A Change of Place...And a New Name

If you had a chance to read our last blog, you probably gathered leaving Delaware was one of the hardest, yet at the same time, easiest decisions we've had to make. Having an opportunity to keep a family tradition going, while exploring the Jersey countryside, shore towns, historic towns, and everything in between has allowed us to stumble up on new craft breweries, indulge in regional foods I've wanted to share with Eric for a while, and see sites around New Jersey that have been on our 'to visit' list for years. 

We've had a blast throughout the years, sipping on beers around Delaware, making new craft beer loving friends along the way; though as each day passes, we continue to realize that it's time to start sharing our adventures and finds with you on our new blog, Back in Jersey.  We hope you'll continue to travel along out next adventures! 

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A Change of Place

Nearly 6 years ago (on March 24th to be exact), we launched a blog and social media to get the word out about the great things happening in the craft beer world around Delaware. That was the day Delaware Hop Scene was born. It seemed only appropriate to name it so specific to the state we lived in, as many of our adventures were around the state and around our love of craft beer. 

Living anywhere other than Delaware seemed unfathomable. Sometimes we threw around the idea of moving to a warmer climate, or maybe Philly, but we knew the furthest we’d probably move was North Wilmington. Delaware was home. 

Then sometimes an unexpected event leads to an even more unexpected change. Somewhere along the way, a surprise decision was made…we were moving. And we were moving back to New Jersey, a place I hadn’t lived in 18+ years. 

Family, tradition, and a giant tug on my heartstrings will make you do something so unexpected, and that’s what brought me back to the place I called home for nearly half my life. Thank goodness Eric was willing to come along for the ride. As we discussed the possibility of the move he couldn’t have put it any simpler when he said he couldn’t think of a reason not to make the move. 

Let me backtrack for a minute. 

As we were kicking of a weekend of celebrating the wedding of two dear friends, I found out that my grandmother, my Mimi, had passed away. 

Shortly after, as my family took the steps to clear out the home, I started thinking about the history of Mimi’s home. It wasn’t just the home that my father (and Aunt) grew up in, it was the home my great parents first moved into around 1900. It was a home where my grandfather and his siblings were born. And a home where my grandparents moved to when my father was a young boy. I realized with my Mimi’s passing, the nearly 120-year history of my family living in this home was about to come to an end. That’s when I knew that I had the opportunity to keep the home in my family. 

At first, I was still working in Delaware, spending at least 5 days out of the week in the place we called home for so many years. I thought the only thing that would change once we moved would be where we laid our head at night. That soon changed when an opportunity was soon presented to me and I started a new position in Conshohocken. At this point I quickly realized that it was becoming more and more difficult to give Delaware the focus we once had. 

Though we won’t be in Delaware quite as much, our love of craft beer, traveling, indulging in regional foods, and all the other things we’ve shared over the years, isn’t changing. You may notice a name change in the near future, but we’re still doing what we do, just with a slightly Jersey twist! 

We hope you’ll stick around to see where our newest adventure takes us. 

Cheers!
Lindsey and Eric
 

It All Started With Asheville - How a Trip to Asheville Turned Into So Much More: Asheville and Chapel Hill (and a few stops in between)

It All Started With Asheville
How a Trip to Asheville Turned Into So Much More:
Asheville and Chapel Hill (and a few stops in between)

Sometimes a trip starts with one destination and without much effort, grows into a bit of an adventure. That’s exactly what happened with our trip to Asheville. 

When it comes to firming up travel plans, I’m both a planner and a procrastinator. I’m often known as the friend that will plan a trip from A to Z and back again with little effort (and with complete enjoyment), but other times I can’t make a decision for the life of me, and procrastination tends to take over. That's pretty much how our North Carolina adventure began to take shape.

Of course, as most trips do, the planning started with researching travel options to and from Asheville since that was our primary destination. Somehow amid that research I had the idea to fly in and out of Charlotte so we could explore that area bit before or after our time in Asheville.  In a completely unrelated conversation Eric mentioned a band he wanted to see (Hippo Campus) was going to be in Philly during the time we were scheduled to be away. This made me think to myself, wonder where else they’re playing? As it turns out, they were going to be in North Carolina right around the start of our time down there. It wasn't going to time perfectly for our arrival into Charlotte, they were going to be there the day we were flying in, but they were going to be in Chapel Hill. I took a quick look and found that Chapel Hill was 2 hours to the east of Charlotte. So instead of heading 2 hours west once we landed, we were just going to take a slight detour to the east. And that’s how we decided to add Chapel Hill to our itinerary.

Now onto our time in North Carolina…

We landed in Charlotte bright and early on a Saturday morning and made our way to Raleigh to the North Carolina Museum of Art, because sometimes we throw a little culture into the mix to balance the copious amount of craft beer and brewery visits we tend to include on vacation. Especially when a museum was presenting the very cool exhibit Ansel Adams: Masterworks. When we pulled up to the museum we realized that this was a very neat way to start our trip. The Ansel Adams exhibit may have been one of my favorites I've seen in a while. Eric and I even found a print that we both completely love and know the perfect spot for it in our yet to be named 'room with no name' in the house project. Now if we can just find said print to purchase! 

