Hungry at Firefly? We've Got You Covered (and what Dogfish beers to pair with).

So, we’ve figured out what beers to pair with some of our favorite artists performing at Firefly, now let’s talk about what’s going to keep you going throughout the 4 days of the festival…food and beer pairings!

We're digging what Dogfish head will be pouring throughout the 4-day festival because now we can figure out what we want to try to pair up throughout the weekend. They’ve also announced some pretty cool additions to their usual beer offerings. Check it out. 

Dogfish is rocking something a little different this year – not only can you check out their brews in The Brewery tent, but Friday through Sunday afternoon you can also grab a Festina Peche or Namaste Beermosa! Talk about a fun way to start your day.

There will also be 3 special tappings throughout the weekend. On Friday at 4pm Dogfish is tapping Biere de Provence. On Saturday at 4pm it’s Alternative Takes #1 and Sunday at 4pm it’s Alternate Takes #2.

In addition to Beermosas, Dogfish is selling 32 oz (filled!) growlers (for $20 each). You can fill it with Namaste, 60 Minute IPA, Festina Pêche or Firefly Ale. If you want one of the growler keep in mind there are only about 700 of them. Now to decide what we're going to fill ours with (cause that's going to be our first stop of the day on Thursday).

Now back to the pairings.

Last year we took advantage of a few unique food truck options that were set up next to The Firefly Main Stage. We noshed on things like a simple, old school grilled cheese from Between Big Cheese (which we paired with a Dogfish 90 Minute), Buffalo Chicken Nachos from Sum Pig, and carnitas tacos from Peace Love Tacos (we're excited to see Peace Love Tacos will be back at Firefly again this year).

Two of the Dogfish Head Beer Pairings and the Foods of Firefly we suggested and had a chance to try last year was the idea of Firefly Ale and a slice of Grotto's cheese pizza (that was simple and yummy, cause pizza and beer, pizza and beer always works). We also went with a little Midas Touch paired with the Hawaiian-style Stir Fried Soba Noodles from Wok on the Wild Side. This year we need to try a few more fun pairings that we're about to suggest. 

FIREFLY ALE

You can’t do Firefly without having at least one Firefly Ale. The fruity, citrusy aroma combined with the subtle and spicy finish of Firefly Ale makes this a great option to pair with a simple slice of cheese pizza from Grotto’s Pizza or Pizza Nova. Or go crazy and go for the Veggie Blanco at Grotto’s or the El Blanco from Pizza Nova. Another great pairing would be the Gangsta Wings and Wraps from Gouda Boys, tossed in Sweet BBQ, Korean Sesame Wook Sauce, or Maneater Buffalo hot sauce. Want to check out a little more unique twist on wings? Check out the Chicken Korma Wings served with a spiced coconut-yogurt sauce from Coriander Market. Local food spot, Doc Magrogran’s will have a Fish Tacos and Fish and Chips that would be great to pair with Firefly Ale, or you can grab the Crispy Beer battered Rockfish and Old Bay Fries from Bayside 30.

60 MINUTE IPA

(are you checking out the new 60 Minute label and CAN design?!)

When pairing Dogfish 60 Minute look at foods that bring out the citrus and the Northwest hops used in this east coast style IPA. Think spicy foods, soy-based foods, pizza and vintage cheddar (the later possibly not something you might think about during Firefly weekend, but it's possible-ish!)

With your 60 Minute in hand, head to Grotto’s, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza this time. Or you can check out Pizza Nova for the War Pig Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, bacon and jalapenos), Gouda Boys for their Road Warrior Pizza (pepperoni, veggies and meat) and Fresh Coast Kitchen for their Roasted Vegetable Flatbread (especially since it’s topped with fresh basil pesto – a suggested 60 Minute Pairing – roasted peppers, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, carrot and a five cheese blend) or their Spicy Chorizo Flatbread ( topped with another pesto, a roasted pepper pesto, spicy chorizo sausage, sweet corn, black beans, peppers, onions and a five cheese blend). If you're more of a pizza purist, go right for a slice of Grotto’s Cheese Pizza. The aged white cheddar they use is perfect for 60 Minute.

A few other spicy goodness options to pair with 60 Minutes is the from Chicken Chipotle Mango Sandwich from Mayhem & Stout , Doom Street Eats' Buffalo Chicken Street Tacos or Chipotle Beer Cheese Nachos with Jalapenos and Spicy Lime Crema, Roti Rolls Creole Mac and Cheese, Bayside 30 Old Bay Popcorn, the Non-Pacific Jerk Chicken Bowl, Caribbean Jack Fruit Bowl or the California Chicken Club Sandwich (with chipotle aioli). 

