A Quick Rundown of Holiday Hours Around The State

Here's a quick rundown of holiday hours around the state.

 

Blue Earl Brewing has extended holiday hours this week:

  • December 22nd: 12pm - 9pm
  • December 23rd: 12pm -
  • December 24th: 12 pm - 9pm
  • December 25th: CLOSED
  • December 26th: 12pm - 9pm
  • December 27th: 1pm - 6pm

Kennett Brewing Company will be opening at Noon on both December 22nd and December 23rd.

Dewey Beer Company‎ has updated holiday hours:

  • December 22nd: open at 3pm
  • December 23rd: open at 3pm
  • December 24th: CLOSED
  • December 25th: CLOSED
  • December 26th: open at 11am
  • December 27th: open at 12pm

The Pig + Fish will open at Noon on both December 22nd and December 23rd and closed on December 24th and December 25th.

The 16 Mile Brewing taproom will open early on December 24th. They'll be open from 10am-3pm.

Arena's Newark will close at 9pm on December 24th and will be closed on December 25th:

Fordham and Dominion Brewing will be closed on both December 24th and December 25th.

The Dogfish Head Brewery and Brewpub will be closed on both December 24th and December 25th.

Grain Craft Kitchen + Beer will closed at 5pm on December 24th and reopen on December 25th at 7pm.

MORE UPDATES:

Crooked Hammock Brewing  will be open on Christmas Eve.

Goat Kitchen & Bar will have the following hours:
- December 24th: closing at 3pm
- December 25th: Closed (they're closed on New Year's Day too)

Trolley Tap House is closing at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

Crust & Craft will be closed on both December 24th and December 25th.

2SP Brewing will be open from Noon until 3pm on December 24th and closed on December 25th.

The Pickled Pig Pub will be closed on December 24th and December 25th.

Atlantic Liquors will be open from 9am until 8pm on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.

Xtreme Brewing will be open from 10am until 4pm on December 24th and closed on December 25th.

Two Stones Newark will be open from 11:30am until 4pm on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.

Throwbacks Sports Lounge is closing at 7pm on December 24th and reopening at 7pm on December 25th.

Kelly's Logan House is open December 24th from 12pm - 8pm and will be opening at 4pm on December 25th.

Newark Bottle Shop is open until 10pm on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.

Black Friday Shopping and Deals, Craft Beer Style

The madness of what's typically associated with Black Friday can easily be classified as insanity. Instead, bypass all the malls and big box stores and go directly to these awesome craft beer locations who are offering our kind of Black Friday specials, beer related specials.

Here's a look at who's offering what on Friday (and in some cases, slightly beyond):

  • 16 Mile Brewing: Oyster Stout t-shirt and a 6-pack for $25 - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
  • 16 Mile Brewing: Buy $50 gift certificate, get a $10 gift certificate free  - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
  • 3rd Wave Brewing Co.: Purchase a bottle of their Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian Quad and a snifter for $20 or one of their merchandise packages they've put together for $26
  • Chelsea Tavern: Buy a gift card in any denomination, get one free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY 
  • Crooked Hammock Brewing: Buy 1 ticket for their NYE  Keg Drop, get on free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY for the FIRST 50 tickets sold
  • Crust and Craft: Buy a $100 gift card and get a $50 gift card free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY, from 11am-4pm
  • Doc Magrogan's Dover: 50% off Gift Cards - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY, from 7am-10am
  • Dogfish Head: 2016 Mug Club Memberships go on sale at the Brewpub - only 300 are available
  • Dogfish Head is offering free shipping on merch (not beer!) on orders of $50 or more on Dogfish.com November 27th through November 30th
  • Ernest & Scott Taproom: Buy a gift in any denomination, get one free - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
  • Hakuna Hospitality (Santa Fe Wilmington, Santa Fe Newark, Del Pez, La Taqueria, La Bodega and Mi Ranchito): Buy a $75 gift card, get a $25 free
  • Harry's Hospitality Group (Kid Shelleeen's, Harry's Seafood and Harry's Savoy): Buy a $100 gift card, geta $20 bonus gift card (up to $200 back) - Now thru November 30th, 2015
  • Stewart's Brewing Company: Buy $50 a gift card, get a $50 gift card free or buy a $100 gift card, and receive a $10 bonus card - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
  • Ulysses American Gastropub: Buy a gift card and recieve 20% back on a gift card for yourself - ALL OF DECEMBER 
  • Untappd: 15% off pint glasses when you use the code PINTBF - BLACK FRIDAY ONLY
  • Washington Street Ale House: Buy a $100 Gift Card and get $20 gift card for yourself or buy a $50 gift card and get a $10 gift card for yourself

 

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: 


off-centered off-season



When you think of a weekend at the beach, your mind probably wanders to the warmth and sunshine of the time coming up between Memorial Day and Labor Day. And we do too, most of the time. But as much as we love spending hours catching up on every book we didn't get to read over the winter, listening to the waves crashing on the sand, the 'off-season' months are some of our favorite around Coastal Delaware! 
The cooler months of the year is a time to do a few of the things we never seem to find the time to do during the summer months because, let's face it, we don't want to pull ourselves off the beach! Over the years of exploring the beach during the off season we continue to find more and more local business that are staying open year-round (if they weren’t already). So many beer dinners and special beer events happen at the beach during these quieter months, taking advantage of the smaller year-round population and visitors.  


