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!

Artists From Where? Beers From There Too. Firefly 2016 Artists and Beers From Their Home State (or Country!)

It’s here. The week of Firefly 2016 is here. This makes us giddy. You may have heard me say it before, as much as we love craft beer; we love music, especially live music. Being lucky enough to live about an hour from the grounds of Firefly Music Festival, kicking off this Thursday (June 16th) and running through Sunday (June 19th), is something we love taking full advantage of.

We have a hard time wrapping our heads around the acts that have passed through Delaware to perform at Firefly (Paul McCartney, the Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, Snoop Dogg…the list goes on and on). This year is falling right in line with more awesomeness coming through with acts like Kings of Leon (barring no insane storms this year), Trombone Shorty, Blink 182, Florence & The Machine, Mumford & Sons and Grouplove.

As Thursday nears we’ve started to think about what we’re packing for the weekend, including, of course, what beer we’re going to take along with us. That’s when I realized, how much fun would it be to find beers from the home states (or countries) of some of the artists we’re most looking forward to seeing? So I decided to put a list together for you to join in the fun.

Ludacris hails from the peach state, Georgia. It’s a bit tricky to find breweries from the state of Georgia in Delaware, so we thought, let’s put Luda with a peach beer, like Dogfish Head Festina Peche, which if it’s like years past, we’ll be able to grab from The Brewery byDogfish Head. 

Two Door Cinema Club hails from Bangor, Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland.  We’re thinking a Two Door Cinema Club should be paired with Mispillion River Brewing Holy Crap!, an Imperial Red Ale that we are going to make it a honorary Irish Red Ale for the weekend.

Elysian Brewing Space Dust, Mens Room Original Red or Superfuzz Blood Orange are fun options when gearing up for Bellingham, Washington’s Death Cab for Cutie.

Coming from New England, we’d pair Boston’s Guster with a little Samuel Adams Rebel IPA. Rebel and rock and roll seems like a good match, right?!

Founded in Chicago in the 70’s, Earth, Wine & Fire should be enjoyed after sipping on Lagunitas Brewing Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale now that they’re brewing in the Windy City.

Knowing that Chvrches hails from Glasgow, Scotland, you have to go with something from BrewDog or Innis & Gunn (though you have to hop over to NJ or PA for I&G) I’m using Chvrches as an excuse to suggest two different beers: BrewDog Punk IPA, because something punk seemed appropriate when it comes to a music festival, or Innis & Gunn Original, simply because we just like it. A lot.

Finding a brew to pair with Nathaniel Rateliff was a little tricky since he’s from Herman, Missouri. My initial thought was something from Boulevard Brewing Co., like, the Ginger Lemon Radler, which you can find right over in NJ or MD (and soon enough, in Delaware).

As we get ready for Ellie Goulding, Florence & The Machine, and Mumford & Sons, this is a great time to break out 16 Mile English-style IPA, Inlet IPA or Tiller Brown, the brewery’s Southern English Brown Ale, English-influenced beers brewed right in Georgetown, DE.  

Elle King, Fitz & the Tantrums, GroupLove, Major Lazer, and Silverspun Pickups all come from the city of angles, Los Angeles, CA. Of course California is the home to some seriously awesome breweries, but LA is a little trickier to figure out, at least with what’s available here in Delaware. What I did figure out is the state colors are blue (which represents the sky) and gold (it symbolizes the color of the precious metal mined by the forty-niners) so this is a good time to go with Blue Earl Brewing Walking Blues IPA (or maybe some 16 Mile Blues Golden Ale).

Kings of Leon came to be in Nashville so I’m thinking, go big or go home with your favorite whiskey barrel aged brew. Or maybe you have one of 3rd Wave Brewing’s Big Barrel Beers (like the one we just picked up at the brewery a few weeks ago that was aged in Cruzan rum barrels for 6 months) or Dogfish Head Burton Baton, which is aged in oak barrels like Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is.

There’s one artist on the Firefly line-up that we’ve seen in some pretty cool venues – in a loft space on Market Street in Wilmington, on the rooftop of the Shoprite on the Wilmington Riverfront and at a regional arts center in South Jersey – now getting to see Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue on the Backyard Stage on Sunday is something we’re really excited about (I mean, have you seen Shorty perform live?!) Shorty grew up in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans so it seems only appropriate to sip Abita Purple Haze or Turbo Dog and let it transport us on Bourbon Street or the Garden District of The Crescent City.

Tame Impala is another band that’s high on our list for Firefly. The band, who comes from down under, makes it kind of tricky to find a beer from their home country. But we know you can find one Australian beer here in Delaware, Coopers Brewing Sparkling Ale. Find that and you’re all set.

A band that reminds me of my high school and college years is Blink-182. Blink comes from Poway, California, a suburb of San Diego. Of course San Diego is synonymous with Stone Brewing Co., so I’m thinking grab an Enjoy By 7.4.16 or the newly released Mocha IPA or Citrusy Wit. And remember, ‘nobody likes you when you’re 23!’  

It’s pretty cool that you can find an Icelandic beer to gear up for Of Monsters and Men, who are from Reykjavik, Iceland. Einstok Icelandic White Ale or Pale Ale are exactly what you need while you listen to this band pre their Firefly Friday set.  

If we can make it to 12:45am on Saturday night, we are definitely checking out Toronto’s DeadMau5. Though Unibroe is from Quebec, we’re still thinking making it to 12:45am on day #3 of Firefly is going to call for La Fin Du Monde, or “the end of the world” because it may be the end of the world if we can pull this one off!

Build your Firefly beer packing list with some beers that will get you ready to see some seriously great artists as they roll through Delaware all Firefly weekend! It’s a fun excuse to grab some beers from local breweries and beyond to share with friends all weekend long. In the meantime, we’ll see you all there on Thursday! We have a feeling you’ll be able to find us at The Brewery by Dogfish Head not long after the gates open. Cheers to another awesome weekend of music in Dover!

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

Photo Credit: Dogfish Head's Twitter Page

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

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

Photo Credit: www.fireflyfestival.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dogfish has made Delaware, and Rehoboth, a destination. 

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

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

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

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

Thank you, 

Lindsey Timberman

Eric Roberts

Delaware Hop Scene 

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

https://www.change.org/p/rehoboth-beach-board-approve-dogfish-heads-expansion-plans?recruiter=16327771&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg&fb_ref=Default

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! 

Last Minute Craft Brewery Gifts From Around the State #shoplocal

Christmas may be in a few days, no worries, there’s still plenty of time to get that craft beer lover in your life (or yourself!) something pretty darn awesome, and local, from one of the craft breweries around the state! Here are some of our favorite picks again this year (seems this is becoming an annual thing!) 

16 Mile Brewing has a few new items in stock including this camo logo hat. The brewery has newly redesigned growlers that you can fill with your holiday pal's favorite 16 Mile Brew. The brewery also has their summer t-shirts for $5 and all other t-shirts for $15. Can’t go wrong with a cool beer t-shirt!

Photo credit: 3rd Wave Facebook

3^rd Wave Brewing has a stainless steel growler available, plus tons of cool t-shirts, hats and signage for the craft beer lover you’re still shopping for. Not sure exactly what to get? There’s always a 3^rd Wave gift certificate or a growler full of the brewery's tasty beers!

Argilla Brewing is offering a gift card special through the end of the year (that's next week already, can you believe it?!) Buy a $50 gift card and receive a free $15 gift certificate. It's always a nice bonus when you get a little something extra for yourself! 