In addition to two buildings filled with art works of several genres, the North Carolina Museum of Art also boasts the gorgeous Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, connecting “art, nature, and people to encourage creative experiences and human interactions.” We loved spending time wandering around the different paths around the park.     

If you know you're going to be at the museum around a meal, be sure to make a reservation at Iris, named from the museum's benefactor, Iris Cantor. This full-service restaurant is located in the West Building and is surrounded by works of art from artists in so many different genres including African, American, Modern and Contemporary, and Egyptian. The bright windows inside Iris provide you with pretty views of the outside surrounding gardens too. You can also grab your go-to coffee drink, tea and cookies at Sip Cafe, located next to the Museum Store, if you aren't down with a full sit-down meal. We also noticed a lot of people bringing picnics to the grounds of the museum. Not a bad idea when you're surrounded by so much gorgeousness. 

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After spending a few hours surrounded by culture and North Carolina beauty, we made our way over to Chapel Hill where we visited Beer Study, located right in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill. We made our way inside to grab a couple of beers, and then headed back outside, as it was too pretty of a day to pass on the outdoor seating on a pretty afternoon. The tap list was impressive and their bottle selection was stellar - especially with the number of brews they had available from around North Carolina. If you get hungry, you can pop next door to Al's Burger Shack and order up some food to enjoy while you're sipping on your beers at Beer Study.  

A few blocks from Beer Study is the Chapel Hill location of Carolina Brewery. Can we talk about the size of the beer flight?! Yes, that's a total of TWELVE small pours on 2 boards, and yes, we split it! Carolina Brewery isn't messing around! As fun as the beer flight was, we got down to some serious business with our food decision, the Seasonal Dips, which includes a mild obsession of mind: pimento cheese. It only seems right to enjoy pimento cheese as often as possible when in the South. Accompanying the pimento cheese was a little hummus and a serving of shrimp and crab dip. When you indulge in a flight of this size, be sure to set yourself up with a hearty bit of food, like the dips! Especially when there's pimento cheese involved (can you tell I'm a bit of a fan?) 

Later that night was the Hippo Campus show at a neat little venue, Cat’s Cradle, in Carrboro, a town adjacent to Chapel Hill. When we got there, we parked near Steel String Brewery, so logically we went in there on our way to our dinner reservations at Milltown.

Here’s the thing, southern folks are typically pretty darn nice people, and from the time we landed in NC until we left, we ran into one helpful, sweet person after another, including while we were at Steel String Brewery. A guy we were sitting next to at the bar picked up on the fact that we weren’t local (guess the Yankee was shining through) and asked if we needed any suggestions for our drive to Asheville. This was the first time we heard of two places that were huge highlights of our trip: Haw River Farmhouse Ales and Fonta Flora Brewery.

I kind of love how Steel String Brewery describes themselves on their website: “Inspired by the agriculture of the Piedmont and the free-spirited vibes of Carrboro, Steel String adapts modern brewery styles to a unique NC vernacular.” With a mantra like that, we knew we needed to include that in our Carrboro portion of the itinerary.  

In addition to the eight brews they had on tap, Steel String also had a few cider from Citizen Cider in Burlington, VT on tap. Sounds like that's a pretty common thing too. As we were deciding on what we wanted to try, I noticed that there was a collaboration with Free Will Brewing on tap. Of course I had to go with that as my selection.

We noticed Steel String serves their flights in a pretty neat a guitar shaped 'tray' with space for 4 of their brews. Pretty cool. 

After our visit at Steel String Brewery, we headed over to Millsboro for dinner. This was one of our many Beer Advocate finds we've visited over the years when traveling. Before heading to a new destination (or even one we've visited several times before), as we're getting a game plan of what we're doing, and most importantly, what we're eating and drinking, I log onto beeradvocate.com and read up on what the destination has to offer. Of course we check in with friends or family that may live or visited to get their suggestions, but we have landed on some pretty cool finds thanks to the suggestions on Beer Advocate. Anyway, that’s how we found Milltown (and Beer Study). 

One thing you'll probably start to pick up on is that I'm pretty big fan of sitting outside as often as I possibly can. To me, there's nothing better than enjoying your beer and some food outside in the warmth of the sun or under the stars. Milltown had a great outdoor space for doing just that. I’m not going to pretend the food we had at Milltown was good for us. It was overindulgent and delicious. #sorrynotsorry. How can we be when we have a pretty neat appetizer called gnocchi tots and Carolina (BBQ) fries?

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We love that more and more we're seeing concert venues, big or small, are focusing on serving craft beer. Cat's Cradle was rocking a nice selection, including brews from Foothills Brewing Company out of Winston-Salem. Seeing a show in a venue of this size - it holds 750 people, max! - is something we love doing. Sipping on a craft beer is a nice little bonus. And Hippo Campus put a pretty fantastic show that night. 

