Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Opening a business is one thing. Staying in business for 25 years and continuing to thrive, is quite another. Yet this is exactly what Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has done, as they celebrated their 25th anniversary on June 23rd. It was on that day in 1995 that owner and brewer Sam Calagione opened the first brewpub in a small beach town in Delaware. At that time they were one of the smallest breweries in America, producing only 12 gallons of beer per brew and mainly to quench the thirst of the good people of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Brewing Highly Regarded Off-Centered Craft Beer
Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
My how times have changed. 25 years later that 12 gallons of beer per brew has skyrocketed to 250k gallons and many of their beers, (60 minute IPA, Sea Quench Ale and Slightly Mighty) rank near the top in sales in their category. None of this happened by accident. From the start, Calagione was determined to set Dogfish Head apart with his off-centered mentality. To do so, he brewed creative craft beers that were equally off-centered. Over the years, it was not uncommon to see beers like Raison D'etre, a Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar and raisins and Chocolate Lobster, a porter brewed with chocolate and real lobster on taps right next to the aforementioned best sellers.
Creativity like this is hard to come by, but Calagione was determined to differentiate his brewery from the others across the country. Mission accomplished. His hard work even earned him the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional in 2017. Not bad for a tiny little brew pub from a beach town in Delaware.
The Dogfish Head Book Celebrates the Past 25 Years
In celebration of their 25 year anniversary, Dogfish Head has announced the release of The Dogfish Head Book: 25 Years of Off-Centered Adventures. Set to debut on Tuesday, September 1, this page-turner is a colorful account of the brewery’s 25-year history.
“Writing The Dogfish Head Book: 25 Years of Off-Centered Adventures...We shared so many wonderful memories about our journey together to create and develop Dogfish Head into what it is today, and I could not be more thankful for their help bringing this new book, and the brand as a whole, to life” said Calagione.
"When we first opened Brewings & Eats and were hand-bottling all our beers, I never imagined that Dogfish Head’s off-centered ales would one day be distributed to all 50 states, let alone that our name would be known by craft beer and spirits aficionados world-wide. It is astonishing and truly humbling.”
With craft-breweries seemingly popping up all over the country, it can be quite a challenge to find a craft beer worthy of our All About Apres Wooden Koozie. Lucky for us, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has stayed in business long enough for many of us to hit the exciting age of 21 so that we can enjoy their unique and tasty brews. With over 15 different craft brews released in 2020, there is absolutely a winner for everyone.