After making it through the final workday of the week, on a chilly Friday night in January, Eric and I made our way down Route 1, and like any time we make this trek, the closer we got to the smell of salt in the air, the more excited – and relaxed – we both find ourselves. This trip down it also may have had a little something to do with spending the weekend at the Dogfish Inn in downtown Lewes. Pulling into the Inn’s parking lot we quickly realized we weren’t the only ones who had the idea of a winter weekend visit to the beach. Which was pretty awesome to see (though not really surprising...this is one cool Inn!)  
We first visited the Inn for the ribbon cutting back in June and had a chance to check out the grounds and rooms of the Inn, but getting to stay for the weekend was going to be a whole new adventure. Upon checking into Room 7, relaxation really kicked in. After a long work week we fought off the urge to crash into the beyond comfortable looking bed (especially after our friend Heather told us it was of the most comfy bed she’s ever slept in), we quickly reminded ourselves we didn’t come to rest, we can to explore!

First on our agenda: dinner at the Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats (the Brewpub!) Since this was our first trip to the beach since the New Year, before we did anything, we had to renew our Dogfish Head Mug Club membership. Then it was food and drink time. Round one, and the Mug Club renewal beer, was Sixty-One for Eric, and a flight for me. With three Brewpub Exclusives immediately catching my eye, the flight was the way to go for me. Czechzum, Brewdolf and Black Lodge, Immort and Chicory Stout filled up the dance card of my flight. 

 Needing a snack before dinner, we went with one of our menu go-tos, the Olives Pickles and Cheese with 60 Minute IPA marinated olives and Brooklyn Brine Hop Pickles. 

 Eric's next round was Palo Santo, and I, like a kid, had to order my now-standard once-a-trip Beach Beer, which I got hooked on it during last year's Analog-A-Go-Go. 

When we read one the dessert special for the night, we knew it would be the best way to round out the night - and to remind ourselves to save room for dessert! How intriguing does Ancho Chili Churro Bites served with three sauces - Mexican Cinnamon Chocolate, Nutmeg Crème Anglaise and Ancho Chili Honey - sound? To make it even better, Theobroma was on tap, which paired perfectly with the amazing flavors of the dessert. Talk about a perfect ending to night #1 of our Coastal Delaware #offcentered #offseason adventure! 

As much as we're beer people, we're coffee people too, and the Chicory Stout Coffee the Inn serves is out of this world. There was a chill in the air that rainy Saturday morning, making it the perfect type of morning to enjoy a cup of coffee by the fire. And that’s just what we did. That's another thing we love so much about the beach. Relaxing is okay. Taking it a bit slower in the morning is okay. The day can get started when you're good and ready for it to start. 

After refueling with coffee at the Inn, it was breakfast time...with with more coffee, of course. We stopped into a favorite spot in Lewes, the Lewes Bake Shoppe and Notting Hill Coffee Roastery. The Bake Shoppe offers so many yummy breakfast items and pastries, and one of the largest selections of coffee beans we've ever seen. On top of this being a great place to start your morning, the folks there are super sweet and just the right dose of perkiness for early morning trips!  


Without summer traffic to battle, getting in the car for a drive is a great Saturday afternoon plan during the off season. Our destination this Saturday was Burley Okay Brewing, located about an hour south of Lewes, in Berlin, Maryland, America's Coolest Small Town, according to Budget Travel. Burley Oak is, as you might expect from the names of several of their beers, a pretty chill place to visit. It's BYOF(ood) and a totally relaxed atmosphere. 
We originally visited Burley Oak not long after they opened. We've been looking to get back down to the brewery for another visit. This time around we went with Awesome Sauce, Secret Sauce, Rude Boy, Vlad, Bunker-C, and I had to try their Root Beer! The weekend prior to our visit was Burley Oak’s Bee’s Knees release party and we were pretty excited to see a few bottles still available when we visited, so obviously a bottle had to make its way home with us.
Needing some post brewery visit grub, we took a drive into downtown Berlin and found Rayne’s Reef Soda Fountain and Grill – where we ran into one of our bartenders from Burley Oak - and split one of the most delightful grilled cheese we’ve tasted.  