Photo credit: www.dogfish.com

Dogfish Head partnered with Woolrich earlier this year.  We are loving the Woolrich + DFH Blanket. It’s a great  gift for those on your holiday list that aren’t into craft beer too. We love anything with dual functionality, like this Dogfish Head Belt – a belt and bottle opener in one.

Photo credit: FoDo's website

Looking to decorate your man (or woman) cave? How about picking up one of each of the Bomber Girls posters from Fordham and Dominion Brewing? Need something for the kiddies? Shoot the brewery an email to place your order for Dominion Handcrafted Soda.  

Photo credit: ironhillbrewery.com

Iron Hill Brewing put together a whole Holiday Gift Menu for you to check out (http://bit.ly/1wCjITV) with picks like a King of the Hill Membership, gift card or the Bedotter Belgian- Style Tripel, now available in cans!

Photo credit: Mispillion's FB

Mispillion River Brewing has a cool sterling silver necklace for the craft beer loving lady in your life. (Check out the pur-ty lady modeling the necklace...hi, Lauren!) Stop by the brewery for t-shirts, growler fills or pick up a gift certificate for the hard to buy for folks on your list.  

Photo credit: PBE's Facebook

Visiting with a craft beer lover for the holidays? Stop by Pizza by Elizabeth's to pick up a growler of their Frozen Toes brews and a pizza to go for a great night in with your holiday pal. 

Stewart’s Brewing Co. has growlers and gift cards that

Photo credit: Stewart's FB page

make the perfect Christmas gift for the craft beer lovers in your life. Suggest using the gift card for Stewart’s New Year’s Day celebration – when they will have $1 Stumblin’ Monk Abbey Tripel (for the 1^st 150 servings) - and if you're lucky they'll take you along with them!

Photo credit: Twin Lakes' website

Growlers, bike jerseys, t-shirts and more, stop by the Twin Lakes Brewing Co. tasting room to pick up some goodies to check off a few more peeps off your list! 

Photo credit: Warlock's FB page

Warlock Brewing Company may not be open yet, how about giving someone an I.O.U. for an afternoon at the brewery with a tasting and a growler fill?

Want a little throwback Delaware beer gift? Take a look at the Blue Hen Beer t-shirts now available!

Now Open: Trolley Tap House!

Walking up to Trolley Tap House, it's hard to believe that just two months ago this spot was CR Hooligans. The yellow and blue exterior is gone, leading way to a toned down gray exterior (though you may notice the baseball bat door handles that once belonged to Hooligans are still there). 

As we stepped into the doors of the Tap House, we were welcomed into a warm and comfortable, super inviting area, filled with a collection of high and low top tables, a bar and the two signature garage doors leading to the outdoor seating. Deciding to take full advantage of such a gorgeous night last night, we opted to sit outside on the patio where our wonderful server, Joel, took care of us. Right off the bat it was tricky narrowing down what we wanted to try on our first visit to the Tap House. General Manager Patrick Jones did a fantastic job at creating a nice balance of options available on tap. It's not too heavy on one style, offering some nice options for the craft beer novice that might wander in off of Delaware Avenue. 

After mulling the menu over a few (dozen!) times, I landed on the Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra and Eric went with Evolution Lot #3. Our friends Sam and Jackie sipped on two local brews, 16 Mile Soulful Ginger and Twin Lakes Route 52 Pilsner. 

Once we settled in on the drinks, we needed to pick what was going to be our post-work day snack. The menu is extremely tempting, and it was pretty darn hard landing on what we went with! We ended up trying their Pub Fries, topped with Porter onions, grated sharp cheese, fresh herbs and a malt aioli. On Jackie's suggestion (who had already been to the Tap House on Tuesday night during their quiet soft opening) Sam went with the Fried Green Bean, which are served with a lemon herb aioli. Both were so, so tasty! 

For round two we opted to take advantage of the smaller, 6-ounce pours that Trolley Tap House offers. This time around I went with cask-conditioned Mispillion Double Chin and Eric went with Brooklyn Blast. By this time our friend Erika joined us for a drink. She picked a big one, Sierra Nevada Narwhal! 

To tell the bartenders what's on tap, the Tap House has hand written in what's pouring from each tap. We loved seeing that the glass type for each beer was written below each name as well. Such a great training tool! 

As Trolley Tap House is looking at day # 3 of service, we have a feeling this spot is going to make a great impact on the craft beer scene in the state. Before the doors even opened yesterday, there were a few people waiting for them to open for the evening. Patrick mentioned the crowds on Tuesday night were exciting and they were pretty full not long after opening the doors at 6:30pm. Last night they opened at 5:00pm for dinner and it's pretty easy to say that within the hour they had another full house. The enthusiasm and excitement behind the staff is easy to see. We're looking forward to another visit to Trolley Tap House - it's so great to have another strong craft beer location to throw into the mix in Delaware! 

Here are some more (beer!) shots from around Trolley Tap House!

  

Calling All Hop Heads - #IPADay in (and around) Delaware

Photo credit: Untappd.com

Hop Heads rejoice - it's IPA Day! It isn't quite Christmas in July, it's Christmas in August for folks like us who to gravitate towards the beloved IPA! Delaware has embraced this day and there is some serious celebrating happening around the state today:

• All three Two Stones Pub locations are dedicating a good portion of their taps to IPAs today. Here's what each location will have on tap:
• Two Stones Pub Newark:
• *Yards IPA
  *Victory HopDevil
  *DFH 60 Minute
  *Green Flash White
  *3rd Wave Wave Ryed'r
  *Lagunitas Night Time
  *Elysian Savant
  *New Belgium Rampant
  *Stone Go To
  *Stone Cali-Belgique
  *Stone RuinTen
  *Stone Unapologetic
  *Stone Double Bastard
  *Stone Saison
  *Stone Imperial Russian
  *Stone Arrogant Bastard

• Two Stones Pub Naamans:
• *DFH 60 Minute
  *Victory HopDevil
  *Yards IPA
  *Evolution Lot #3
  *DuClaw Neon Gypsy
  *Lagunitas Night Time
  *Green Flash White
  *Sierra Nevada Torpedo
  *Stone Go To
  *Stone Cali-Belgique
  *Stone RuinTen
  *Stone Unapologetic
  *Stone Levitation
  *Stone Saison
  *Stone Imperial Russian
  *Stone Arrogant Bastard

• Two Stones Pub Kennett
*Troegs Perpetual
*Victory HopDevil
*Yards IPA
*Evolution Lot #3
*Ithaca Flower Power
*Bells Two Hearted
*Stone Collective Distortion
*Stone RuinTen
*Stone Go To
*Stone IPA
*Stone Smoked Chipotle
*Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard
*Stone Quadrotritocale
*Stone Matt's Burning Rosids

• Hooray for IPA Day! at the Dogfish Head Brewpub
• Stop by the brewpub for menu favorites celebrating IPA Day every day 
• Hop Pickles 
• Hop Cheese Dip 
• They'll have plenty of IPAs on tap today, and Randall the Enamel Animal will be at the bar too

