredients and what-have-you.”

He’s looking forward to growing with the company.

“I like the idea of becoming part of the brewery,” he says, “and helping to make everything run smoothly.”

Thus far, he’s pretty happy here. He likes being out on the road and has been enjoying the work.

“I like the people,” he says. “I like the beer. And I like going to different areas and seeing what’s around. I like food, so, as a driver, I get to see a lot of different restaurants that I may want to go to.”

Most of all, he’s enjoying access to his new favorite beer, Mop Water.

“I like darker ales and I don’t like really hoppy beers,” Darius says. “So, because Mop Water’s a spiced ale, it doesn’t have that really strong hops flavor.”

Be sure to say hello to Darius the next time you see him in the Tasting Room!