Dogfish Head has had a lot of questions over the years. Here are our most frequent ones! If you have a question you would like answered, please direct it to our Forum or contact us.
Someday, we'd love to export some of our beers to Europe, but first we have to actually make enough beer to serve our markets right here! That said, over the years we've been involved in beer events in Europe (London, Copehnagen, Italy) and have had lots of fun!
We are not licensed as a distributor in outside states, so we are not permitted to ship beer into outside states. We do have a bunch of wholesaler/distributor partners on the Fish Finder Map. If you are looking for Dogfish, check to see if we even have a wholesaler in your area. If so, you can contact them directly for retail accounts. There are also online stores out there that sometimes have some of our Occasional Rarities and Seasonal beers in addition to our Year-Round offerings.
None of our beers contain artificial flavors nor do they contain wine/champagne yeast. However, we have never sought any kind of rabbinical kosher certification and we don’t really go out to source kosher ingredients. We source the best ingredients for the flavors we are trying to create.
There is a geographical Dogfish Head, read all about it!
To view the Fish Finder Map, you should upgrade your browser to IE 7 or use Firefox. The kind of code and logic required to make the map work does not work in IE 6. We try our best to make the site as compatible as can be, but the map is one area we cannot support old browsers.
Cheers.
Kids of any age can participate in our brewery tour. All we ask is that they look, listen & enjoy! They cannot, of course, participate in any of the beer sampling, however we do try to have our homemade Beach Beer (birch beer soda) available during the busy tour season for those not able/interested in trying our beers.
p-s Everyone coming to the tour needs to wear closed-toe shoes - remember, we are an operating brewery!
Cheers.
Thanks for submitting your question to our site. We do put Raison D’Etre in kegs and is available from our brewery when available. Your best bet is to call the brewery when you plan to come in, find out what is available and place your order. Due to the number of beers we make that are only available once or twice a year, I can’t provide a comprehensive list.
The brewery number is 302-684-1000.
Glad you liked it! Festina is our summer seasonal and should be available where you find other Dogfish beers. You should find it May - August.
Cheers.
Tim - We look forward to your visit!!!
First off, getting here - the closest airport is Salisbury, MD (45 minutes from the brewery, 1 hour to pub), but most people fly into Philadelphia or Baltimore (each 2 hours away) because it's easier to get direct flights into either of those airports. Amtrak also services Wilmington, DE (1.25 hours away). Public transportation in our parts is scarce.
In terms of other things to see and do around here. I'd recommend the beach, of course! Rehoboth Beach has the boardwalk, lots of great restaurants (including our pub!), and boutique shopping, Lewes has a quaint harbor, and Bethany has a cute downtown and small boardwalk. You can also check out the Lewes Historical Complex and Cape Henlopen State Park. Sussex County has so much to offer, visit Southern Delaware Tourism for more than you'll ever need to know!
Safe travels - see you soon!
Hi Tony - Our 2009 Schedule is up and we are (sorta, kinda) following it. Olde School is slated to come out in late October/early November. Thanks for asking and glad to hear you are an Immort fan!
Cheers.
The bocce courts at our Milton brewery are temporarily out of commission (during the construction of our tasting room/tour area) until late fall. After that, the courts are open and available during our Tasting Room hours.
If you are asking about our Intergalactic Bocce Tournaments, I can let you know that we have a waiting list of teams for this fall's tourney. Moving forward, we hope to add more touraments and will post any changes here on our website!
Cheers.
Yes... and Yes!
However, the brewpub bar staff hoards the Occasional kegs when they get them (smart folks there!). Usually they will put them on sometime near a release date and then hold a few more kegs for surprise returns later in the year. Your best bet is to watch the What's On Tap Menu (http://www.dogfish.com/restaurant/menus/brews-whats-on-tap.htm) and act fast!
We do sell the Occassionals in bottles from the brewery, but usually it is a small quantity and they go fast!
Yes - for those who like the flavor characteristics of aged beer, beers with high alcohol by volume (abv) do age like a fine wine. Over time, the taste profiles of the stronger beers change (mellow, meld, etc..). We recommend aging any of our beers over 9% abv and experimenting. For example, get a few bottles of one of our higher abv beers, enjoy some fresh and some aged. See which you prefer!
No, but our brewery Dogfish Head is named after a head of land (think 'Hilton Head) on the coast of Maine (on Southport Island, hear Boothbay Harbor). But, why, aren't we in Delaware? Yes, but founder Sam Calagione grew up on the coast of Maine and wanted to bring a little piece of New England down with him.
The best time to drink it would be whenever you want to open it! Seriously, due to the high alcohol content, 120 Minute IPA will age very well. However, I will tell you that some folks prefer the 120 fresh and some prefer it aged - it's totally subjective!
I would recommend checking out the Quick Sip Clip video about our 120 Minute IPA: click here to watch!
This New Year's Eve??? As in six months from now? Wow - you are on the ball!!
Well, yes... while the details have not been finalized, we do always have a multi-course beer dinner (usually 2 seatings) and a live band to usher in the New Year at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub. We'll start taking reservations probably mid-fall.
I am sure there are can't miss brews & pubs, but I can't say b/c I've never been lucky enough to go to Prague! Have fun and safe travels.
We are not permitted to ship directly to customers. You have a few options...
1) Check our Fish Finder map for either a wholesaler that sells in your region. Click here, choose your state and search for the type 'distributor'
2) Use the same Fish Finder map, choose your state and search for a retail account
3) Do an online search for Virtual Beer Stores that have Dogfish. There are some out there, but shipping laws to each state are different.
Thanks so much, we love positive feedback!
We do not currently have any gluten free beers, sorry! As for the future... we don't know yet what beers will be coming down the pipeline for 2010 and beyond, so anything is possible!