• Hooray for IPA Day! at the Dogfish Head Brewery
• Special IPA Day tasting Flights
• Sensory Flight 
• 60 Minute – classic IPA
• 60 Minute through Palisade – Earthy, Floral, Fruity
• 60 Minute through Simcoe – Citrus, Piney
• 90 Minute – note malt backbone 
• Graduated Flight 
• 60 Minute – 6% ABV / 60 IBU’s / continually hopped for 60 minutes
• 75 Minute – 7.5% ABV / carbonated naturally
• 90 Minute – 9% ABV / 90 IBU’s / continually hopped for 90 minutes
• 120 Minute – 15-20% ABV / 120 IBU’s / continually hopped for 120 minutes 
• IPA Spinoff Flight 
• Sixty-One – IPA fermented with syrah grape must
• 75 Minute – cask conditioned with maple syrup
• Indian Brown Ale – first dark IPA with organic brown sugar
• Burton Baton – 90 minute blended with an English strong ale aged in oak 
• Dueling Randalls 
• 60 Mintue through Palisade – Earthy, Floral, Fruity 
• 60 Minute through Simcoe – Citrus, Piney 
• IPA trivia with giveways 
• Hop Pickle relish at Bunyan's Lunchbox for their brats and their hop-pickled chip dip 
• Plus it's Vintage & Vinyl Happy Hour starting at 4:30pm. This week they're pouring: 
• 2010 Burton Baton
• 2011 Hellhound On My Ale 
• 2011 120 Minute 
• 2012 120 Minute 
• Can't make it to the Dogfish Head Brewery or Brewpub, keep an eye on their web store - they're going to have some one-day super IPA Day specials.

• 3rd Wave Brewing IPA Day Celebration 
• 3rd Wave will have 4 IPAs on tap (make that) FIVE IPAS on tap with Hoppy Hour, 1/2 price flights tonight (update)and awesome growler and flight prices throughout the night, starting at 3pm .
• They'll also be at Washington Street Pub in Easton, MD for Pint Night 

• Argilla Brewing #IPADay Celebration 
• Argilla is celebrating this day with brews inspired by the Beastie Boys. They're going to be pouring 
• MCA IPA (mosaic, citra & amarillo hops 
• ADROCK IPA (admiral, mt. hood, mt. rainer & cascade hops) 
• MikEL D. (el dorado IPA) 
• FLUTE LUPLIN (Double IPA brewed w/honey) 
• LIVE @ PJ'S (farmhouse ipa) 
• JOHNNY RYEALL (black rye ipa) 
• TO THE 33 BURROUGHS (NITRO) (English ipa) 
• MANGO KANGOL (mango ipa) 
• PAUL'S PALE 
• I LIKE SOME COFFEE WITH MY BARLEY & GREEN (coffee ipa) 
• GRAND ROYAL RED (red ipa) 
• BOOMIN GRAINIES (dry hopped pale ale) 
• THEY ALL CALL ME ADAM YAUCH BUT I'M AN IPA (session ipa) 
• They'll also have some random quizzes with prizes as well as a 50/50 - with half the winnings going to the winner's charity of choice. 

• 16 Mile Brewing IPA Day Celebration 
• 16 Mile is celebrating IPA Day with special prices on Inlet IPA, Bridge Brown IPA and Made in the Shade Black IPA 
• They're also releasing their newest beer, Baby's Lunch Double IPA 

• Mispillion River Brewing IPA Day Celebration 
• Mispillion will be pouring 7 IPAs today: 
• Great White Buffalo White IPA 
• Oecagon Imperial IPA 
• Z.J. Imperial IPA 
• Big Earl Black IPA 
• Reach Around IPA 
• Anglo Saxon Double IPA 
• Double Chin IPA 
• They'll also have a Firkin of Double Chin conditioned on Seville Oranges 
• Food will be available from Mr. Bar B Que and there will be live music with Slinging Daisies. 

• UPDATE: 
• Chelsea Tavern: 
• All of the following IPAs are half price today: 
• Dogfish Head “Bottle-Conditioned” 75 Minute I.P.A. 750ml. 21
• Dogfish Head Rhizing Bines Imperial I.P.A. 750ml. 28
• Dogfish Head Robert Johnson’s Hellhound on My Ale, Imperial I.P.A. 750ml. 27
• Elysian Avatar Jasmine I.P.A. 22oz. 14
• Elysian Savant I.P.A. 22oz. 16
• Elysian “The Immortal” I.P.A. 22oz. 13
• Harpoon “100 Barrel Series, Session 50” Citra Victorious, A.P.A. 22oz. 15
• New Belgium Rampant Imperial I.P.A. 22oz. 14
• New Belgium Ranger American I.P.A. 22oz. 12
• No-Li Empire No. 8 I.P.A. 22oz. 12
• Rogue Brutal IPA 22oz. 15
• Rogue Juniper Pale Ale 22oz. 14
• Stone IPA, Double Dry-Hopped I.P.A. 22oz. 13
• Stone R&R Coconut I.P.A. 22oz. 15
• Stone Ruination I.P.A., American Imperial I.P.A. 22oz. 14
• Home Grown Cafe:
• On tap: Sam Adams Rebel IPA
• Bottle specials: Abita Spring IPA and Otter Creek Fresh Slice White IPA. They still have Green Flash Palate Wrecker and Sixpoint Resin as well. 

We'll keep updating this as we find out more IPA Day love happening around the state!

And don't forget, when you're social media-ing it up for #IPADay be sure to use #CraftBeerDE and #BeerDE to show your Delaware Craft Beer love!

Checking Out The Dogfish Inn

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

After seeing the S.S. Dogfish on its way we made our way back to for the ribbon cutting of the much anticipated Dogfish Inn, which officially opened over 4th of July weekend. 

Here's Dogfish Head's VP Mariah Calagione, Off-Centered Innkeeper Andrew Greeley and Dogfish Head's Chief Operator Officer Nick Benz doing the honors!

From the moment we step into the Inn it is quite apparent that Dogfish is taking on the hotel industry a little differently than most might be used to. The first introduction to the Inn is the simply and perfectly designed lobby. It's welcoming, fun and exactly what we would expect from Dogfish. We could totally see hanging on the couch in front of the fire with a book from the Inn's Vusuvio Library, an ode to what was once the Vesuvio Motel, stocked by City Lights Books.

While you're wandering around the lobby area, you can pick up some Dogfish goodies to take back to your friends, family, yourself (of course!) and even your fellow pooch, who you know will be awaiting your arrival back at the homestead! 

Don't forget about Fido! Pick up some Dog Bark! and a Frisbee!

Try the Chicory Coffee, a locally-roasted  blend of Colombian coffee, chicory and dark malted brewers barley.

Items from the Dogfish/Woolrich collaboration are  available in the lobby, along with Dogfish soap and shampoo (we use this and love it!), and the Dogfish Apolis Market Bags (which you'll also find in the rooms). 

Now let's head to the rooms! 

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

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

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

This is our kind of Mini Bar - Duke's Jerky, Brooklyn Brine Dogfish Hop Pickles and Kettle Chips!

We totally dig this Jermaine Rogers Primus print in one of the rooms!

The Inn offers two room types: a room with two double beds and a room with a king size bed. Great options for a getaway with your honey or your fellow craft beer drinking cohorts! You're easily within walking distance of Lewes' restaurants, bars, pubs, liquor stores, galleries and so much more! 

As cool as the traditional rooms are, you have to see the SWEET! As soon as we walked in we pretty much wanted to call in sick and forget about heading back to our day jobs and just spend all day here!

Heading into the SWEET!

The sitting area is a great common room.

Digging the kitchen area of the Sweet!

We loved the simplicity of the bedrooms - there are two of them in the Sweet. Sweet!