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As we were leaving Cat’s Cradle, we noticed that they were like 2 doors down from a brewery. It was an unexpected stop, but YesterYears Brewery was our last stop on the Carrboro/Chapel Hill night of fun.

When we've visited the south in the past, we continue to find that the food is pretty amazing. I feel as though I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't continue to mention it. A lot of it is amazing, decadent, over the top, and unnecessary to indulge in on the regular, but when you're in the south, just enjoy it. How could I not mention the breakfast we treated ourselves to the morning after the Hippo Campus show. Something described as a Pineapple Basil donut topped with pistachios cannot be passed up. And when you’re at a place called Rise Biscuits and Donut, you can’t leave without having an egg sandwich on a biscuit (somehow passing on the pimento cheese option…). I swear there's egg and bacon under that massive slice of cheese (which was a local cheese of some sort...but we both may have been a bit too foggy that morning to remember what it was!) 

Totally fueled up and ready to conquer the day, we started our 3-hour trek to Asheville, making our first stop at Haw River Farmhouse Ales.

The way Haw River was described, our interest was totally piqued. What we stumbled upon was so much more than we expected. It was a beautiful setting, with a unique mix of shops and food and drink options. Because the setting was so awesome, we decided to head up to the outdoor deck of The Eddy Pub & Restaurant where we grabbed a round and snacked on pimento cheese fries. Let that sink in, and yes, they were as amazing as they sound.

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After spending some time on the outdoor deck taking in the view of the Haw River, we made our way downstairs to Haw River Farmhouse Ales, where we were totally blown away. Between the flight, the house made kombucha, and the spent grain pretzels (which we saved for a post brewery visit to Fonta Flora); we could have easily spent a long afternoon here.

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We had another lovely southern experience while we were at Haw River. We grabbed a spot at the bar next to the sweetest couple who gave us a million and one suggestions for Asheville and the surrounding areas, including a second suggestion for stopping at Fonta Flora before getting into Asheville.

Before we left Haw River we made a quick pit stop at Haw River Ballroom’s Cup 22, which is also the venue’s box office, a quick visit and a dose of caffeine. This is a neat little coffee shop/music venue that you should include when you’re visiting Haw River. The view from the second-floor seating area/balcony is another beautiful one!

We could easily see why Fonta Flora Brewery was such a highly suggested stop when we were chatting with our sweet North Carolina beer buddies. It’s one of the more unique breweries we visited, with funky brews and styles on tap, brewing what they call a North Carolina/Appalachian style of beer.  Fonta Flora “integrates the soul of agriculture with the artisanship of zymurgy to create a menagerie of rustic and savory libations.” Our visit proved that. As cool as the brewery’s building and artwork showcased was, the beers were pretty fantastical. This was a great little stop and a nice way to break up our drive to Asheville (and now that spent grain soft pretzel from Haw River came in handy!) 

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After our visit to Haw River Farmhouse ales and Fonta Flora Brewery, we were so glad we had the time to wander around the North Carolina countryside. Yes, we had planned on visiting a state park or two on our way to Asheville, but I think we’re pretty okay with what we did instead. A bit of a bonus: as we got closer and closer to Asheville, the drive got prettier and prettier.

#nofilter 

#nofilter 

Next stop: Asheville.

One thing we love almost as much as craft beer is a fantastic cup of coffee (or iced coffee as the weather might dictate). Thankfully we found the latter in High Five Coffee. After fueling up on a rosemary hazelnut currant scone and cold brew, we made our way to The North Carolina Arboretum, and then the Biltmore. Add both to your itinerary when you visit Asheville.

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The Arboretum and botanical garden is located in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest of the Pisgah National Forest. The views are incredible.

A trip to Asheville isn’t complete until you see the Biltmore. We stumbled upon a fun find while we were walking the grounds of The Biltmore. Tucked behind the Conservatory in the Gardens of the Biltmore was a little kiosk that served Biltmore Brewing Company Cedric’s Pale Ale, named after the “patriarch of the St. Bernard’s who shared Biltmore House with the Vanderbilt’s,” and Highland Brewing Company Gaelic Ale. The round of beers was a peaceful start to our time in Asheville and the perfect way to enjoy the last bit of sunshine before a storm rolled in.

Asheville completely indulged in my desire to sit outside as often as possible too. Asheville Brewing Company’s covered patio was a nice cover from the warm North Carolina sun, but open enough that a nice breeze made its way through.

Things we learned (or further justified) at Asheville Brewing: a flight, pint and a pizza to split is always a bit more enjoyable on a sunny Monday afternoon, especially when we’re both usually at work!

Thankfully we were in Asheville before THE Wicked Weed Brewing announcement. We can only hope that the brewery doesn’t do a thing to the tour at the Wicked Weed Funkatorium. I mean, we were surrounded by 500 barrels of aging beer and had such a great time with the tour manager, Jesse!