Looking for a few other suggestions? 60 Minute also pairs nicely with soy-based foods like Wok on the Wild Side stir-friend soda noodles with veggies and grilled chicken or the their kabobs with teriyaki glaze, Doc Magrogan's cold noodle salad, the chilled miso noodle salad with crispy sesame pork or jack fruit from Miso Place, or the Hawaiian style wok-fired soba noodles (with or without chicken) from Island Noodles.

NAMASTE

Dogfish will be rocking a new Namaste Label Design too!

As the weekend progresses there are times when we need something a little on the lighter side. Namaste is a great beer to pair with foods like Roasted Chicken and Quinoa Bowl from Fresh Coast Kitchen or the Sprouted Spoon Greek Salad with homemade dressing. According to dogfish.com, Namaste is comparable to a Gewurztraminer, so we’d also pair it with Non-Pacific’s Crispy Coconut Shrimp, Bayside 30’s Loaded Chesapeake Fries, the Shrimp and Noddle Salad from Doc Magrogan's, Roti Rolls Funky Farmer Roti, Foghorn Leghorn Roti or Rockin Rice Bowls (it's all about the curry), or the Chicken Tikka Masala or Chana Masala at Coriander Market.

FESTINA PECHE

Festina Peche, a Neo-Berliner Weisse, is delicately hopped with flavors of peaches, green apples and raspberry syrup. It will be fun to pair Festina Peche with Gouda Boys Gangsta Steaks with grilled chicken, maybe even going crazy and ‘Make It Gangsta’ by topping it with mac & cheese (and bacon!), or Roti Rolls Mother Clucker Roti with grilled organic chicken, the Grown-Up Grilled Cheese at Between the Bread, the grilled chicken tacos with green chiles from Peace Love Tacos or or roll late night with the Grilled Cheesus from Sprouted Spoon. Since the wine comparable choice would be Pinot Grigio, let’s go out on a limb and suggest pairing Festina Peche with a slice of cheese pizza, as Pinot Grigio pairs nicely with mozzarella cheese.

Though you’ll have to wait until 4pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get these special beers, let’s check out how to pair Biere de Provence, Alternate Take #1 and Alternative Take #2.

BIERE DE PROVENCE

On Friday at 4pm Dogfish is tapping Biere De Provence in The Brewery. While you’re sipping on this newly released brew, grab the Roasted Chicken and Quinoa Bowl from Fresh Coast Kitchen or the Chicken and Noodle Salad from Doc Magrogran’s. Other ideas to check out are the Crispy Belgian Fries from the Schnitzel Shack or go for the Cheeseburger from the American Grill, the Cheeseburger Sliders from the Slider House, Potato Curls from Taste of Philly or the Potato Pierogies with Dipping Sauces from the Sausage Haus.

ALTERNATE TAKES #1

Saturday’s 4pm tapping in The Brewery with Dogfish brings Alternate Takes #1, a Double IPA with tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya and passion fruit in the aroma, and a ‘malty, apricot sweetness with each sip.’ Dogfish says it’s almost tea-like, which we're thinking is going to be pretty darn perfect for the warmer spring/summer days of Firefly.

If you’re going to grab a bite to eat to pair with Alternate Takes #1 go for something like a slice of Grotto’s Hawaiian pizza to bring out the pineapple background of the beer, a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich or the Chicken Chipotle Mango Sandwich from Mayhem & Stout, the Vegan Bourbon BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders or Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Mango Salsa from Doom Street Eats, Smoky Pulled Pork Carnitas from Sprouted Spoon, the Grilled Pork Bratwurst from the Schnitzel Shack, Pulled Pork Loaded Nachos from The Cheesy Pig, Island Slaw with Teriyaki Chicken from Island Noodles or the Florida Fries topped with cheese, peppers, onions, pork and garlic cream sauce from Butt House Smokehouse. A few other pizza options to try would be Pizza Nova’s War Pig Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, bacon and jalapenos), or the Spicy Chorizo Flatbread (topped with a roasted red pepper pesto, spicy chorizo, sweet corn, black beans, peppers, onions and a five cheese blend). Want to go the complete opposite direction? Grab a Mango Smoothie from Non-Pacific to work with the tropical fruit notes of the beer. 

ALTERNATE TAKES #2

Alternate Takes #2, being tapped at 4pm on Sunday, is a ‘wild sour ale with a deep, dark and complex flavor’ that came to life as Raison D’Etre that was ‘end-fermented in a tank with a Belgian Abbey yeast’ before being transferred to a single-use red wine barrel. Pair this draft only brew with foods like Peace Love Tacos Beef Tacos, a Philly Cheesesteak from Taste of Philly, or, for a grilled beef alternative, the Portobello Mushroom Burger from The Burger Joint.

