Firefly Music Festival: Dogfish Head Beer Pairings and the Foods of Firefly

Photo Credit: Dogfish Head's Twitter Page
It's Firefly week, and we couldn't be more excited! To spend 3 1/2 days listening to amazing live music on the grounds of The Woodlands while sipping on brews from Dogfish and munching on local foods from around the state (and beyond), this is one of our favorite weekends of the year.

If you're like us, you'll head straight to The Brewery immediately upon walking onto Firefly grounds to start the festival off right - with a Dogfish in hand - especially since The Brewery will be open on Thursday this year! Dogfish will be pouring Firefly Ale (of course!), 60 Minutes, 90 Minute, Namaste, Midas Touch, Aprihop, Festina Peche, and for those gluten intolerant Festival goers, Tweason'Ale.

Photo Credit: www.fireflyfestival.com 
As we're packing up and getting ready for the weekend ahead of us, we got thinking, wouldn't it be fun to play with beer pairings while we eat our way around The Woodlands? We can create mini beer lunches and beer dinners throughout the three and a half days of Firefly. Thanks to the Dogfish website we found plenty of suggestions of how to pair their beers. We came up with so many fun ideas of what to eat and drink through Firefly weekend!

The Pairings
You can't have Firefly Music Festival without Dogfish Firefly Ale! The fruity and citrusy aroma combined with the subtle and spicy finish of Firefly Ale make for great pairings with the Cheese Pizza at Grotto Pizza and All Gourmet Catering. Dogfish suggests that Chardonnay is the wine comparable to Firefly Ale, and we're thinking give the Crabcake Sandwiches from Sherri's Crabcakes or the Chicken Kabobs from Doc Magrogan's, the Chicken Pita from Hamilton Gyro or Hamilton Wrap's Chicken Caesar Wrap.

When pairing Dogfish 60 Minute we took at look at foods that would bring out the citrus and the Northwest hops used in this East Coast IPA. Think spicy foods, soy-based foods, and pizza. With your 60 Minute in hand, head over to Grotto Pizza and grab a slice of their simple Cheese Pizza. The aged white cheddar they use is perfect for 60 Minute. Feeling a little pepperoni pizza? Try the Spicy Pepperoni Pizza from All Gourmet Catering. Wash down the spiciness of the Jambalaya from Phat Daddy's Creole Eats with a little 60 Minute too. Working on the soy-based side of things, pair the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl from RC Thai or the Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Teriyaki Glaze from Wok on the Wild Side with a 60 Minute.

Though not a food pairing, the grassy notes of 60 Minute are perfect to pair with the bands playing on The Lawn stage. Grassy? Lawn? Seems like a good fit to us!

Dogfish is bringing another continuously hopped treat to Firefly, 90 Minute. For this beer we're looking at the the malt background and the flavors of the raisins and citrus to shine through. The Pepperoni Pizza from Grotto Pizza or the Meat Lovers Pizza offered by All Gourmet Catering would fit the bill. The Fish and Chips from Doc Magrogan's would work mighty fine too and the Jambalaya at Phat Daddy's Creole Easts would too.

For the lighter foods of Firefly, Namaste is a great choice. The dried organic orange slices and lemongrass make this Witbier a great pairing with the Turkey Pita from the Pita Station or the Chicken Caesar Wrap from Hamilton Wrap. Dogfish suggests that Namaste is a beer comparable to Gewurztraminer. Taking a cue from that, we like the idea of pairing Namaste with the Crabcake Sandwich or Cream of Crap Soup from Sherri's Crabcakes or a Chicken BLT Wrap from Hamilton Wrap.

It's really interesting to see that one of the most pair-able beers at Firefly is one of the brewery's first Ancient Ales, Midas Touch. The rich and colorful background flavors of the brew will pair well with the Cold Noodle Salad with Veggies, Chicken or Shrimp from Doc's Magrogan's, the Hawaiian-style Wok Fried Soba Noodles from Festival Island Noodles, the Asian Lettuce Wrap from Hamilton Wrap and the Stir Fried Soba Noodles with Vegetables form Wok on the Wild Side. Grad a Midas Touch and go on a little culinary adventure!