While popping in the shops around town we also purchased a fun beer sign from TaDa and a Birthday Cake cake pop and salted caramel cupcake from Cupcakes in Bloom, who you may have seen on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Despite the rainy day, we had a blast checking out such a cool town!
Having any sort of a schedule or super laid out plans goes against our mantra when we're at the beach, but this Saturday was a bit of an exception to the rule. Our goal of the afternoon was to get back to the Inn by 4pm so we could take part in the Fireside Chat with Sam. But before that, we had to make one final stop on the way back through town. We had to visit with the fantastic folks at R&L Liquors, located right in downtown Lewes, just a few blocks from the Inn. During this trip (as it was just a few days after the Elysian announcement) we were anxious to purchase Elysian Space Dust before the folks of InBev tinkered with it. We grabbed a six-pack of that, plus a little Dogfish Piercing Pils, Siren Craft Brew Lemon Cello IPA and Prairie Artisanal Ales Spaghetti West. We always come out of R&L with a nice haul of beers to take home with us, and this Saturday was no different. 

Since it wasn’t the prettiest of 4 p.m.’s, Sam’s Fireside Chat was still fireside, just slight change of location, to the lobby’s fireplace. Sam raided his fridge to share with the Inn's guests, and guests were encouraged to bring their own beer to sip on. Many fellow Inn guests opted for brews local to their home, while others brought their favorite Dogfish brews. We opened up Evil Twin Hop Flood and Lagunitas Sucks to sip on during the chat.  

Sam was off to the annual co-workers shindig in Dewey that night (which also meant the brewpub was closed  - eek!) but this gave us the perfect opportunity to finally stop in and meet the folks at Mr. P’s Pizza. It was great to chat with Rick and Meg about their 19 beers on tap, including a nitro and cask beer. While we were there we checked out Saucony Creek Schnickelfritz Chocolate Stout on cask, Troegs Blizzard of Hops and Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA while we snacked on homemade garlic bread. Make sure you get one of Mr. P's craft beer and pizza frequent cards when you stop in! 

After some downtime wandering through the shops in Rehoboth, dinner at Henlopen City Oyster House was on the docket for the evening. Eric and I were on the same lobster wavelength that night – I went with the Lobster Roll and Eric tried the Lobster Mac and Cheese. And both were crazy good. Dinner was paired with Mikkeller Spontanredcurrent and Lagunitas Brown Shugga. As we took our last sips of our beers, we knew it was time to call it a day. We could hear our bed back at the Inn calling our name...

We woke to sunshine and warmer weather on Sunday morning and decided, after our Chicory Stout coffee, it was time to borrow two bikes from the Inn and cruise down the Junction & Breakwater Trail and then down to Lewes Beach. It was a little breezy, but we couldn't pass up a chance to take a quick ride in January. And when the bikes are as cool as the Inn's bikes, you really can't pass up a ride!

 The bike ride kicked off a much more low key Sunday at the beach, which is pretty much how we love our Sundays to be when we're down there. After chatting with Innkeeper Andrew during checkout, our afternoon included window shopping through Lewes and Rehoboth, then grabbed lunch at Fin's Ale House, where we spied the brewing equipment of Big Oyster Brewing. 

On the drive back North, one that we always put off as long as possible, I scrolled through pictures from the weekend. It was so easy to see why we love our trips down to Coastal Delaware. Having such a neat addition to the Dogfish Head family. And it's just darn awesome. Besides being super cool accommodations, every person we came in contact with throughout our stay made the stay even better than it already way. The attention to detail and amenities of the room were so unique and quirky - in the best way possible! When the designing mind behind the Ace Hotel working on the awesomeness of the Dogfish Inn, we knew it would be super impressive, and boy did they prove that notion right! 

Craft Beer + Chocolate + Your Sweetheart = Our Kind of Valentine's Day

Whether you celebrate this day of love or not, it's always good to know where to go (and we suppose where not to go!) to include a little craft beer into your Valentine's Day celebration. 

 We're going to keep a running list of who's doing what on this day that Cupid tends to be quite busy! 


Abbott's Grill, Milford and Laurel is offering an a'la carte menu

 Chelsea Tavern is offering a Sweetheart Package 4 Course Pre-Fixe Meal

 Ernest & Scott  is doing a 3-course pre-fixe menu
The Pig & Fish has Southern Tier Chokolat on tap

Argilla Brewing is offering a Valentine's Day 4-course meal with a flight of small batch brews

3rd Wave is tapping Kohana Chocolate Cherry Stout

Two Stones Pub Newark will be accepting reservations for Valentine's Day

Two Stones Pub Naamans will be accepting call ahead seating for Valentine's Day

Two Stones Pub Kennett will be accepting a limited number of reservations for Valentine's Day

Stewart's Brewing Company is releasing Monkey Love, their Stumblin' Monk fermented with raspberries, and Chocolate and Vanilla Stout today 

Iron Hill Brewery Newark released Love Potion #9, their chocolate-coconut stout, yesterday. Hopefully they'll still have some on tap today!