You have to love the fun details in the loo! 

We love the randomness of the wood burning pieces by Brian Kolakowski in the stairway up to the SWEET! Which one is your favorite?

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

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

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

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

Win Tickets to the American Beer Classic in Washington, DC!

Who's up for a little road trip to DC next weekend for the American Beer Classic happening next Saturday, July 12th at RFK Stadium?! And maybe our latest giveaway...keep reading... 

The folks behind Firefly, Red Frog Events, have shared the details of the Beer Classic with us, and it sounds like a pretty darn good way to spend a Saturday afternoon in DC!

Here's what to expect:
60 breweries with roughly 135 different brews to sample
Access to RFK Stadium
A chance to chat with (and donate to) their partner, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Discounted prices on tickets are available until next Thursday, July 10th (to purchase, click here: http://bit.ly/1mbZt9Z) or...you can win a pair right here!

Here's how you can win: Red Frog is partnered with St. Jude's for the American Beer Classic. For a chance to win a pair of tickets, direct message us on either Facebook or Twitter or email us at delawarehopscene@gmail.com with your answer to the following question:

Who is the spokesperson for St. Jude's?

A winner will be drawn, at random, on Tuesday, June 8th, at 5pm.

Good luck! 

#ACBWinDE

As if any of us really need an excuse to celebrate, it's American Craft Beer week starting today! Here's a brief run-down of what's going on around the state all week long. Check it out!

Monday, May 12th:
- Dogfish Head Celebrates American Craft Beer Week: Folks at the brewery will be wearing gear from their favorite brewery, and they're encouraging you to as well! Plus, American Beauty will be on sale in the tasting room shop and on tap at the tasting room bar.
- Stewart's Brewing is celebrating ACBW with their Hoppy Hour every day this week from 3pm til 6pm
- Fordham & Dominion Brewing are celebrating ACBW with a Tasting Beer Class at the brewery from 5pm til 7pm
- Kid Shelleen's is kicking of ACBW with the tapping of Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down

Tuesday, May 13th:
- Dogfish is all about collaborations today for ACBW. They'll have Rhizing Bines and Saison du Buff on sale in the brewery's tasting room shop and on tap the tasting room bar.
- There's a Delaware Brewers Guild Tap Takeover at 33 West in celebration of ACBW
- Fordham & Dominion Brewing ACBW Crafting Homebrew Recipes Class at the brewery
- Tyler's is featuring New Belgium Brewing tonight with their Summer Helles and a special keg of Lips of Faith Gruit. Plus, buy a pint, keep the glass.

Wednesday, May 14th: 
- Members of the Delaware Brewers Guild are invited to Dogfish Head brewery tours, plus with any book purchased from the tasting room shop, you'll receive a free curved pint glass.

Thursday, May 15th:
- Dogfish is hosting the MidAtlantic Wine & Food Festival Brewery Luncheon, plus Happy Hour Vintage & Vinyl to celebrate ACBW
- Good Libations Tour ACBW Kick Off Party at Restaurant 55 with Fordham & Dominion Brewing, Mispillion River Brewing and Harvest Ridge Winery

Friday, May 16th:
- Dogfish is all about the Red, White and Blue at the Brewery for ACBW. Sport your red, white & blue while sipping on Red & White and Black & Blue - both will be on tap and for sale in the tasting room and the shop, and Randall is coming for Happy Hour - Namaste through strawberries, blueberries and a secret ingredient.
- Fordham & Dominion Brewing Celebrates ACBW with Craft Beer 101 at the brewery
- Stewart's Celebrates ACBW with a Prix Fixe Brewer's Menu both today and tomorrow, Saturday, May 17th


Saturday, May 17th:
- Fordham & Dominion Brewing Celebrates ACBW with a Picnic at the Brewery
- Dogfish Head ACBW Tasting at Total Wine Claymont
- Fordham & Dominion Brewing Celebrates ACBW with Pinups and Airplanes at the Air Mobility Command Museum

Hop Heaven - AHopEclipseNow! Beer Dinner at the Dogfish Head Brewpub

We like the simple things in life (in no particular order) - sunshine, the beach, palm trees, family, friends, live music, good food, beer and those glorious hops. We're definitely hopheads - we’ve yet to meet a beer that was too hoppy for us! So when we got to attend Dogfish Head's AHopEclipseNow! Beer Dinner a month ago, we were in hop heaven!

Before we headed upstairs for the dinner, Sam invited everyone outside for a little show. And that's when we got a chance to see little hop mobile in action! We weren’t quick enough to grab a video (it may have been the pre-dinner brew we decided to have!), so you have to check out Sam and his buddy Ken Marino is this hysterical video to see how cool this car really is!

Now, back to the dinner! How can things go wrong when the first beer you're welcomed with is this year's release (with new, awesome bottle art!) of Aprihop? It was a gorgeous night down at the beach, and this beer was perfection for such a warmer wintery night. The Dogfish Head crew paired Aprihop with the Welcome Chartcuterie Platter of Serrano Ham, Soppresatta, Lardo & Apricots, Beemster XO, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Buttermilk Blue. In addition to all of those goodies, on the tables were sharing plates of Esplette Popcorn, Smoked Marcona Almonds and Mixed Nuts. We loved that this was how the night was starting out!

After the Welcome Reception was over, we got to hear from Sam, who welcomed us to what was going to be a very cool night, giving us the lowdown on what to expect, before turning it over to the Chef, who walked us through what we were going to be indulging in, making us even more hungry than we already were!

Things were a bit different with this beer dinner, and in a very fun way. We've done several beer dinners at the Dogfish Head Brewpub over the years and most of them have followed the traditional beer dinner format - several amazing courses paired with several amazing brews. But AHopEclipseNow! switched that up - attendees decided what beers they thought paired best with each small plate within each course. Everyone was given smaller pours of 6 different beers:

· 60 Minute
· Constellation Funk
· 75 Minute on Cask
· Indian Brown Ale
· Burton Baton
· 120 Minute


And now, the fun began. The beers came pretty quickly which rocked so we could kick off the pairings and start tackling our ideas of what paired best together. Plus, for each of the "danger caps" we could request another smaller pour of a few beers, and with the redcap, we got a full pour of the beer of our choice. Fun stuff, right?
Okay, now moving back onto the dinner. It was broken down into three courses, 1st Course, 2nd Course and Desserts. Check it out...

1st Course:

• Korean BBQ Wings & Kimchee – we loved how this paired with 60 Minute and Constellation Funk. The subtle heat of the wings was so good with both of the brews. The Asians flavors really pulled together with the 60 Minute.

• Braised Bacon & Black Truffle Egg Salad – the smokiness of the bacon went well with Indian Brown; and the nuttiness of the black truffle rocked and rolled with the Burton Baton.

• Crab Salad and Watermelon with Chili Threads – this salad was delicate and amazing, so we wanted to go with a beer that wouldn’t overpower the flavors. Our favorite beer with this course was the Constellation Funk. Want to make a similar salad? Check out this Dogfish Dish recipe!

2nd Course:• DFH Spicy Espresso Sausage and Chili Mustard – the spiciness from the sausage and the chili mustard complimented all of the beers, in our opinion, which was kind of fun.

• Lamb Chops and Parmesan Frites – the 120 was the clear winner with this course, but we also like how the lamb and parmesan frites paired with the 75 Minute and Indian Brown

• Venison Stew – Indian Brown was one of our favorite pairings for this course. It really seemed to pull out the flavors of the stew. 75 Minute was another brew that we thought worked well with this part of the 2nd course.