BEERMOSA

Dogfish threw us for a loop offering Namaste or Festina Peche Beermosas (served at the brewery Friday through Sunday afternoon). To us, that’s the best excuse to indulge in some breakfast-y brunch-y foods like the Sausage Gravy over biscuits or fried doughnut with fresh strawberries at the Sprouted Spoon, the Breakfast Taco from Peace Love Tacos or the Chicken and Waffles Southern Soul is serving.  

To say you won’t go hungry at Firefly is an understatement. Looking at all the yummy food options at Firefly this year we're digging the variety and food choices we'll get to pick from all weekend long. It’s going to be fun to try a few of our suggested beer pairings as we rock through the weekend. Cheers!

"Light lager is for the birds. Hearty seafaring folks prefer flavor-ful ales and spirits." ~ The Opening of Dogfish Head's Chesapeake & Maine

When a “school night” invitation to Dogfish Head’s new restaurant venture, Chesapeake & Maine, landed in our inbox I immediately prayed that our 9-5 schedule was clear for the date and that some freak March snowstorm wouldn’t keep us from making that drive south. And thankfully, both of these things worked in our favor (though it did start to snow as we made our way back north).

Combining the summers Dogfish Head founder and president Sam Calagione spent in Maine, and the connection the brewery has to the Chesapeake region, the foundation and inspiration of the newly opened seafood restaurant, Chesapeake & Maine (located on Rehoboth Avenue, next to Dogfish’s existing brewpub) was formed.

We've been keeping an eye on the progress of Chesapeake & Maine during our off-season visits to the beach and through social medial, anxiously awaiting the updates of when and where this restaurant was going to open. The updates peaked our curiosity for far too long, and as we walked through the front doors for the first time, to say we were wowed is a crazy big understatement. It was also pretty cool that almost immediately after walking through the front door we got to visit with Sam and Mariah Calagione.

As you walk through the front door (and a palatial entrance, at that) a grand bar greets you on one side and a raw bar on the other. The bar was part of the structure during the previous ownership and has origins of Ireland, by way of Philly, before making its home in Rehoboth. It's now painted soft colors of the sea and adorned with mother of pearl tiles, tying perfectly to that raw bar area on the opposite side of the entry. The raw bar is airy and bright, accented with white subway tiles, pendant lights and some very cool artwork that Sam found in his travels in Austin, Texas. He added his own mark to the diorama, painting the quote, “Light lager is for the birds. Hearty seafaring folks prefer flavor-ful ales and spirits. Fish. Not fowl.”

Walking through the other rooms of the restaurant we are immediately struck by the gorgeous oyster shell chandelier hanging in the room with whimsical wall art created by California-based cartoonist, illustrator and author, Tony Millionaire. When you visit the restaurant you'll notice both real and fictional points along the Chesapeake and Maine coastlines on the map. It was fun trying to figure out which are real and which are made up.

Travis Louie, a New York-based artist, “brought Sam’s version of a Matriarch and her two sons – 19th century waterman who have the visible DNA of a Maine Lobster and a Chesapeake Blue Crab” to life. Sam’s vision for these characters were to connect them in “the unusual circumstances that shape who they were and how they lived.” Mariah told us that since Travis finished up this artwork for the restaurant he has since been hired by Disney to work on an animated film. My initial thought was, 'how cool would it be to somehow see these characters slipped into the design of the film he's working on?!'

The artwork of Jon Langford was one of my favorite details in the restaurant. You might not pick up on it - the six paintings, designed specifically for Chesapeake & Maine, include the six artists who anchor the restaurant's playlist: Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, John Coltrane, Elvis Presley, Miles Davis, and Patsy Cline. We love this. Such a cool idea. Even cooler, check out the ChesandMaine Spotify Playlist.

Paintings by Jon Langford, a reflection of the six artists who anchor the playlist at Chesapeake & Maine.

Now that we had time to explore some of the décor, because it was hard to talk about Chesapeake & Maine and not talk about how awesome it looks, it was time to enjoy the cocktail we were welcomed with and check out a sample of a few different menu items including Smoked Oysters (more on them in a sec), Lobster Sausage (LOBSTER SAUSAGE! Yes, it's was as good as it sounds.), Warm Maryland Crab Dip served with Toasted Bagel Chips (the bagel chips were genius!), Sweet & Spicy Hushpuppies (hushpuppies have a special spot in my world), and Lobster Rolls created with fresh Maine lobster, Lemon May, Fines Herb and served on a Buttered Toasted Roll. All lobster rolls in our future takes note, you have a lot to live up to now that I've had this lobster roll. I think we could have easily eaten the equivalent to a whole lobster roll without even thinking about it.