Easily visible from the Fukatorium is Twin Leaf Brewery, not surprising, another great find. Are you traveling to Asheville with your kids or dog? Twin Leaf is all about it. They aim to be your “friendly neighborhood pub” while sparing “no expense to make high-quality world-class beer.” We admire the brewery aiming “to be a community steward and meeting house.” How could you not want to hang here for a while during your visit to Asheville?

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When we travel I try to find the cool, unique, local spots, and tend to ignore chains, unless they’re a more regional, special kind of chain, like Tupelo Honey Café, originally founded in Asheville. (They now have restaurants in Colorado, Georgia, throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia). We got the suggestion for Tupelo Honey from our friend Todd, who liked it so much during his time in Asheville he visited the restaurant twice! Though they have a house beer, Tupelo Honey Rye Ale, we were very quickly swayed to try Olde Hickory Brewery 2015 The Event Horizon, while Eric went with Highland Brewing Company IPA.

Eric surprised me with his lunch choice: Salt-Roasted Beet Salad with mixed greens, spiced pecans, goat cheese and a toasted pecan vinaigrette. I went with more of a brunch item, Southern Shakshuka: eggs, goat cheese grits, avocado and a creole sauce. I could have easily eaten that every day during our time in Asheville!

Between the top-notch service, awesome beer selection, and so good food, Tupelo Honey was such an awesome choice.

After getting to Buxton Hall BBQ to find that it was closed because they were already sold out for the day (talk about super sad face – all I wanted was a Cheerwine Bourbon slushy), we turned to the right, and there was Catawba Brewing Co., literally right next door, giving us a perfect opportunity to check them out - and to try their Peanut Butter Jelly Time. It was a bit crazy to taste a bit of the peanut butter on some taste buds and a bit of the jelly on others! 

 

We had read quite a bit about Burial Beer Co., and knew it was on our 'must-see' list while visiting Asheville. In addition to the awesome beers brewed here, they have a great food option, Salt & Smoke, and they have a mural on the outside wall of Sloth from The Goonies and Tom Selleck. Yes, you absolutely read that correctly.   

New Belgium Brewing picked a fantastic location for their brewery in Asheville; right on the banks of the French Broad River. The setting invites you to hang here for a while. The laid back, open air vibe of the Liquid Center, what they call the tasting room, fits in perfectly in Asheville. Grab your flight and pull up a seat on the deck and let the afternoon fade away. p.s. If you're "allergic to crowds" the brewery suggests visiting them on Tuesday :)  

Since we already visited the Wicked Weed Funkatorium, we couldn’t leave Asheville without a visit to the Wicked Weed Pub in downtown Asheville. You can grab lunch or dinner in the restaurant or head down to the Downstairs Beer Bar. Find something you want to take home with you? Check the Bottle Shop to see if they have it available! 

Take a short drive outside of Asheville, up a very long, winding driveway and you’ll land at the beyond impressive east coast brewing location of Sierra Nevada at Mills River. It’s massive, and I mean massive. The brewhouse was breathtaking. That copper though. I'm trying to decide if we can get a 'whirlpool' like Sierra Nevada's, and I definitely want to figure out a way to incorporate a chandelier like that one into our home! The brewery is surrounded by so my nature and prettiness, it was a really amazing way to end our time in Asheville. 

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When it’s all said and done, sometimes there really is a beauty in being a bit of a procrastinator. Every once in a while, it’s fun to thinking outside of the box when it comes to your travel plans. Give yourself a little flexibility. Add a random stop along the way as something cool sounding pops up. Talk to the locals and see where their favorite places are. When you’re traveling, especially on a beercation, see as much as you can, without too rigid of a game plan (or without a driver or Uber!) You might miss a hidden gem or a neat attraction along the way if you do. Just remember, have fun and seek out some great craft brews along the way.

 

IPA Day 2017

Thursday, August 3rd is IPA Day 2017! Here's a look at what's going on around the state in celebration of the hoppiest day of the year: 

  • IPA Day at the Dogfish Head Brewpub: In addition to the Continually Hopped Flights (60 Minute, 90 Minute, Cask 75 Minute, 90 Minute and 120 Minute), Dogfish is offering 50% off all glassware (this discount is also available at the brewery and online at shop.dogfish.com). 
  • Two Stones Pub Wilmington IPA Day 2017 - they're pouring a ton of the hoppiest brews: 

- 2SP Haze Craze...Session IPA 4.2%    
- 2SP Bellcracker...DIPA 8.7%    
- 2SP Cali Coast...DIPA 9.0%    
- Big Oyster POW!...IPA 5.4%    
- Dogfish Head Lupu Luau...IPA 7.3%    
- Evolution Pinehople...IPA 6.8%    
- Founders All Day...IPA 4.7%    
- Otter Creek White...IPA 5.5%    
- Stone Mocha...DIPA 9.0%    
- Two Roads Two Juicy...DIPA 8.2% (unfiltered)    

  • Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro's Pizza A Jazzy Type of IPA Day: Argilla is pouring beers inspired by jazz-influenced music, "especially the poetry and artistic visoins of Gil Scott-Heron. 
  • Tyler's is Celebrating IPA Day with a Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Tap Takeover. Here's what's they'll have on tap:

- Union Jack
- Easy Jack
- Leo v Ursus Adversus
- Luponic Distortion Revolution No. 006

  • Vintage & Vinyl - National IPA Day at the Dogfish Head Brewery: Enjoy vinyl spinning and a few beers from the Vintage Stash. For IPA Day Dogfish is breaking out '07 120 Minute IPA, '09 Squall, '10 Burton Baton and '13 Hellhound On My Ale while DJ Gatz Brrrap Brrrap spins the vinyl.
  • Two Stones Pub Newark IPA Day 2017
     
  • Trolley Tap House is Celebrating IPA with a Summer of Sculpin Tap Takeover: They'll have these Ballast Point beers on tap: 
    - Sculpin
    - Grapefruit Sculpin
    - Pineapple Sculpin
    - Habanero Sculpin
    - Unfiltered Sculpin
     
  • Old Banks Craft Bistro is celebrating IPA with a few favorites from Otter Creek Brewing.

We'll keep this updated as we find more IPA Day events posted and shared! 

Around Firefly 2017

If you're a craft beer lover you don't have to put that on hold while you're at Firefly Music Festival - I mean, they have something called The (Dogfish) Brewery, for crying out loud! In case you missed our latest blog post, here's a quick catch up: Pairing Dogfish Head Beers All Weekend Long at Firefly Music Festival 2017.  

Past years at Firefly have been a blast, and every year they find way to make it a little more interesting, and in some cases, a bit more convenient. One update is Firefly Cashless, a very cool technology powered by Square. 

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

If you have your credit card, debit card, Visa gift card, or other electronic payment methods (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay), then you're all set. In reading more about Firefly Cashless on the Firefly's website, this sounds like a pretty darn great idea. Not only will you not have to carry cash (or get charged the crazy ATM fees if you need cash), but Firefly anticipates faster transactions. Can't beat that. We're also digging that there's no additional app to download (unless you're using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Android Pay). We're looking forward to seeing how much easier this makes the weekend. 

We all know that there's always a possibility that someone you're hanging out with isn't a total craft beer lover. For those folks, Firefly has put together so really cool partnerships to check out.

For the wine folks in your world there's a pretty cool situation happening at Firefly, the Dark Horse Wine Rose Lounge. 

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

As part of the Dark Horse Oh Hey Rose 2017 Festival Tour they're offering a full service wine bar, pouring two new comers to their list of wines, Pinot Grigio and Rose. And did you notice the rooftop deck you can head up to catch a pretty sweet view from? Very coo.  

Fan curation was the theme of Firefly 2017. The Fort, a 'fan-curated' bar, is all about sustainability, using tons of recycled materials. You can check out yard games, food trucks and another very cool upper-level deck to check out what's going on over at The Lawn and The Porch. 

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

 

Looking for a little beach action at Firefly? Looks like Malibu Rum will have you covered! Stop by the Malibu Beach House  to relax with games or a frozen cocktail. This looks like a spot that will transport you to a tropical vibe right in the middle of The Woodlands.

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Everyone is going to need a little extra pep in their step as the days (and nights!) run longer and longer, that's when scoping out Confluence Coffee Co.'s The Nitro Firefly Cold Brew Coffee is definitely going to be worth it. You'll be able to find it canned AND kegged. Either way, keep an eye out for it around The Woodlands! 

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Ladies, when you want to get a little fancy swing on over to the Batiste Hair Dry Shampoo Braid Bar in the North Camping Hub. Now only will they create a new do for you, they'll have fun travel size goodies to pass along to you too. 

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

We're digging Firefly's partnership with Clif Green Notes, especially because they're all about reducing their environmental footprint. Just as important is raising awareness about the climate issues facing Delaware's wetlands. Green Notes also featured a very neat musical artists, a local hip hop group from Dover, Trio, who speak out about homelessness and hunger. Check out their Facebook page for more inspiring messages.

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

Source: Firefly (Facebook)

When you a little extra time on your walk from stage to stage or when there's a little downtime to your day, swing by for another round of brew from The Dogfish Brewery and take the time to take in all the fun experiences Firefly has to offer throughout the next several days. With so much going on around The Woodlands there's no way you'll have time to be bored this weekend!

See you in Dover! 

Pairing Dogfish Head Beers All Weekend Long at Firefly Music Festival 2017

Have you seen what Dogfish Head is pouring at The Brewery at Firefly Music Festival?

    Read more

    Beers and Bands: Pairing Firefly Music Festival Bands with Hometown Beers

    Gearing up for this year's Firefly Music Festival? We've listed a few of the bands and artists we're looking forward to and paired them up with beers local to their hometown(ish). 

    Who are you most excited to check on this weekend?

    p.s. Want to see a larger version of the infographic? Click on the image below!