Festina Peche, the brewery's Neo-Berliner Weisse is delicately hopped with flavors of peaches, green apples and raspberry syrup. We're liking the idea of Doc Magrogan's Chicken Kabobs to compliment the flavors. Taking a note from Dogfish likening Festina to Pinot Grogio, check out Festina Peche with the Pita Station's Tuna Salad Pita or the Crabcake Sandwich from Sherri's Crabcakes.

Go a little heartier to keep you energized for the full days of music ahead with Aprihop and food pairings to bring out the apricot, fruit, citrus and cedar. These notes will work well with tacos and burritos from Tica's Tacos, the BBQ Pork, Beef or Chicken Sandwich from Outlaw BBQ, and the BBQ Chicken Pizza from All Gourmet Catering.

Though you may not have a gluten intolerance to encourage you to try Dogfish Tweason'Ale, these food pairing suggestions may! The Tuna Salad Pita (available on a gluten free pita) from Pita Station will be a nice compliment to the molasses, strawberry and buckwheat honey you'll find peaking through the flavors of this beer Another suggestion is the kettle corn or movie popcorn from Bunting's Popcorn Station. Not quite a food pairing, we're liking the idea of creating a beer cocktail with the Strawberry Lemonade from Hamilton Gyro and a Tweason'Ale!

If you're camping at Firefly, be sure to stop by The Hub and check out the food trucks hanging out there for the weekend. We saw that both I Don't Give a Fork and The Roaming Raven will be there representing Delaware love!

And now, 5:30pm on Thursday afternoon can't come soon enough. See you at Firefly!

We Second This Open Letter of Support for the Expansion of Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats...

Earlier this week Richard Hartogs, also found as I Heart Beer and Better Beer Authority, wrote an open letter to the City of Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment. To say we second his thoughts throughout the letter is an understatement. Here are our sentiments and thoughts on everything Dogfish is going through...

One of my first introductions to craft beer was a beer from that oddly named brewery down at the beach. That oddly named brewery was Dogfish and it peaked my interest in what has become a passion, a hobby and something I simply enjoy. 

We regularly attend craft beer events, visit breweries and spend time with our friends enjoying craft beer. We've traveled from east coast to west coast and places in between, and when fellow craft beer drinkers find out we're from Delaware, it's an immediate conversation starter. Everyone knows Dogfish, their eclectic collection of brews, and that Sam Calagione has played a very large role in helping make the craft beer industry what it is today. And those that haven't already visited Delaware and Dogfish, many tell us that trip is one they hope to make one day.  

From those conversations we learn that people make trips from cities as close as Wilmington and Philadelphia, but also from upstate New York, Canada and just about anywhere else you can imagine. The folks from New York? They made the 8+ hour drive to Coastal Delaware and stayed at the Hotel Rehoboth for 5 days. Midway through their stay they knew they needed to spend more time in Rehoboth and came back the following May and have been doing so every year since I first met them. How about receiving a tweet from a Dogfish fan in Canada. She was traveling to Delaware for her birthday, celebrating it at Dogfish. She wanted to know our thoughts on how she could spend her time at the Delaware beach. Her tweets from during the time she was visiting were full of excitement, giddy and pure happiness. 

Dogfish has made Delaware, and Rehoboth, a destination. 

What is even greater, on their way to Dogfish, craft beer adventurers find out that Delaware has so much to offer by way of cuisine, beautiful beaches, and something to keep them coming back to Delaware: a thriving craft beer scene. Dogfish is a tourism generator, and I'm sure no matter where they are located people will still visit, but the greater picture, and the first thing we immediately thought: What will that do to the local economy of Rehoboth? 

Like Richard mentioned, Rehoboth's off-season, like many coastal towns in this area of the country, have been quieter in years past. And like many people, we now visit Rehoboth more in the off-season then we do during the height of the summer season. Many of our first off-season trips were because of Dogfish. Assuming we would have little to do other than visit the brewpub and do some outlet shopping, we quickly realized that isn't the case. Through the years this has changed so tremendously, which has been amazing to see. It's also easy to note that the one constant through the years in the off-season has been the Dogfish brewpub. It's not a seasonal destination, it's year round. 

