A Gem in the Diamond State
This time of year, millions of Americans spend their vacation at the beach, or, as we called it in New Jersey, Down the Shore. In recent years, I've been spending part of my summer with family members on Delaware's seashore, where I soon found a haven for lovers of good beer.
Although the Delaware coast is macrobrew country, especially in the summer, it's also the home of one of America's most innovative breweries, the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. It began life in the summer of 1995 as a brewpub and restaurant on Rehoboth Beach's main drag. It not only offered a variety of beer styles (the most popular of which got into the regular rotation), but pizzas and seafood cooked in a wood-burning oven and the music of local entertainers.
Dogfish Head, named for a peninsula in
Maine where owner Sam Calagione once spent his summers,
was once America's smallest microbrewery. It was a
12-gallon system cobbled together from old beer kegs. To
satisfy his thirsty patrons, Calagione had to brew three
batches a day. It was hard work and soon got tiresome,
but it provided plenty of opportunity to experiment with
different beer styles. That experience would pay off
handsomely.
Customers, who came from all over the Mid-Atlantic states and sometimes beyond, told their friends about Dogfish Head beer, which gained a loyal following. To meet the demand, Calagione decided to expand his brewing operations. After rounding up equipment at dairy and cannery auctions, and lobbying to get the state's liquor laws changed, Calagione rolled out his first bottled beer, Shelter Pale Ale, in 1997. It's still Dogfish Head's flagship brew.
Shelter Pale Ale was soon joined on the bottling line by Chicory Stout, whose ingredient list includes roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, and St. John's Wort; Immort Ale, a double-fermented beer made with organic juniper berry, vanilla, and maple syrup, and aged in oak for two months; Indian Brown Ale, described as a combination of a Scotch Ale, an India pale ale, and an American pale ale; and Raison d'Etre, a Belgian-inspired mahogany ale which earned "Beer of the Year" honors from Malt Advocate magazine.
One thing that's obvious about Sam Calagione's tastes: he likes his beers big. Most of his offerings are on the strong side, but that's just the beginning. Recently, Calagione brought out the awe-inspiring Worldwide Stout, a rich and roasty beverage, more like a port wine than a beer, which last year weighed in at over 23 percent alcohol. He followed up that effort with 120 Minute IPA, "the Holy Grail for hopheads." Boiled for two hours, dry-hopped daily for a month, then aged another month on whole leaf hops, it checks in at 21 percent alcohol and 120 International Bittering Units. Brews like these have earned Dogfish Head a reputation in the brewing world. No less an authority than Michael Jackson has proclaimed it "America's most adventurous and extraordinary small brewery."
"Adventurous" might be an understatement. Calagione, with the help of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, has managed to replicate the beverage served at the funeral dinner for the king we've come to know as Midas. That concoction, made from Muscat grapes, saffron, and mead yeast, tastes like a spicy and highly effervescent wine cooler, with, of course, a strong alcoholic punch. It's called Midas Touch and, like Dogfish Head's bottled beers, is available at select retailers in the Mid-Atlantic states.
As for the brewpub, it, too, is very much
alive and well. Its interior has a nautical look and
feel, complete with a fishing dinghy hanging from a
corner of the dining room. During the summer, it caters
to an all-ages crowd, attracted by a menu featuring
dishes made with house ales and fresh products from
local suppliers. If it's just a beer you want, there's
usually room at the bar to enjoy a pint with the
regulars, whose ceramic mugs are lined up on the wall.
You might even be offered a slice of pizza straight from
the oven or a taste of the latest
seasonal.
Calagione has upgraded to a seven-barrel brewing system (the original, "museum quality" vessels are still on display upstairs). He's also added a mini-distillery which produces premium rum, making Dogfish Head one of the nation's few brewery/distilleries.
Now that hot weather has returned, I'm looking forward to a few lazy days on the beach and a pint or two of ale to cool off with afterward. But even if you're not a beach person like me, Dogfish Head is worth a trip to the Delaware coast.
Getting to Dogfish Head: The brewery is located at 6 Cannery Village Center in Milton; phone 302.684.1000 or 1.888.8DOGFISH. Tours are available Fridays at 3 pm. The brewpub is located at 320 Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach; phone 302.226.BREW. From Memorial Day through September it opens at 4 pm Monday through Friday, noon Saturdays and Sundays. The rest of the year, it opens at 4 pm Monday, Thursday, and Friday; noon Saturdays and Sundays; and is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Find out more by visiting Dogfish Head's website, www.dogfish.com.