Desserts: (yes, that is supposed to be plural)

• Ancho and Belgian Chocolate Truffles – here’s another course that we loved pretty much every brew we had throughout the evening. The spicy flavor from the ancho was a great compliment to the rich Belgian chocolate. Oh how we love chocolate and beer!

• Chocolate and Bacon Cheesecake – although we may love chocolate and bacon even more! We’ve had this cheesecake with World Wide Stout, pairing it with Indian Brown, Burton, 75 Minute and 120 Minute were pretty much out of this world too!

• Carrot and Orange Cookies – for some reason we didn’t expect the 120 to pair so well with these cookies, but they did! This was another dessert treat that we also liked with Indian Brown, Constellation Funk and Burton Baton!

All night long we had such a good time basically playing with our food, trying to figure out what we thought paired best with what foods. We’re thinking we might have to try a little something like this at home with friends!

Feel like you missed out on the Brewpub Beer Dinners? You’re in luck – there’s one more for the season next Sunday, April 27th with a Small Batch Beer Dinner theme! It’s way too easy to get tickets too – all you have to do is click here!

And now we're off to daydream about hops, hops, and more hops! Cheers! 

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! 

Wilmington Beer Week 2013: 8 Days of Craft Beer Magic...What's In Store!

It's here - it's time for Wilmington Beer Week 2013!

There are A TON of events going on this year! The Wilmington Beer Week site has a great calendar of events you can check out to see what's going on around the Wilmington area. We thought it might be helpful if we break down the events in a quick post, giving you an idea of what events are weeklong and what events are happening each day throughout the week. Check it out...

WEEKLONG EVENTS:

Chelsea Tavern 

Happy Hour Special

Build Your Own Flight – 5 6-ounce pours for $12

Ernest & Scott 

Dogfish Head Tap Takeover

Ernest & Scott

The Big Wheel of Beer

All 25 beers on tap will be represented on the wheel, which will be spun every ½ hour, all week long. The beer that is landed on will be $2 for the following ½ hour

World Café Live at The Queen

Mystery Beer Specials All Week 

There will be a mystery selection of bottled craft beer all week long – large format bottles will be $10 and 12 oz. bottles will be $5. 

Note: this special will run Sunday, November 3rd through Saturday, November 9th

BBC Tavern & Grill

Happy Hour Specials

$1 off all craft beer

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd 

Wilmington Beer Week Kickoff Party

Iron Hill Wilmington

4pm – 10pm

IMPORTS-INSPIRED: Featuring guest beers from around the world, as well as a few worldly inspired brews of their own:

• Munich Dunkel, Iron Hill Brewery

• Celebrator Doppelbock, Ayinger Brewery

• Gold Digger IPA, Iron Hill Brewery

• My New IPA, Stewart’s Brewing Company

• Duvel, Brewery Duvel

• Belgian Tripel, Iron Hill Brewery

• Oatmeal Stout, Iron Hill Brewery

• Fuller’s London Pride, Griffin Brewery

Enjoy a special menu paired with imports-inspired beers.

King of the Hill Rewards Club Exclusive - Preview at 3 pm for King of the Hill members only.


Update: We started off the Wilmington Beer Week at the Kickoff Party - what a fun time!

The Kickoff Party was "Import Inspiried" - both local and from abroad. We started the night off with Stewart's Brewing Company My New IPA and Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock!

The Kickoff Party Beer List

To take advantage of the other beers we wanted to try, we built out own flight of beers from the other great brews Iron Hill had for the Kick Off Party. We went with Punktoberfest, Munich Dunkel, Belgian Tripel, Revoution IPA Gold Digger IPA, Riverfront IPA on cask, and Oatmeal Stout on nitro.

While we were there, we tried a few appetizers to pair with the beers...

Hickory Smoked Wings with a roasted poblano glaze and cilantro lime dipping sauce.

Creamy Southwestern Chicken Dip

And the Charcuterie Plate with bratwurst, pork belly confit, clothbound and prairie breeze cheddar, dried fruit chutney and spent grain baguette.

Locals Only

Two Stones Pub Naamans  

Join 2SP as they celebrate the best craft beer made in our own back yard. To kick off the week, all 32 of their taps will be pouring brews made within 100 mile of their front door. Look for brews from 3rd Wave, 16 Mile, Dogfish Head, Evolution, Flying Dog, Flying Fish, Fordham, Heavy Seas, Old Dominion, Sly Fox, Stoudt’s, Troegs, Twin Lakes, Victory, Weyerbacher and Yards.

Brooklyn Brewery Tap Takeover

Buckley’s Tavern 

Stop by this historic Centreville tavern for some of Brooklyn Brewery’s brews!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd 

Every Yards Counts

Two Stones Pub Naamans

Grab $4 pints of Yards Brawlers, Philadelphia Pale, Love Stout, ESA, IPA and Pynk, then 2SP will donate $1 from each pint poured to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. They’ll also be raffling off a private Happy Hour for you and 20 of your closest friends.

P.S. They do this for all Sunday & Monday NFL games as well!

German Beer Day

Buckley’s Tavern

Buckley’s is all about German beer today, featuring Paulaner and Hacker Pschorr!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH

An Evening in Brussels

Two Stones Pub Naamans

2SP Naamans will have classic Belgian and American-brewed beers on tap. 

• Saison DuPont
• Rodenbach Grand Cru
• Chimay Cing Cents
• Victory Golden Monkey
• Flying Dog Raging Bitch
• Ommegang 3 Philosophers
• Allagash White
• Flying Fish Exit 4
• Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
• Duval Single
• Weyerbacher Verboten
• 3rd Wave Sandstorm
• Dogfish Head Noble Rot
• Goose Island Matilda Lambicus
• Weyerbacher Quad
• Brooklyn Cuvee La Boite

2SP’s Chef Bill will also be creating a menu of featured dishes to pair with your favorite brew!

Ultimate Victory Tailgate Party

Chelsea Tavern

6pm

Enjoy your favorite tailgate grub teamed up with some incredible Victory Beers, including:

• Headwaters Pale Ale

• DirtWolf Double IPA

• Winter Cheers

• Red Thunder

• Storm King Imperial Stout

Chelsea will have Monday Night Football on the Big Screen too!

$25 per person in advance, $30 at the door. Gratuity not included.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5th

Firkin Party

BBC Tavern & Grill

5pm

The BBC will have the following firkins on tap:

• Yards Double IPA

• Evolution

• Twin Lakes Oktoberfest

• Abita Turbo Dog 

• Dogfish Head 75 Minute 

Firkins will be $5.50 a pint.

Note: This event is also happening on Wednesday night as well.

Tuesday Taco Madness: Beer Week Edition

Two Stones Pub Naamans

This week’s Taco Tuesday Madness will feature 4 chefs and 4 of their favorite beers for 4 awesome tacos for you. Bonus: their picks will be available on tap and as a flight.