The ripple effect of those potentially not visiting Rehoboth because Dogfish isn't there any more is apparent. The week your initial decision was made on the new plans for the brewpub, we were in town staying at a hotel in Rehoboth. We were very quick to question various businesses on their thoughts on how this might affect their business. Not surprised one bit, we heard over and over that these business owners and managers were very aware of the influx of visitors that Dogfish brings in to the town. They eat at the restaurants around town. They're filling up the rooms at the hotels. They're shopping in the boutiques and shops along Rehoboth Avenue and beyond. They're spending their hard earned dollars in your town, in your economy. Why take that way from the businesses that benefit from having these visitors in your beautiful beachside town? As supporters of the great town you live in, would you want to be the cause of something like this? 

One of the greatest takeaways we get from being a part of such an amazing industry is the family-like camaraderie of breweries, looking out and helping one another whenever they can. To see this translate to the community of Rehoboth and your decision and encouragement of keeping a business like Dogfish in your town, is one that I hope we all see happen. Rehoboth is an integral part of Dogfish's history. It would be heartbreaking to see a staple of your town, and a company that is so intertwined with the community it serves, leave and make their home elsewhere. 

Thank you, 

Lindsey Timberman
Eric Roberts
Delaware Hop Scene 


Help this petition to Approve Dogfish Head Expansion Plans reach 5,000 signatures: 


Checking Out The Dogfish Inn


After making our way through four days of Firefly, we hopped in the car as soon as we saw Jack Johnson finish his set and, rather than head north on Route 1 towards home, we took it south to Lewes so we could wake up bright and early the next day to see Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione and his son Sammy off on their 10-day, 5-stop boat trip aboard the S.S. Dogfish. Each stop included a beer dinner raising $10,000 for The Nature Conservancy. 
Sam's goal for the journey was to not only raise awareness of the beauty of coastal Delaware (which we are already quite familiar with, right?!) but to tell folks about the important work of The Nature Conservancy. Along the way Sam also wanted to share how easy it is to get to the Dogfish Inn, the brewpub and the brewery. Boy are we thankful for how easy it is!

After seeing the S.S. Dogfish on its way we made our way back to for the ribbon cutting of the much anticipated Dogfish Inn, which officially opened over 4th of July weekend. 
Here's Dogfish Head's VP Mariah Calagione, Off-Centered Innkeeper Andrew Greeley and Dogfish Head's Chief Operator Officer Nick Benz doing the honors!

From the moment we step into the Inn it is quite apparent that Dogfish is taking on the hotel industry a little differently than most might be used to. The first introduction to the Inn is the simply and perfectly designed lobby. It's welcoming, fun and exactly what we would expect from Dogfish. We could totally see hanging on the couch in front of the fire with a book from the Inn's Vusuvio Library, an ode to what was once the Vesuvio Motel, stocked by City Lights Books.
While you're wandering around the lobby area, you can pick up some Dogfish goodies to take back to your friends, family, yourself (of course!) and even your fellow pooch, who you know will be awaiting your arrival back at the homestead! 
Don't forget about Fido!
Pick up some Dog Bark! and a Frisbee!
Try the Chicory Coffee, a locally-roasted 
blend of Colombian coffee,
chicory and dark malted brewers barley.
Items from the Dogfish/Woolrich collaboration are  available in the lobby, along with Dogfish soap and shampoo (we use this and love it!), and the Dogfish Apolis Market Bags (which you'll also find in the rooms). 

 Now let's head to the rooms! 
Upon entering we quickly notice several of the Inn's partners featured throughout each of the 16 rooms, which we love. Our eye is first drawn to the inclusion of the latest collaboration with Woolrich, who Dogfish originally worked with a few years back on the wallpaper when they redesigned the tasting room. Most recently Dogfish and the outdoor gear manufacturer collaborated on not only a line of womens, mens and home gear, they also worked together on Pennsylvania Tuxedo, a spruce-infused Pale Ale (did you get a chance to try it?! So good!) The Woolrich + DFH blanket is featured in all of the rooms, perfect to keep you toasty on cool nights down at the beach! 

Other partners you'll find include the rooms are One Man Gathers Studio who framed Steve Rogers' Lightship Overfalls paintings. The paintings are showcased in each room of the Inn, with frames made from wood salvaged from an 1840's barn in Warren County, NJ. You can see one of the pictures in the picture to right (hung above the table).