    How Can This Not Be Fun? There's a Man Dressed As a Cow

    Things we've never done (or at least we didn't realized there was a term for it): Live Blogging. 

    My first thought was, oh goodness, we were going to have to write a live blog post and people are going to critique us in real time?! Thankfully after attending the Beer Bloggers Conference last month in Tampa, we quickly found out it wasn't that at all! 

    At the end of the second day of sessions, we all loaded up into several Brew Bus Tampa rides and were whisked away to a local distributor, J.J. Taylor, which by the way, was gi-normous, for our first ever live blogging session. We knew it was going to be a great time when we walked in and saw a man dressed in a cow costume. I mean, really, how can something not be fun when something like this happens?! 

    Sweet Brew Bus Tampa ride, huh?!

    Sweet Brew Bus Tampa ride, huh?!

    Onto live blogging. The premise for this very fun 50 minutes is this: our group (which included the very awesome Janelle from Dogfish and the super cool Jean from Devil's Backbone) was seated at a round table. When the timer went off, a brewery rep (or owner) stopped by our table with some of his or her beers to sample where they had 5 minutes to tell us about the brewery and about the beers we were drinking. It was a bit intense, but it was a blast. 

    Round 1 was a visit from Lagunitas where we got to sip on one of our go to favorites, their IPA. This is one of the beers we've both loved for as long as we can remember. Their entry into the Delaware market was quite the happy day for us.  

    Moving on from there, we were next introduced to the first canned beer from Salt Water Brewery, Screamin' Reels IPA, brewed in Delray Beach, FL. This brewery was super cool to chat with as they've partnered with WeBelievers to create edible six-pack rings. How cool is that?

    Round three brought a Scottish accent and St. Pete Brewing The McCracken. Thankfully the beer was tremendously better than my very bad attempt at a Scottish accent. 

    When you're in Florida, it seems to be a given that citrus beer is a must! Crooked Thumb Brewing Florida Grapefuit Gose fits that bill perfectly! 

    If you squeezed a watermelon into a beer can, I'm pretty sure it would turn into Terrapin Beer Company Watermelon Gose (so many gose!) 

    12.8 of double barrel aged coffee coconut imperial stout = Cigar City Brewing Decoherence. It was as awesome as it was described to us. And then some. 

    Sierra Nevada Otra Vez is something I can see myself enjoying on a hot summer day.

    When a man shows up at your table dressed up as a cow, it's a pretty good indication that he isn't taking life too serious and that the bee is going to be awesome. And all of these thing proved to be 

    Loved the New Belgium suggested blending Citradelic and Heavy Mellon. What an awesome suggestion during live blogging! Now, what to call it?!

    Hello, Florida Beer Florida Lager! This was a stellar way to end 10 beers of live Beer Bloggers Conference Live Blogging. One of the things I liked the most was having a change to  

    Loved trying old favorites and beers we were already familiar with, plus beers local to Tampa Bay and the state of Florida. 

    "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.

    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.

    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.

    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 

    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.

    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.

    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

    New Year's Eve Around The Small Wonder

    New Year's Eve is nearly upon us and there are so many fun ways to ring in 2016 happening around the state this year.

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    Two Stones Pub Wilmington, Two Stones Pub Newark and Two Stones Pub Kennett Square are accepting reservations for their New Year's Eve three course prixe fix menu. 

    Spend New Year's Eve at 33 West Ale House and Grill. They are accepting reservations for a night to include a "special dinner menu, champagne, fireworks." The kitchen will be closing from 4-5pm in preparation for dinner, but don't worry, the bar will still be open.

    Dogfish is having 20 Beers for 20 Years! New year's Eve Celebration at the Brewpub (though it's sold out...). Downstairs Tweed will be playing starting at 10pm.  p.s. The Brewery is closing early for New Year's Eve. The last tour of the day will be at 3pm and the Tasting Room and Merchandise Shop will close at 5pm. They'll also be closed on New Year's Day.

    Crooked Hammock Brewery is hosting a New Year's Eve Keg Drop to celebrate 2016. The night will include open bar, food stations, and live music from Universal Funk Order. Planning on having dinner at Crooked Hammock before their Keg Drop? Last dinner seating will be at 7pm.

    The Town of Georgetown is having their New Year's Eve Celebration at The Circle and will host a variety of vendors, including 16 Mile Brewing. 

    Iron Hill Brewery Newark and Wilmington will both have special New Year's Eve menus and reservations are encouraged (thank you, OpenTable!) 

    Argilla Brewing Co. is doing a little New Year's Eve Celebrating the Future with Xtra Alltra. 

    Stewart's Brewing Co. will have "special dinner features to celebrate the arrival of 2016," plus they'll have their New Year's Day Breakfast Buffet and $1 Stumblin' Monks starting at 9am on New Year's Day.

    Trolley Tap House is celebrating New Year's Eve with a Craft Beer Paired Three Course Prix Fixe Dinner. They're also serving Sierra Nevada Celebration for your Midnight toast.

    Fin's Fish House & Raw Bar is serving up a New Year's Eve Chef's Max Tasting Menu. 