New Belgium Tap Takeover

Buckley’s Tavern

Buckley’s will have 10 of New Belgium brews on tap – with many only being offered for events like this – so they’re only bringing them in once! In addition to getting to trying these unique brews, New Belgium’s rep will be there. Here’s the lineup:

• Fat Tire

• Ranger

• Accumulation

• Abbey

• 1554

• Rampant

• Lips of faith Yuzu

• Lips of faith Coconut Curry

• Lips of faith Cascara Quad

• Lips of faith Heavenly Fejoia

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6th 

Sam Adams Tap Takeover & Prix Fixe Dinner

Dead Presidents

Call for reservations and more details

Giving on Tap/Dogfish Head Tap Takeover

Two Stones Pub Naamans

Giving on Tap is sold out, but you can stop by 2SP after to take advantage of the Dogfish Head Tap Takeover! Here’s what they’ll have on tap:

• 60 Minute

• Sixty-One

• Black & Blue

• Noble Rot

• Positive Contact

• Bitches Brew

• Punkin

• Birra Etrusca

• 2011 120 Minute

• Midas Touch

• Burton Baton

• Namaste

• Kvasir

• Olde School

• Immort Ale

• Theobroma

Delaware Beer Night

Ulysses American Gastropub

Featuring unique beers from your favorite breweries in the First State

Big Double Red IPA Beer Release

Iron Hill Brewery Wilmington

6pm

Meet Rick, the Brewer from Stewart’s Brewing Company, to celebrate the release of Big Red Double IPA.

Grilled Cheese & Craft Beer Tasting

World Café Live at The Queen

6pm

They’ve taken two of the best things on earth and paired them together in unexpected and delicious ways!

Southern Tier Tap Takeover & Growler Party

Stanley’s Tavern

6pm

Not only is Stanley’s having a Southern Tier Tap Takeover and Growler Party, they’re also offering a Prix Fix Menu to go along with it.

1st Course:

Stanley’s Wings with Southern Tier 2XIPA wing sauce, paired with Southern Tier 2XIPA

2nd Course:

Baby Back Ribs slow roasted and basted with Southern tier Warlock Stout barbecue sauce, paired with Southern Tier Warlock

3rd Course:

Pretzel & Ice Cream, Dried Cherries and Southern Tier Crème Brule Stout

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7th 

Drinkin’ in the Big Apple

Two Stones Pub Naamans

All day and night Two Stones will be featuring great craft beers from New York. Look for brews from Brooklyn, Sixpoint & Blue Point.

Weyerbacher Tap Takeover 

Buckley’s Tavern

Drink some Weyerbacher brews all night long at Buckley’s during the Tap Takeover.

West Coast Flight Night

Chelsea Tavern

6pm

This mix & mingle will feature three of the most well established breweries from the West Coast: Rogue, Stone and Sierra Nevada. They’ll be putting their best flight forward as your enjoy some of the best brews Oregon and California have to offer.

Featuring 15 brews in all, each paired with an hors d’ouvre representing the region or complimenting a brew’s ingredients. 

Brand representatives will also be available to answer questions.

The flights…

ROGUE

Brutal IPA

Juniper Pale Ale

Daddy’s Little Helper

Chocolate Stout

Dead Guy Ale

STONE

Russian Imperial Stout

IPA

Ruination IPA

R&R Coco IPA

Arrogant Bastard

SIERRA NEVADA

Belgian Black IPA

Celebration

Pale Ale

Torpedo 

Narwhal Imperial Stout

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8th 

Raiding the Cellar

Two Stones Pub Naamans

Gumbo is releasing a slew of beers from their cellar – you’re going to see brews on tap that you won’t see anywhere else! Here’s a preview…

• Evolution Prelude Black

• 2011 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 

• Sierra Nevada Ovila with Mandarin Oranges & Peppercorn

• Troegs Naked Elf

• Fordham Dhiskey Wick

• 16 Mile Battle of Waterloo

• 2011 Rogue Old Crustacean 

And more! Maybe some very rare bottles popping up?

New Belgium Tap Takeover

BBC Tavern & Grill

11:30am

The tap takeover will happen from open to close and will feature:

• Fat Tire

• Rampant Imperial IPA

• Blue Paddle Pilsner Lager

• 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9th

Bent Over a Barrel 2013

Two Stones Pub Naamans 

It’s back, Two Stones Pub’s celebration of wood. Oak, bourbon barrels, wine barrels, rum barrels – they’ll all be there!

• Dogfish Head Burton Baton

• Victory Red Thunder

• Goose Island Sofie

• Rodenbach Grand Cru

• Evolution Fall Migration 

• Evolution Spring Migration

• Goose Island Bourbon County

• Allagash James Bean

• Weyerbacher Heresy

• Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard

And probably a few more!

Flying Fish Brewery Night

Ulysses American Gastropub

Meet the Flying Fish brewer and try some of his fantastic brews!

All specials for this night will be sourced from within a 100-mile radius of Ulysses.

East Coast Tailgate Party

Dead Presidents

They’ll feature 9 east coast breweries, including Weyerbacher, Yards and Victory.

Classic tailgate grub and games – including a corn hole tournament. 

Plus a special appearance by the Washington Nationals Presidents Mascot!

So, the question is, what events are you going to?!

(As the week progresses, and we attend events, we'll try to update them too!)

We're In The News (Journal That Is!)

Earlier this week we were asked to be part of Ryan Cormier's article, "Delaware Liquor Stores, Beer Lovers and Brewers Tap Into Growlers Popularity," for this week's 55 Hours, a weekly supplement to the News Journal! 

Check out the article here: 

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130926/ENTERTAINMENT03/309260083/Delaware-liquor-stores-beer-lovers-brewers-tap-into-growlers-popularity

If you're finding our page from this awesome article, be sure to...

Like us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DelawareHopScene

And follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dehopscene

Two Stones Pub Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Beer Dinner

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

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

I think Willy himself put it best...

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

Course 1: Charlie Bucket

"Mm, this stuff is terrific."

Farmhouse cheddar, 5-year Gouda, crusty baguette, wild berry chutney, pickled cucumbers, paired with Victory Helios

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Course 4: Augustus Gloop

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

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

Course 5: Mike Teeve

"It's a TV dinner!"

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

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

Dessert: Willy Wonka
scrumdiddlyyumptious cake, paired with Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout

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






But wait, there's more!

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

Guess who had the Golden Ticket for Charlie Bucket? Yup, that's right...me! So not only did we have 5 amazing courses, we were going home with a bottle of Helios to boot! 

So now that your mouth is watering, you'll probably be happy to know that Two Stones hosts a beer dinner every month - check out their Facebook page for updates on the themes for each one! 

Now signing off...

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

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

How to Celebrate #IPADay!

If you're a Hop Head, then today is your day - it's IPA Day! And here's how Delaware is celebrating...

Buckley's Tavern:

$4 IPA All day long, including: 

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon

Dogfish 60 Min

Dogfish India Brown IPA

Bear Republic Racer 5

Six Points Bengali Tiger

Two Stones Pub:

2SP will have 16 IPAs on tap from open to close. Look for West Coast IPAs, East Coast IPAs, Belgian IPAs, Double IPAs, and Black IPAs.

Two Stones Pub Naamans:
2SP Naamans will also be tapping some IPAs, DIPAs, Belgian IPAs, Black IPAs, and everything else in between, all day long. They will have brews from Stone, Elysian, Bear Republic, Dogfish Head, Victory, Yards, 21st Amendment, Evolution and plenty more.