The detail of every room is simple, clean, yet extremely clever. The Douglas Collection desks are perfect for writing home about your latest adventures in Lewes!

This is our kind of Mini Bar - Duke's Jerky, Brooklyn Brine Dogfish Hop Pickles and Kettle Chips!
We totally dig this Jermaine Rogers Primus print in one of the rooms!
The Inn offers two room types: a room with two double beds and a room with a king size bed. Great options for a getaway with your honey or your fellow craft beer drinking cohorts! You're easily within walking distance of Lewes' restaurants, bars, pubs, liquor stores, galleries and so much more! 


As cool as the traditional rooms are, you have to see the SWEET! As soon as we walked in we pretty much wanted to call in sick and forget about heading back to our day jobs and just spend all day here!
Heading into the SWEET!
The sitting area is a great common room.
Digging the kitchen area of the Sweet!
We loved the simplicity of the bedrooms - there are two of them in the Sweet. Sweet!
You have to love the fun details in the loo! 
We love the randomness of the wood burning pieces by Brian Kolakowski in the stairway up to the SWEET! Which one is your favorite?

The firepit is the perfect spot to enjoy the brews you picked up at the Brewery or the Brewpub.

Spend the day at the beach? No worries? Rinse off in the outdoor shower before heading up to your room. Cause let's face it, one of the best parts of being at the beach is the outdoor shower! Just make sure you keep your skives on! 

Take Time Magazine's advice and add their top summer beer trend to your to-do list: stay at Delaware's own craft beer motel, The Dogfish Inn. The rooms are cozy, the folks are great and you won't be banished to your room. Unless you're drinking bad beer while listening to bad music! 

Our favorite time down at the beach is the off-season - I know, we're weird like that! We can't wait to book a weekend down at the Dogfish Inn exploring Lewes. With all the time we've spent at the Delaware beaches over the years, Lewes is one area we haven't had much of an opportunity to visit. We're excited for a pretty darn good excuse for that to change! 


Keeping It Local for the Holiday Season

It's hard to believe the holidays are well upon us already! Are you stumped on what to buy the craft beer lover in your life? Or need to drop a few subtle hints on what you'd like to receive this holiday season? Well, keep it local folks, and look no further than one of our local breweries to help you finish up your holiday shopping! 

 We decided to suggest a few of our favorite items from the breweries around the state again this year. Check them out!  

16 Mile Brewing Company
16 Mile Hoodie, $35, available at the brewery
16 Mile Taphouse Growlers
Whether you're visiting the Tavern at 16 Mile Brewing Company in Georgetown, or the 16 Mile Taphouse, located on Main Street in Newark, here are two ways you can show your love for 16 Mile: the 16 Mile Brewing Company hoodie, which you can purchase down in Georgetown, or a 16 Mile Taphouse growler that you can fill right there on Main Street!  16 Mile has you covered whether your in Northern or Southern Delaware! 

3rd Wave Brewing Company 
Surfboard Unisex T-Shirt, $16
Winter Beanie
3rd Wave has some pretty cool surf-inspired gear for that craft beer lover on your holiday shopping list. Check out their Surfboard Unisex T-shirt rocking their slogan, "Good Friends Good Waves Great Beer" across the surfboard. Want to keep your noggin warm this winter? We're digging the beanies the brewery just got in. Can't make it down to Delmar before the holiday? No worries, just hop on their website and place your order! (Side note: you may need to contact the brewery about the beanie if you're looking for that. When we were on there on 12/12/13 it hadn't been added quite yet).  