Now, a little spotlight on the fantastically refreshing Moscow Mule we were handed upon entering Chesapeake & Maine. The recipe for the keg conditioned Moscow Mule, which is served on tap right next to Dogfish Head beers, mixes Dogfish Distilling Co.’s Analog Vodka, Housemade Ginger Beer and Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice. The bite of the ginger and tartness of the lime juice is perfectly balanced with the Analog Vodka, all while making its home in a Dogfish Distilling Co. copper mug. It was also very cool to learn that the cocktails at Chesapeake & Maine were crafted by celebrity bartender, Mia Mastroianni, who just happens to be Sam’s cousin.

Keg Conditioned Moscow Mule

Dogfish Analog Vodka, housemade ginger beer, fresh-squeezed lime juice.

Keg Conditioned 60 Minute Gin & Tonic

Whole Leaf Gin, Housemade 60 Minute IPA Tonic

After finishing our last sip of the Moscow Mule we knew it was time to find out what was on tap. This is when the true beer geek in me popped out. The very patient server barely got the words “Squall IPA” out when I pretty much did a happy dance because I was so excited to not only have Squall again, but to have it on tap. Thankfully I let him finish the list as he told us about the Chesapeake & Maine exclusive brew, Sequenchale, an experimental brew combining the three traditional German styles of Kolsch, Berliner Weisse & Gose into ‘one unique, thirst quenching beer.’ Or as Sam described it, a beer margarita! Thank goodness Eric was with me so that we could try one of each of the beers.

Dogfish Head Squall IPA and the Chesapeake & Maine exclusive brew, Sequenchale.

What was really fun about the night was getting introduced to both the leadership team of the restaurant and the suppliers and farmers of various items, like the very unique, very Dogfish, oysters. One of our favorite stories of the night was how, by no surprise, Sam wanted to find a way to hop-infuse the oysters at Hooper’s Island Oyster Company. Turns out, oysters don’t like hops added to their water, but they do like culinary smoked salts. And with that, the oysters are “smoky but not too smoky – really unique, earthy and oceanic at the same time, keeping with Dogfish’s long history of wood-grilling and wood-aged beers.” Chesapeake & Maine are calling these oysters “Smoke in the Water.’ A raw oyster with a smoky taste about it? Wonderful!

Hooper’s Island Oyster Company "Smoke on the Water" Oysters
 

Throughout the rest of the evening we were treated to the Lobster Bisque (uniquely served on top of a white chocolate gellan and fine herbs), Seafood Pho (brimming with lobster, clams, mussels, shaved beef, rice noodle, bean sprouts, lobster dashi, and cured egg yolk), and Seared Jumbo Day Boat Scallop (served on and with Maine Bean-Hole Cassoulet, RAPA Scrapple, Lobster, Lobster Gravy and Fines Herbs). They said they wanted to make the focus the ingredient, in the most natural and beautiful way. Nailed it.

The Start of Lobster Bisque

White Chocolate Gellan and Fines Herb

Lobster Bisque

Seafood Pho

Lobster, Clams, Mussels, Shaved Beef, Rice Noodles, Bean Sprouts, Lobster Dashi, Cured Egg Yolk

Seared Jumbo Day Boat Scallops

Maine Bean-Hole Cassoulet, RAPA Scrapple, Lobster, Lobster Gravy, Fines Herb

We also were treated to a trio of dessert options: Cookies & Milk (chocolate Chicory Stout whoopie pies with peanut butter filling paired with malted milk), Mini Delmarva Strawberry Pretzel Salad (pretzel crust, mascarpone cheese cake, strawberry gele, fresh strawberries), and Mini White Chocolate Lobster Crème Brulee with Red Velvet Biscotti. Seriously. So. Good. We especially love their twist of the regional delight, pretzel salad. Such a fun thing to have on the menu.

Executive Chef Kevin Downing, who most recently was a chef at Walt Disney World for 8 years, is in his second year with Dogfish Head, having “reinvigorated the Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats menu” before bringing the Chesapeake & Maine menu to life. You can easily taste the passion that Chef Downing has in the dishes we sampled throughout the night.

Here are a few other interior shots:

The seafood, music and art of Chesapeake & Maine are woven together like the waves of the ocean. As you can expect the food and drink are outstanding, leaving us anxious for an excuse to make a return trip. As amazing as the food and drink were, the interior is hard to ignore. It's gorgeous, uniquely different, yet flowing and cohesive. The restaurant was likened to the interior of a lobster trap in its designed, and as Sam joked, much like a lobster pot once you come in, you can't get out. I think we may have to test that theory on our next trip to the beach. Cheers!

Snow fall as we left Chesapeake & Maine.

Chesapeake & Maine Info:

The restaurant is open from 4pm-7pm, 7 days a week, year round.

They're closed on the following days: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, the Tuesday after Labor Day, their annual Beer & Benevolence Day, and the evening of their annual holiday PARTAY.

Address:    316 Rehoboth Avenue

                     Rehoboth Beach, DE

Phone:        302-226-3600