Roadtrip edition: For an upcoming visit to family in Delaware (only about a five-hour drive from Manchester), I decided to look up some breweries that would be nearby. I know, you’re shocked, right? But my googling proved fruitful. Not far from their place was (cue angelic choir voices now) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware.
Dogfish Head is primarily known in New Hampshire for their omnipresent IPAs named for the duration of the brew – 60 Minute, 90 Minute, 120 Minute. But they make plenty more. Their Milton location had 21 beers on tap, including a saison, porters, a red ale, a golden ale, and a lager. I figured that would be enough to hold our interest. So I added it to our list of possible spots.
The founder, Sam Calagione, spent childhood summers in Dogfish Head, Maine, thus the name. He started brewing in his kitchen in NYC with his two roommates. In 1995, he opened Dogfish Head Craft Brewery along with his wife Mariah. At opening, they produced only 10 gallons of beer per day. As of 2018, they were making 15,000 gallons per day. In 2019, Dogfish Head was sold for $300 million to Boston Beer Company (maker of Sam Adams). So, 23 years to make $300 million. That’s over $10 million per year.
Spoiler: This place was great. Highly recommended. If you visit Delaware without going here, you are missing out.
The Place
Getting to the brewery takes you through what appears to be a quiet residential neighborhood. But then you turn a corner and BOOM, there it is, looking quite industrial. It resembled some kind of amalgam of factory and farm, with the row of outdoor fermenters resembling a line of grain silos to this midwestern native.
But the surroundings were calm and stayed calm the whole time we were there – which was, granted, a weekday. We easily found on-street parking.
Then we crossed the street and walked a block or so to the tap room space. Again, as you approach, you step around the corner of the building, and your view once again changes mightily. The tap room features a large outdoor green space.
Imagine if the HopKnot in Manchester were about three times larger, and behind it was an entire factory making beer. Further, imagine that the entire green space out front, owned by Brady Sullivan, was filled with picnic tables and umbrellas. And, instead of the lollipop sculpture, it had a large multi-story steampunk tree and treehouse.
That’s an approximation of what we saw. I hope the photos do it justice. Sadly, due to the heat, the treehouse was closed to the public. Otherwise, my inner little boy would have scampered right up that thing. OK, maybe my outer over-weight boy, too. In either case, it was fun to gawk at.
And that wasn’t their only steampunk sculpture. Not far from the treehouse, as you approach the fermenters, is a sculpture of a woman riding… a bronco? a rocket in flight? a large broom? Hard to be sure.
But the sculpture was captivating nonetheless. Her position, her posture, size, and proportions, all fascinating. And her face, sculpted from tiny little pieces of shiny chrome or stainless steel, was engrossing.
I wanted to identify and catalogue every little piece I could see. And there were many! But that’s just my OCD coming out again. Time to move along.
The Food
Salads, sandwiches, soups, pizzas – they had plenty. Bratwurst, pulled pork, veggie burgers, and chicken atop a salad.
I had a pizza special of the day: Frito chili pie pizza, with cheddar, sour cream, and pickled jalapeño. It was quite good, even if it was a little weird to see Fritos atop my pizza. But eating this at a picnic table near a large fake tree sculpted from iron and steel was somehow fitting.
Summary – I would not travel here for the food alone. But along with the beer and everything else? The food was fine.
The Beer
Twenty-one on tap. Where to start? Well, NOT with any of the IPAs that are virtually everywhere here at home in New Hampshire. (A) I’m still not much of an IPA guy, and (B) I need to try what else they have.
I ordered a flight of:
- Fontessa
- Unlucky Wizard
- Mid 90’s Red
- Sherriff
My brother-in-law Pete ordered a flight of:
- Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale
- 75 Minute IPA
- Mid 90’s Red
- Czexpress Yourself
I have listed both flights in their recommended order of tasting. Let’s face it, it’s your flight, you can drink them in whatever order strikes your fancy in the moment. Their recommended order starts with the beers that will have the least lingering impact on your palate, allowing you to better taste the distinct qualities of the beers that follow. If you veer from it, no beer police will come to arrest you. Whew!
Our wives each had a Tropical Squall, described on their website as “an imperial golden ale brewed with pineapples and mangoes. At 9% ABV, Tropical Squall has the bright sweetness of ripe pineapple paired with the rich, lush flavor of mango, delivering taste both vibrant and refreshing.” It was indeed very good. My in-laws took home a four-pack.
Between the four of us, there was plenty of sharing. I had a taste of everything. Imagine my surprise when, out of 8 beers tasted, the one I chose to then order in a full-size glass was the 75 Minute IPA. Never too old to change. I’ll drink to that!
Below is info about the beers we had, pulled from the Dogfish Head website.