Argilla Brewing Company

You have to love when a holiday gift for someone else turns into a little holiday bonus gift for yourself! When you purchase a $50 (or more) gift card from Argilla between now and December 31st, you'll receive a free $15 gift card for yourself, to be used between January 1st, 2014 and March 1st, 2014. Happy Holidays to everyone in this equation! 
Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales
DFH4Life Hoodie, $55
2013 Tap Handle, $40
Thinking about hopping on the DFH site to do some holiday shopping? They're trying to make it as easy as possible for you by suggesting several "Holiday Items." They even went one step further and broke it down to "Under $20," "Under $50," and "Damn! That's Luv!" For under $20 you can't go wrong with a Randall Jr. ($19.99). They're a blast to experiment with. Go a little crazier in the under $50 range with the 2013 Tap Handle which will ring up at $40. If you're feeling even more generous this year, how about the DFH4Life Hoodie for $55? And like we mentioned, no worried if you can't make it down to the Tasting Room in Milton or the kiosk at the Brewpub in Rehoboth; you can order all of these items from DFH's website!                                                                 
Randall Jr., $19.99
  
Fordham Brewing Company/Old Dominion Brewing Company
2014 Pinup Calendar, $10
Save $5 and purchase both for $45
Are you a fan of Dominion's Bomber Girls? Then you might want to check out the 2014 Pinup Calendar, featuring winners from several Dominion-hosted Pinup contests throughout 2013!

Speaking of 2014...did you know that you can already purchase your tickets for R2Hop2 (April 26th, 2014) and Cheesetoberfest (October 4th, 2014)? This is a great gift for a friend...or for yourself! Throw yourself into super rock start status when you buy that craft beer loving gift recipient tickets to both events! Bonus: you'll save $5 when you buy them together! 

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
King of the Hill, $25
Winter Wheat Wine Ale
Gift Package, $35
Iron Hill Brewery is helping make your holiday shopping as simple as possible with their Holiday Gift Menu! If you know someone who visits Iron Hill pretty regularly, you should sign them up for the King of the Hill Rewards Club Program. The $25 annual fee is a loyalty program that earns points for purchases and visits. There are all sorts of perks like a handmade mug, free birthday gift and invitations to exclusive events. Is the craft beer lover on your list already a member of the King of the Hill Club? No worries, why not check out one of Iron Hill's Gift Packages, with prices ranging from $35 - $65. 


The newest brewery in the state has a very unique gift to give this holiday season - a bit of an investment in the brewery by making a pledge in their indiegogo campaign! Pledge $25, and receive a Mispillion River Brewing t-shirt. Go for a $100 pledge, and you're getting a Mispillion River Brewing growler, t-shirt and hat! Have some really special on your list? A $500 pledge will get you a bar stool, always guaranteeing a spot at the bar. A $1,000 pledge? That will get one of the brewery fermenters dedicated to your gift recipient. Oh, and as if that isn't cool, the $1,000 pledge will also give them a chance to design and brew a beer recipe! Major cool points! 

Stewart's Brewing Company

You can't go wrong with purchasing the craft beer lover on your holiday list a Mug Club membership at Stewart's...unless of course you think they may already be one...then just pick them up a gift card and they can spend it on a night out at Stewart's, on a growler fill or two, and if they aren't already a member of the Mug Club, a great excuse to go ahead and finally join!  



Twin Lake's Brewing Company
Do you have a bike riding friend who loves great craft beer? Why not pick them up the Twin Lakes Cycling Jersey? After all, the whole point of riding those long distance rides is the reward of a craft beer at the end, isn't it?! Sometimes I personally like to put together a gift bag or basket and include several smaller similarly themed items. I could easily do that with the Twin Lakes' baseball hat and pint glass. I would throw in an IOU of either a tour of the brewery ($22 per person, held Wednesdays and Saturdays), a growler fill ($12 for a Greenville Pale Ale and $15 for their seasonal brews) - or better yet, BOTH! 


Know that you want to get the craft beer lover on your holiday list a craft beer related gift, just not sure what to get them? Many of the breweries in the state offer gift cards - you can't go wrong with that! Either way you're supporting one of our our fantastic local breweries and you're pretty much guaranteeing that you're going to be giving one of the coolest gift you friend, family member or significant other will get all holiday season long! Nice!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Two Stones Pub Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Beer Dinner

Monday's are typically our least favorite day of the week, for obvious reasons...that is, until last Monday, when we had the Two Stones Pub Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Beer Dinner to look forward to!


As you can imagine, Stigz and Gumbo didn't just create a pairing menu, they created a pairing menu based on the children's characters featured in the movie! And if you're a fan of the movie, we think you'll totally get the references and the correlation between the characters and each course of the beer dinner!

I think Willy himself put it best...

"Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous. So don't be alarmed. As soon as your outer vestments are at hand, we'll begin."

Course 1: Charlie Bucket

"Mm, this stuff is terrific."
Farmhouse cheddar, 5-year Gouda, crusty baguette, wild berry chutney, pickled cucumbers, paired with Victory Helios

 What can we say? Vintage Gouda is a favorite of ours, and anytime it's anywhere, life is just good. Oh, and that berry chutney? Stigz couldn't tell a lie, it was good ol' lingonberries from IKEA! Can't beat it! Talk about a great start to the night!


Course 2: Veruca Salt
"Hey Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa. I want you to get me an Ooompa Loompa right away!"

Grilled filet mignon medallions, elbow poached egg, Shropshire blue, foie gras-buttered brioche, and tarragon beer blanc, paired with Goose Island Pepe Nero.

 I'm not sure what to say about this course other than, oh. my. goodness! It was decadent, amazing and I think we all could have easily eaten at least 6 more of these! And the pairing? I can't begin to tell you how well the flavors of Pepe Nero worked with the creaminess of the poached egg, the richness of the beer blanc and the tangy-ness of the Shropshire! (Can you tell we liked it?!) 

Course 3: Violet Beauregard
"It happens every time, they all become blueberries..."

Seared maple leaf duck breast, wilted elbow farm rainbow Swiss chard, blueberry maple gastrique, paired with Dogfish Head Black & Blue. 

Simply put, I would pour the blueberry maple gastrique on everything I possibly could. It was awesome, and paired amazingly with the duck, without overpowering it. I have to admit, Swiss Chard isn't something I would normally dive into, but of course 2SP prepared it in a way that I made it so good that I couldn't stop eating it...something tells me it wasn't a healthy preparation. But who cares, it was so good! 

 (If we're lucky, we may see something very similar to this course on the new fall menu at 2SP!) 


 Course 4: Augustus Gloop
"Let me in. I'm starving!"
Breaded pork cutlet, shaved brussel sprouts, bacon-horseradish boiled potatoes, lemon-herb brown butter paired with Troegs Troegenator. 


This German girls was loving 2SP's take on this traditional German dish. The pork was fork tender. And the bacon-horseradish boiled potatoes? They were pretty much saturated in bacon fat...for hours...so, as you can imagine, they were pretty much awesome. We don't know that there would have been a better pairing with this dish than Troegenator, Troegs' Double Bock. The spiciness and the deep, rich lager really stood up to the flavors in this dish.





Course 5: Mike Teeve
"It's a TV dinner!"

Veal & wild mushroom meatloaf, Oregon whipped Yukon gold potatoes, peas, carrots & cippolini onions, green peppercorn demi, paired with Sixpoint 3Beans


 You have to LOVE the 2SP's quirky take on how they served this course. Just like Mike Teeve said in the movie, "it's a TV dinner," so this was 2SP's super fancy take on a TV dinner. To take it one step further, the talented and awesome Chef Blair served this course on sectioned plastic plates - and it so worked! If TV dinners were as creative and delicious as Chef Blair's creation, I would never cook!


 Dessert: Willy Wonka
scrumdiddlyyumptious cake, paired with Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout
How can you have a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Beer Dinner without some serious chocolate?! Well, this dessert was about as chocolately as you can get, and the Organic Chocolate it was paired with? Ditto. We have a serious sweet tooth between the two of us, and this couldn't have been any more delightful in ending the meal! The crispy rice in this cake gave a little texture to the creaminess of the chocolate, which couldn't have paired any more amazingly than it did with the beer. I think this may be one of the most perfect endings to a meal.




But wait, there's more!

 What Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Beer Dinner would be complete without a Golden Ticket? As if it wasn't an already awesome night, 2SP was giving away a bottle of each of the paired beers from dinner.




Guess who had the Golden Ticket for Charlie Bucket? Yup, that's right...me! So not only did we have 5 amazing courses, we were going home with a bottle of Helios to boot! 
So now that your mouth is watering, you'll probably be happy to know that Two Stones hosts a beer dinner every month - check out their Facebook page for updates on the themes for each one! 

Now signing off...

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men..." ~Willy Wonka

Time to pop that movie in and relive a great childhood memories...