    There are three options for Nage Rehoboth's New Year's Eve Menu: a la carte from 4pm until 5:15pm, reservations for the Four Course Chef's Dinner starting at 5:30pm, and for reservations after 9pm you'll also receive post-meal bites in the wine bar, live music by Bruce Anthony, take home cake truffles and a free glass of bubbly at Midnight.

    UPDATED 12.28.15:

    Chelsea Tavern is having a New Year's Eve celebration and they're offering three different packages: 
    - Everyday Package: cash bar, a la carte menu and the Joe Daphne Band
    - Tavern Package: open bar, Joe Daphne Band and champagne toast at Midnight
    - Chelsea Package (reservations required): 4-course dinner, open bar, cocktail hour + heavy hors d'oeuvres, Joe Daphne Band and champagne toast at Midnight

    Plus, the Doubletree Hotel Downtown Wilmington is offering discounted room rates when you mention Chelsea Tavern when making your reservation. 

    Arena's Newark is having a New Year's Eve Kick the Keg with discounted draft beer and a free champagne toast at Midnight.

    Check out Grain's No Stress NYE Menu with James-N-Matt Acoustic starting at 9pm.

    UPDATED 12.29.15:

    Fordham and Dominion is celebrating New Year's Eve at the brewery from 5-9pm on NYE with live music from The Justin McNatt Band.

    UPDATED 12.30.15:

    2SP Brewing will be open on New Year's Eve from 3-9pm and New Year's Day from 12-9p. 

    Ernest & Scott's New Year's Eve Dance Party includes 4 hours open bar, complimentary Midnight champagne toast, 2 hours of heavy hors D'oeuvres, 1 hour midnight dessert bar, balloon prize drop at Midnight and DJ Phatboy spinning all night. You'll also receive a discounted rate at the Double Tree Downtown Wilmington when you mention Ernest & Scott when making your reservation. 

     

    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.

    Christmas (and Beer) Is The Reason For the Season - Last Minute Beer Gifts to Give This Holiday Season (Or To Get!)

    Whether you're looking for a gift for the fellow craft beer lover in your life, or need to add a few more things to list for Santa, here are our suggestions of the coolest craft beer gifts from around the state (and slightly beyond).  We're all about shopping local, or at the very least, shopping small, so we're giving you a run down of what we'd love to give (or receive!) from the breweries around the state.

    16 Mile has Love, Byrd. Soaps made with their Tiller Brown Ale and Old Court Ale. We're thinking pairing the soap with the appropriate shower beer is totally acceptable when you're giving this gift.

    3rd Wave Brewing has not one Beanie options but two Beanie options to keep your craft beer lovers noggin warm this winter.

    Make a quick stop into 2SP Brewing and pick up one of their pre-made gift baskets. Each basket has a $50 gift card, 2 pint glasses, stickers, lip balm, a bottle opener, and an (empty) growler. That's $100 worth of goodies for $75. Nice.

    Give the gift of pizza and beer with a gift card from Argilla Brewing Co. Who doesn't love that combo? 

    Big Oyster Brewery has new trucker hats for the dude or dude-ette that can rock a hat like a boss. 

    A Blue Earl Brewing gift certificate paired with with a 6-pack of the brewery's newly released Walking Blues IPA is a darn good gift to give, if we do say so. 

    Head into Crooked Hammock Brewery - or hop on their website - for everything from tickets to their New Year's Eve keg drop and gift cards to super cool merchandise. We're digging the Beer Mug ($22). 

    Gift a Dewey Beer Company gift card for your craft beer loved one to use at one of their Monday Night Four Course Dinners or for Sunday $3 Beer Day.

    Love the Dogfish Head Woolrich collaboration, Pennsylvania Tuxedo? Then you'll totally dig the Penn Tux merchandise available at the brewery or at dogfish.com. They have pint glasses, koozies, coasters and a hat in a great red and black Woolrich pattern. p.s. ordering from Dogfish.com? To ensure delivery in time for the 25th be sure to select Next-Day shipping when you check out. 

    Down at the Dogfish Head Brewpub you can stop in and pick up one of their Holiday Variety Packs that includes 2 pint glasses, a keychain bottle opener, a tote and 1 bottle each of Namaste, Sixty-One, 90 Minute, Piercing Pils, 60 Minute and Indian Brown Ale. 

    Get the Fordham and Dominion FoDo Hoodie for your gift getting buddy can rock it all winter long. Staying warm while looking cool? Definitely a good thing. 

    Iron Hill Brewery Newark and Wilmington have several different gift ideas you can pick from like Bottled Reserve gift packages, growler gift packs, gift cards and King of the Hill memberships. Need a quick gift? The Iron Hill Growler Pack ($30) comes with an (empty) 64 oz. growler, two Iron Hill pint glasses and a $20 gift card.

    Jessop's Tavern can put a little colonial spirit into you beer lovers Christmas with Grandville Hollow Pottery mugs, growlers and gift cards. 