- Fontessa
- ABV: 5.2% – IBU: 15 – STYLE Saison
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2025
- COLOR Glowing, hazy gold with fluffy white foam.
- AROMA Fresh Cracked Pepper, Green Herbs, Soft White Bread, Early Peach
- FLAVOR Soft Bread, Pepper, Herbs, Light Lemon, Almost Ripe Peach
- MOUTHFEEL Light body with a refreshing, dry finish.
- Unlucky Wizard
- ABV: 7% – IBU: 66.6 – STYLE India Pale Ale
- RELEASE: 6/25/22
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2022
- COLOR Hazy yellow with white foam
- AROMA Hoppy, Dank, Citrus, Tropical, Guava, Pineapple, Grapefruit
- FLAVOR Hoppy, Resinous, Grapefruit, Guava, Pine, Pineapple, Bready Malt, Fruity
- MOUTHFEEL Medium body with a satisfying hoppy finish.
- Mid 90’s Red
- ABV: 5.3% – IBU: 36 – STYLE Red Ale
- RELEASE: Brewpub & Milton Brewery Exclusive
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2022
- COLOR Crystal clear, deep reddish amber with bone white foam
- AROMA Malty, caramel, toffee, citrus, candied orange peel, fruity
- FLAVOR Malty, caramel, toffee, citrus, candied orange peel, fruity
- MOUTHFEEL Medium-light body with an easy bitterness and a clean finish
- Sherriff
- ABV: 6% – IBU: 40 – STYLE Porter
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2025
- COLOR Black with red highlights and dense tan foam
- AROMA Roasted Cacao, Light Roast Coffee, Fig Jam, Dark Berries, Cocoa Dust, Earthy
- FLAVOR Dark Cocoa Dust, Mocha, Fig Jam, Dried Plum, Raisins, Chocolate Sandwich Cookie
- MOUTHFEEL Medium body with a long, bittersweet finish
- Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale
- ABV: 5% – IBU: 30 – STYLE Pale Ale
- RELEASE: Year Round
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2025
- COLOR Hazy, pale gold with a white head
- AROMA Tropical fruits, mango, pineapple, light citrus
- FLAVOR Pineapple, mango, passionfruit, lightly sweet & tart, light bitterness
- MOUTHFEEL Light to medium bodied
- 75 Minute IPA
- ABV: 7.5% – IBU: 75 – STYLE India Pale Ale
- RELEASE: Occasional
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2011
- COLOR Golden to light amber/orange with slight haze
- AROMA Piney & citrusy hops
- FLAVOR Malty with light citrus notes, pleasant sweetness from maple syrup
- MOUTHFEEL ightly dry & lingering bitterness
- Czexpress Yourself
- ABV: 5% – IBU: 25 – STYLE Dark Lager
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2025
- COLOR Clear Dark Brown with Tan Foam
- AROMA Brewed Coffee, Dark Sugar, Cocoa Dust, Baked Pastry, Caramel
- FLAVOR Espresso, Caramel Drizzle, Dark Cocoa Flakes, Dark Sugar
- MOUTHFEEL Medium Body with a Bittersweet Finish
- Tropical Squall
- ABV: 9.0% – IBU:10 – STYLE Golden Ale
- ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE:2024
- COLOR Hazy golden
- AROMA Pineapple and mango
- FLAVOR Pineapple, mango, tropical fruits with a light tartness
- MOUTHFEEL Medium-bodied
Upcoming Events
Celebrating Dogfish Head’s Maine connection, and their 30th anniversary. Held Saturday, 7/26 from 3-7p at the Southport General Store.
Southport General Store
443 Hendricks Hill Road
Southport, ME 04576
United States
Each ticket gains you entry to the party of the summer, and includes the following:
- Delicious BBQ buffet prepared by the Southport General Store chefs
- Two drink tickets redeemable for the Dogfish Head beer or canned cocktail of your choice (Sam Adams ‘Just the Haze’ NA beer available as well)
- A special Dogfish Head x Southport General Store pint glass
- A Dogfish Head hat
- Live music from indie rock band Nikki and the Barn Boys
- Great local vendors including Grain Surfboards, Green Bee Soda, Wonder Valley Olive Oil, and Ebonecook Oysters
The General Store and Gift Barn will be open during the event for shopping & provisioning.
Just the Facts
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery is at
- 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton, DE 19968
For GPS purposes, please use: 511 Chestnut St., Milton, DE 19968
Phone: 1-888-8dogfish
Hours of operation are:
- Sunday – Thursday … 11 am – 8 pm
- Friday – Saturday … 11 am – 9 pm
Beer is also available in cans to go, or as growler & crowler fills.
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