 The Pickled Pig Pub will be offering Valentine's Day Dinner Specials 






New Year's Eve Fun Around The State


Hard to believe another New Year's Eve is upon us! Not sure what you're doing yet? Here's a quick run down of who's offering what tomorrow night!


  • Iron Hill Brewery Newark and Wilmington Celebration Menu from until 10pm
  • New Year's Eve at Argilla Brewing with The Lower Case Blues, with their New Year's Eve menu starting at 5pm and the band's sets starting at 8pm
  • Moo Year's Eve at the Dogfish Head Brewpub. There are two seatings, one at 6pm and one at 8pm. During the 6pm seating Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione will be playing DJ! Stick around for The Bullbuckers going on at 10pm! (We've done NYE at DFH the last two years and it has been a blast! The Bullbuckers will keep you going well past midnight - they're awesome!) They'll open back up at Noon on New Year's Day, business as usual.
    • UPDATE: Both Moo Year's Eve seatings are sold out, but the downstairs will be available for seating for both lunch and dinner.
  • Two Stones Pub Newark, Naamans and Kennett Square each have a 6pm and a 9pm seating for their four course dinner, with beer pairings. Call for availability at each location.
  • Stewart's Brewing Co. is hosting a New Year's Eve Buffet Dinner, starting at 6pm, followed by the DJ Rich Countdown Party at 9pm. A little hungover New Year's Day? Stewart's is running their New Year's Day buffet from 11am until 3pm with $1 monks. 
  • 33 West Ale House is hosting a Masquearde Beer Dinner with Fordham and Old Dominion Breweries, starting at 7pm. 
    • UPDATE: They will be open until 3pm for lunch, then closed until 7pm to prepare for tonight's Beer Dinner. 
  • Mispillion River Brewing is hosting their 2013 Fuzzy Ball at the brewery, with live music from The Fuzzy Snakefoot, food, beer and friends, all happening from 8pm until 1am. There is no cover they'll also be releasing two new brews, Australian Summer and their Hefeweizen, POPO. 
  • 16 Mile Brewing will open at 12pm on New Year's Eve, and stay open until...? They're going to be open late tonight with beer specials, free food at 6pm (while it lasta) and the firepit will be all lit up. 
  • World Cafe Live at The Queen is having a New Year's Eve Party with Delaware's own Spinto Band (we'll be there!) 
  • Home Grown Cafe is hosting two local bands, Mad-Sweet Pangs and Mean Lady,  starting at 9pm. No cover. 
  • The tasting room at Fordham Brewing and Old Dominion Brewing will be open from 11am until 4pm.
  • Painted Stave will be open for bottles sales from 10am until 3pm
  • Ulysses American Gastropub is hosting a New Year's Eve dinner featuring tradition dishes to promote wealth, prosperity and abundance in the New Year. They'll have a few rare brews on tap, a DJ Dance Party from 9pm til close and a champagne toast at midnight. Give them a call for reservations. 
  • Arena's Milford will be open until 1am with various drink specials.
  • Abbott's Grill is having a Black & White Party, with a champagne toast at midnight and DJ Petch in the pub. 
  • The Pickled Pig Pub will have some great dinner specials going on from 5pm til 9pm tonight, with the last seating at 10pm. They'll also have limited reserve bottle and champagne specials (while they last)! Stop back for New Year's Day for The Hangover Cure with brunch style specials, Bloody Mary Randall, and mimosa and Bloody Mary Specials.  
  • If you're planning on heading to check out the Dogfish Head Tasting Room today, keep in mind the last tour will be at 3pm. 
  • Cromwell's Tavern has several New Year's Eve specials tonight as well. Check out the menu here: http://cromwellstavern.com/NewYearsMenu.pdf



We hope everyone has a wonderful, craft beer filled New Year's Eve. Be safe, have fun, and we'll see you in 2014! 


Kennett Brewfest: Who's Going to Be There & Who's Pouring What During the Connoisseur Session

I thought I'd take a quick minute to combine the the list of who's going to be there and who's pouring what the Connoisseur session. It's nothing fancy, but I thought it might make things a little easier for you tomorrow! 









You can also view the list here: 

As an Excel spreadsheet: 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKQkk0cm9fMnVsNEE/edit?usp=sharing

As a PDF: 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKT0RPSzBQT015c28/edit?usp=sharing

As two images: 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKM3dLb2NmVTRDdms/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DbfIPDs3VKZ0ZodmZHNFZVMkk/edit?usp=sharing