    A ticket to Kennett Winterfest, with at least 50 breweries attending, is always a good idea. Maybe it'll even feel like winter by the time the fest rolls around! 

    Swing by Mispillion River Brewing to pick up a 6-pack, a growler (they just got them back in) or some Mispillion gear for your Christmas buddy to rock.

    Buy a ticket for Stewart's Brewing Co.'s Beer Dinner with Painted Stave, a bottle of 20th Anniversary Ale or a gift certificate for a growler fill. 

    Two Stones Pub Kennett is also offering Christmas Baskets. The Small Basket has 1 large format bottle, 2 brewery glasses, and a $50 Two Stones Gift card for $75. The Large Basket has 2 large format bottles, 2 brewery glasses and a $50 Two Stones gift card for $100. 

    The Two Stones Pub Mug Club card ($35), good to use at both Two Stones Pub Newark and Two Stones Pub Wilmington, is a nice one size fits all kind of gift. 

    For the literary craft beer drinking historian on your list, order a signed and personalized copy of John Medkeff's "Brewing in Delaware." Such an awesome book! 

    Want to get the ball rolling on a trip on the Delaware Brew Bus? They're offering gift certificates in the amount of a Brew Tour ($55) on their website. 

    2016 is year number 5 for Firefly Music Festival here in our great state. Want to really make the craft beer, music loving person on your gift givings list? Take advantage of the Early Bird pricing ($279 per ticket), or even better, take advantage of the EZPay Payment Plan they're offering this year. Six payments, no interest. Nice. 

    What did Delaware? Her New Jersey? Nope, FreakerUSA says, 'I don't know, Alaska.' Good stuff. We're digging the Early Bird 1st State Freaker they have available.

    Photo credit: www.freakerusa.com

    Photo credit: www.freakerusa.com

    So there's no need to panic that Christmas is less than a week away. These awesome last minute gifts will knock the socks off any craft beer lover in your life. But make note, any one of these gifts will set the bar (no pun intended) VERY high for next year's gift! In the meantime, have the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest New Year! 

    In case you miss the link on where to purchase these items, we've got your covered:

    16 Mile's Love, Byrd. Soaps: http://on.fb.me/1Uh86Pv

    3rd Wave Brewing's Beanie Option #1: http://on.fb.me/1TW0Ac0 and Beanie Option #2: http://on.fb.me/1UNNRJL

    2SP Gift Baskets: http://on.fb.me/1NZm8o7

    Argilla Brewing Co. Gift Cards: http://bit.ly/139MDn3

    Big Oyster Brewery Trucker Hats: http://on.fb.me/1NZoPWS

    Blue Earl Gift Certificates: http://on.fb.me/1QAacLM or Walking Blues IPA: http://on.fb.me/1OCqZYH

    Crooked Hammock Website: http://bit.ly/1YnRYl6  

    Dewey Beer Company Gift Card: http://bit.ly/1wij9AH

    Dogfish Penn Tux merch available: http://on.fb.me/1NMyrUx  - Check it out on their website too: http://bit.ly/1YaI7K3

    Dogfish Head Brewpub Holiday Variety Pack: http://on.fb.me/1T8kjW3

    Fordham and Dominion FoDo Hoodie: http://bit.ly/1k8CuP5

    Iron Hill gift ideas: http://on.fb.me/1QkZetB and Iron Hill Growler Pack: http://on.fb.me/1RvyEhE

    Jessop's Tavern goodies: http://on.fb.me/1J0C2hK

    Kennett Winterfest tickets: http://bit.ly/1zevgwu

    Mispillion River Brewing 6-pack, growler and gear: http://bit.ly/1xT4vyj

    Stewart's Brewing Co. Beer Dinner with Painted Stave: http://on.fb.me/1YgY32N

    Two Stones Kennett Christmas Basket: http://on.fb.me/1J0zlww

    Two Stones Pub Mug Club: http://bit.ly/1hBvs49

    Personalized and signed copy of Brewing in Delaware: http://on.fb.me/1FMskOK

    Delaware Brew Bus Gift Certificates: http://bit.ly/1NizJGm

    Firefly Music Festival Tickets: http://bit.ly/1Ikqtvj

    Freakers USA Early Bird Sweater Koozie: http://bit.ly/1QaxhEW

    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

     

    Daydreaming of Firefly 2015...C'mon Firefly 2016!

    Yesterday, as I as driving from Point A (an early morning meeting) to Point B (back to my office), I realized a most important notification popped up on my phone: the 2016 Firefly lineup was announced. And it’s good. Real good. Then I had to check, it's November, rght?! We were really finding out the lineup for June 16th - 19th, 2016? Indeed we were. It was like Firefly just gifted us all an early holiday gift!

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    Guide to Kennett Brewfest and Cheesetoberfest at Fordham and Dominion Brewing

    Heading to Kennett Brewfest or Cheesetoberfest at Fordham and Dominion Brewing? Check our tips and suggestions on how to make your day just plain awesome. Cheers!

    Read more