UPDATE: Check out what 2SP Naamans is going to have on tap today:

• Dogfish 60 Minute
• Victory HopDevil
• Yards IPA
• Stone IPA
• Elysian Space Dust
• 21st Amendement Hop Crisis
• Flying Dog Raging Bitch
• Bear Republic Black Racer
• Elysian Konishiki
• Evolution Lot #3
• Stone Cali-Belgique
• 21st Amendment Back in Black
• Brooklyn Blast
• Evolution Lot #6
• North Coast Acme
• Goose Island The Illinois
• Weyerbacher Last Chance

Plus, Cask Conditioned Flying Dog Raging Bith

Peco's Liquors:

10% off all IPAs on the growler bar - there should be at least 4 to pick from today. Here's what they have on tap: http://www.pecosliquors.com/BEER.html

Argilla Brewing Company:

Argilla will have their Second DIPA on tap today. IPA Day celebrations will continue tomorrow with their one off keg of a unique IPA. This week they will be featuring GIL - a session IPA brewed with Mt. Rainier hops and dry hopped with a hop mixture known as Magic Hop Dust and Columbus hops - 4.7% abv.

Skipjack:

Skipjack is offering $1 off Dogfish Head 60 Minute when you let them know you're there to celebrate IPA Day.

Premier Wine & Spirits:

Premier will have The Gunslinger Double IPA, Lancaster Black Boar IPA on tap at the growler bar, and will be introducing Lancaster's new (draft only) Boss Hog Double IPA as well. They're also offering $2 off all growler fills and 10% off all large format IPA's for the day.

Stewart's Brewing Co.:

Stewart's will have their house IPA, Glacier IPA, Lockjaw Double IPA, and Cask-Conditioned Glacier IPA on tap today. They're also doing a special tapping of a reserve keg of IronYardStew IPA, a collaboration between Stewart's, Iron Hill and Yards Brewing Co.  

State Line Liquors:

State Line is offering 20% off all singles, 10% off all packs and 10% off all cases of all IPAs. They are also having their Devils Backbone Outpost Brewery/Troegs Brewing Company Collaboration Celebration tonight as well.

UPDATE: Correction - State Line is doing their sale on IPAs tomorrow, Friday, August 2nd.

Iron Hill Brewing & Restaurant:

Each location will be celebrating IPA Day with a different IPA on tap...

• Newark: Dela Where? IPA
• Wilmington: Yippee-Ki-PA, an American IPA
• Chestnut Hill: Hop Addict IPA
• Lancaster: Hop Stinger
• Maple Shade: G-Day IPA
• Media: Ultimate Warrior American IPA
• North Wales: Summertime IPA
• Phoenixville: Simcoe IPA
• West Chester: Intergalactic IPA

Dogfish Head Brewing:

At the brewpub...

Be sure to check out the menu items that feature a little 60 Minute love in them - the beer battered Fish and Chips and the Brined Wood-Grilled Chicken. They'll also have a special Brewpub Exclusive beer just for today: Down Low Double Life. And they're going to tap into some of their vintage stash, plus Randall the Enamel Animal will be at the bar all day long.

At the brewery:

They're going to have a special IPA Day tasting flight including 60 Minute, Sixty-One, 90 Minute and 120 Minute. While you're there, be sure to test your IPA knowledge. Randall will be at the brewery too. He'll be running Burton Baton through fruit and spices. Three words: 120 Minute Picklebacks. Yup. Of course you have to get some Hop Pickles from Bunyon's Lunchbox (and one of the beer infused brats and sausages). Annndddd....Sam will be the guest DJ this for this week's Vintage and Vinyl Happy Hour, where they'll be pouring vintage IPAs.

World Cafe Live at The Queen:

The Queen is hosting a Homebrew Happy Hour with entertainment by Beth Goldwater

16 Mile Brewing Company:

Stop by the tavern for specials on their Inlet IPA. They'll have $3 pints, $1 off growlers and growler refills, and $5 off cases of the IPA. They might even have a few unique versions of the IPA too! 

UPDATE: 
The Pickled Pig Pub:
Check out what PPP will have on tap today: 

• Dogfish 60 Minute
• Evolution Craft Brewing Company Lot 3
• Yards Brewing Compnay IPA
• Smuttynose Brewing Co. Homunculus
• Starr Hill Brewing Comp[any Double Platinum
• Stone Brewing Co. RuinTen

UPDATE:
3rd Wave Brewing Co.
3rd Wave has their 1st Wave IPA and Bombora Double IPA on tap today.

UPDATE:
33 West Ale House & Grill:
33 West is celebrating IPA Day with $1 off all IPAs in bottles and cans, including local favorites like Old Dominion Double D, Fordham Rams Head and Twin Lakes Greenville Pale Ale.

UPDATE:
Deer Park Tavern:
Deer Park will have a few IPAs on tap from Stone and Yards, as well as Dogfish 60 Minute, Flying Dog Raging Bitch and they are tapping Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye. The Ruthless Rye pints will be $4.50.

We'll keep updating the list throughout the day as we find out more IPA fun going on!

Cheers and Hoppy IPA Day!

Who's Open on Fourth of July

What are your plans for 4th of July? Even more importantly, what will you be drinking, and where? Need a few ideas of what to do before and after the BBQs and Fireworks? 

Here's a (growing!) list of what's going to be open around the state on the Fourth of July...

Arena's (all locations)                       ‘business as usual’

Jessop’s                                              11:30am - 10pm

Peco’s Liquors                                    10am - 5pm (growler bar open all day too)

3^rd Wave                                             12pm – 5pm

Buckley’s                                             11am – midnight

                                                             Happy hour - $1 off all beers 

                                                             Rooftop bar open @ 4pm, dinner @ 5pm

Two Stones Pub Newark                     11:30am – 1am 

                                                             $1, $2, or $3 8 oz pours

Two Stones Pub Naamans                   11:30am – 1am

Governor’s Café                                  7am – 11pm

Taverna                                               11:30am – close

The Pig + Fish                                      Last seating at 8:20pm; closing
                                                              at 9pm         

State Line Liquors                               9am - 8pm          

Dogfish Head Brewery                         Vintage & Vinyl Happy Hour 4:30pm

Argilla Brewing Co.                             11:30am - 1am

Stanley's Tavern                                  11am - 1am
                                                               both the restaurant and the package
                                                               store, including growlers

Skipjack's                                              11am - 11pm
                                                               keep an eye on their Facebook page for
                                                               food and drink specials.

Washington Street Ale House               11am - 1am

Cantwell's Tavern                                 Open at 11:30am, last call at 10:45am

Whole Foods Glen Mills-Brew & Brau   8am - 8pm

Frank's Wines, Beers & Spirits             10am - 6pm, growler station too

Kid Shelleen's                                         11am - 1am

Aqua Sol                                                  11:30am - 10pm

Ulysses American Gastropub                 11am - 1am

Kreston Wine & Spirits, Wilmington      9am - 4pm

Kreston Wine & Spirits, Middletown      9am - 4pm

Home Grown Cafe                                    11am - 1am

*Note: this isn't a complete list of everything that is open statewide, this is just what we've found to be open so far. We're guessing most places are open and rocking and rolling during the holiday, but it can't hurt to give wherever you're going a call just to make sure they're open and ready to pour you a beer or two! 

We'll keep updating this list as we find out more!

Wondering where to check out fireworks? North DelaWHERE Happenings has you covered: http://northdelawhere.happeningmag.com/red-white-boom-4th-july-celebrations-fireworks-delaware

There's are so many things going on around the state for Independence Day! Take a look at this delawareonline article for ideas: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130628/ENTERTAINMENT/306280011/Independence-Day-weeklong-party-Macy-Gray-Wilmington-fireworks-Dewey?sf14575425=1

Have a safe and happy 4th of July! 

Coming Soon...Mid-Atlantic Wine + Food (+ Craft Beer + Spirits!) Festival

We remember hearing about last year's Mid-Atlantic Wine + Food Festival and thought it sounded pretty cool. But as it primarily featured wine-focused events, we passed (as obviously beer is more our thing!) This year, they're switching it up a little bit. Wait, they're switching it up A LOT! 

Mark you calendars! Save the dates! Because this festival, benefiting the Mid-Atlantic Food and Wine Feast Charitable Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation, will be showcasing some of the area's best, not just in wine and food, but spirits and craft beer. If you're a supporter of the Christina Cultural Arts Center, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Theatre Company, The Grand Opera House, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Kent County Fund for the Arts, OperaDelaware, or the Rehoboth Beach Film Society, then here's one more great way to show your love! 

The 30+ page invitation!

The Mid-Atlantic Wine + Food Festival will be 4-days of chefs, winemakers, brewers and distillers from not only our region, but around the world. Events will be hosted throughout the Brandywine Valley, Kent County and along Delaware's "Culinary Coast." 

The epicenter of the Festival will be The Festival Village, the 8,000-square-foot tent on Rodney Square. The tent will be the home to such events as "In the Mix: Mixologist and DJs," a "South African Braai," "The MasterChef Tasting Experience," other sampling events, and the Mid-Atlantic Wine + Food Festival Bottle Shop, where you'll be able to purchase several of the wines, beers and other items featured throughout the festival. 

Here's a look at The Festival Village schedule:
Friday, March 8th
11:30am - 2:30pm
Cost: $25

3:30pm - 7pm
Cost: $30

Saturday, March 9th
9am - 1pm
Cost: $30
2pm - 5pm
Cost: $30

Sunday, March 10th
Noon - 3pm
Cost: $25

Admission into the Festival Village will include access to:

• Food Vendors
• Complimentary Wine, Beer and Spirits Samples
• Chef Demonstrations
• Music
• Visiting Winemakers

Want to purchase a weekend pass, which will cover all village times (except ticketed events)? You can purchase that for $100. 

Here's a run-down of the great Festival events that will feature a few of the things we love in life...

THURSDAY, MARCH 7th

The Craft of Beer

This event, being held at OperaDelaware, will celebrate the Mid-Atlantic's role in the craft beer revolution! So far they have Evolution Craft Brewing Company, 16 Mile Brewing Company, Dogfish Head, Eastern Shore Brewing, Fordham Brewing Company, Old Dominion Brewing Company, Heavy Seas Beer, Sly Fox Beer, Troegs Brewing Company, Twin Lakes Brewing Company, Weyerbacher Brewing Company and Yards Brewing Company lined up. More breweries may still be announced! We can't wait to attend this event - it's going to be a fantastic way to kick off a very awesome weekend in Wilmington!

Ticket price: $50 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=119

Bourbon & Bacon Tasting - Wilmington Edition -  SOLD OUT

Are you like us and have another favorite "B" word? As in Bourbon? Then the Bourbon & Bacon Tasting, hosted by Chelsea Tavern, is the event for you! 

Amazing small-batch bourbons will be paired with bacon-inspired culinary creations of the Columbus Inn!

Ticket price: $50 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=120

Scotch & Cigars - SOLD OUT

Join Bill Sullivan, the General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott at the University of Delaware, to talk Scotch and Cigars. The event, being held at Oberod, one of the area's finest estates, is the perfect after-dinner event. 

Ticket price: $50 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=112

FRIDAY, MARCH 8th
Bourbon + Bacon South
Being held at Nage in Rehoboth, this event has been so popular the Festival decided to add on every county! You'll enjoy the perfect pairing of that thing we all love, paired with some of America's finest bourbons.

Ticket price: $50 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=140

He Said Beer, She Said Wine - SOLD OUT

This fun event, being held at The Grand Opera House, features Delaware's own, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery and wine sommelier, Marnie Old, as the two discuss the book they co-authored, "He Said Beer, She Said Wine!" It's a debate over which is better, beer or wine. This multi-course dinner, prepared by Chelsea Tavern, will be served on the main stage of the Grand Opera House. 

Ticket price: $125 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=92
Side note: We went to a "He Said Beer, She Said Wine" dinner at World Cafe Live at The Queen a few years back and had a BLAST! Sam and Marnie both have so much knowledge about both beer and wine. Their fun, friendly competition and banter was great, it was hard not to have an awesome time. As two people that typically only dabble in wine, attending this event really opened our eyes back up to the similarities of wine and beer and how both could very equally pair with some of the same dishes. Having the wine lovers pitted against the beer lovers was a fun, light-hearted way to spend an evening learning so much more about both sides of the spectrum. Our advice: don't miss out on this event this time around!

SATURDAY, MARCH 9th
Scrapplegasm - SOLD OUT

Okay, so it might not exactly be a craft beer-related event, but, c'mon, it's SCRAPPLE! 

Hosted at the Green Room at the Hotel du Pont, you'll dine on pheasant scrapple, bison scrapple and who knows what else the Green Room's Executive Chef, Keith Miller, and University & Whist Club's Executive Chef, Robert Lhulier, will create for this crazy breakfast!

Price: $40 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=101

Wine + Chocolate Tasting
The Christina Cultural Arts Center will host this event, featuring artisanal chocolates paired with fine wines. 

Price: $50

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=107

Bacon + Bourbon: Kent County

Are you located in Kent County? No worries, Mid-Atlantic Wine + Food Festival has you covered! The Bacon + Bourbon: Central Delaware event will be held at Triad Farm, and hosted by Mr. and Mrs. LD Shank. You'll enjoy small-batch bourbons poured and paired with bacon-centrics foods. Net proceeds from this particular event will benefit the Kent County Fund for the Arts! 

Price: $50 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=135


SUNDAY, MARCH 10th
Brunch + Bloody Mary Throwdown

Whether you like your Bloody Mary spicy or tame, you'll get to vote on what you think is the perfect Bloody Mary in both the amateur and the professional category at this event held at Noble's Pond in Dover. The winners from each category will then face off for the final challenge! Who will win?! Area restaurants will provide various brunch foods, plus you'll get a little Prosecco as well! Net proceeds for this event will benefit the Kent County Funds for the Arts.

Price: $50 per person

To purchase tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=137

The MasterChef Tasting Experience
Hosted by Delaware's own, and MasterChef Season 2 winner, Jennifer Behm will host The MasterChef Tasting Experience, held at the Festival Village. Seven contestants from all three season's of Chef Gordon Ramsey's "MasterChef" will be featured at this event: Christian Collions, Suzy Singh, Dave Miller, Tracy Kontos, Becky Reams, Derrick Prince, and Jennifer, who will all show off their culinary skills while sharing stories from the show! Keep in mind, only 200 tickets will be sold for this event! Photos and autograph opportunities will be available at the end of the event. 

Price: $75 per person

To purchase your tickets: http://www.midatlanticwineandfood.com/readmore_events.php?id=125

Looking for a hotel to stay at during the Festival? They have you covered. The Homewood Suites in Wilmington, Hotel du Pont, and the Sheraton Wilmington South are all offering special rates for those attending the Festival. 

Our region never ceases to amaze me. Going through the 30+ page invitation for the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Wine + Food Festival proves that over and over again! This is definitely something we are super excited about!