We don't have a Hoppy Onion beer, but we did recently brew a batch at the pub (called India Pale Ale) that contained onions. Click here for the details.
Well, that one is complicated. We technically don't distribute to Michigan, but there are some wholesalers up there getting it from other wholesalers. That said, I think your best bet is to keep on asking! If they currently sell some Dogfish, then they can certainly order more (assuming the wholesaler they do business with carries more of our beers). Sorry to be so grey, but I think your best bet is to keep pestering your favorite beer stores and bars. thanks for the support!
Never say never! Actually I can not say we will NEVER make another batch, but I can tell you that it is not on the 2009 Release Schedule. We are just beginning our 2010 planning, so I don't know that it will or will not make another appearance!
We do not have a "best by" date on our bottles, but we DO have a 'bottled on' date on each and every bottle of Dogfish Head Beer.
As a guide, we recommend enjoying our lower abv (alcohol by volume) beers (5-8%) within 3-6 months of bottling. The higher abv beers are ideal for ageing, if you enjoy the mellowing characteristics ageing can lend a high abv beer.
The Immort Ale is 11%abv, so it should be good for a few years if stored properly (not too hot, not too bright). The taste profile will change as it is aged. Whether you prefer the beer younger or older is totally up to your own taste buds!
Greg - These are the hops we are growing alongside the deck at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub: Horizon, Hallertau, Glacier, Sterling, Centennial, Northern Brewer, Chinook, Willamette, Nuggest, Goldings, Cascasde, Liberty, and Fuggles. Well, that's at least what we planted a few years back - some may have been taken over since then!
At the end of the season we usually harvest what we can and use them in a fresh hop Brewpub Exclusive beer that we make there.
The hops came via our former manager (and hop guru) Jim Boyd. He's moved on, but his hops are still hoppin'!!!!
You are right!! I asked Sam and he said that while he usually keeps the fermenting carboys on a counter in a darker area of the house, things got moved all around that day to accomodate the cameras and lighting equipment. The carboy ended up on the counter during the shoot, but (don't worry!) it moved back into the dark area. By the way, Sam reports that the beer was one that he brewed with friend and local homebrew store owner Doug Griffith and that it turned out great!
Thanks for asking! The article that appeared in last fall's The New Yorker's food issue, "The Annals of Drinking: A Better Brew" by Burkhard Bilger generated a lot of interest in Dogfish beer.
We thought he did a fantastic job and loved the article (okay, so we're a teeny bit biased)!
That said, we do sell beer in San Diego. If you check the Fish Finder Map on our website and search the CA/West region for Distributors, you'll find our San Diego-area wholesale partner. If you contact them, they should be able to point you to a retail location near you. You can also check the map for retailers, but it's a relatively new feature of the website, so I am not sure how many San Diego pins have been submitted.
Cheers
We currently sell Dogfish Head beers in about 30 out of 50 US states? Why do we sell in some and not others?
There are a few reasons...
First off - SUPPLY! We're pretty small and we can only brew so much Dogfish Head beer! While we've been adding capacity each and every year for the past 6 years, somehow demand is growing just as fast (if not faster). Now we're not complaining, this is a good problem to have - unless you are in a state where we don't yet sell Dogfish.
Some states have had ABV-caps until recently (or still do). For those who have popped the cap - congratulations, and way to go! But, see above... we can't open new markets until we can supply the markets we already have.
In 2008 we did re-open the CA market, but we did so with only three brands that we knew we'd be able to support (Midas, Palo and 90 Minute IPA). Since then, we've been able to trickle some seasonals in.
So, all that's a long-winded way of saying... we're making more beer! Be patient - or better yet, come visit us and stock up!!!
Thanks for asking and cheers!
First off - thanks so much! We're glad you found our 90 Minute IPA and that you really enjoyed it!
Our 90 Minute IPA is one of our best-sellers and good news - it IS available year round. You should be able to find it if you are in an area where we distribute.
When you do find it, please consider adding that location to our Fish Finder Map (it's a user-generated map showing folks where they can find Dogfish Head)! You can also search here for locations that sell Dogfish near you if you are not sure where to find our beers.
Cheers!
Our brewpub is in downtown Rehoboth Beach and anywhere downtown is within walking distance!!! For a pretty good list of downtown accomodations, check out Rehoboth Beach Main Street's website. Downtown Rehoboth has a pretty good selection of hotels and B&Bs. Downtown Rehoboth also has a bunch of other great restaurants, boutiques, the boardwalk and... the ocean!
The Inn At Canal Square is home of our 360-Degree Dogfish Experience Weekend Package. It is in downtown Lewes (about a 10-15 minute drive or 45 minute boat ride) from Rehoboth. Downtown Lewes is a quaint, historic harbor town with shops and restaurants. There are also museums of the Lewes Historical Society and the Zwaanendael Museum. Lewes is also home to the Cape May Lewes Ferry (a great way to arrive in coastal Delaware) and adjacent to the Cape Henlopen State Park (great beaches, disc golf course and campground).
And don't forget to make a reservations for our FREE brewery tours!
As of today (4/20/2009), there is NOT a brewpub at our main brewery in Milton, Delaware. But... we are currently under construction for an expansion that will house a small pub! This new pub will most likely open in the spring of 2010.
Our original location in Rehoboth Beach, DE is a brewpub and is about a 20-minute drive southeast of our Milton location. Our Rehoboth Beach brewpub is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner - year round!
Bad News - We cannot ship beer.
Good News - there are companies out there that do process online order and ship Dogfish beer! Of course, nothing is easy... all the companies have different selections and different states that they can and cannot ship into. Your best bet is to do an online search to see if you can find a retailer that can ship the beer you want to the state you need!
Thanks for asking - cheers
If a store already sells some Dogfish Head, they should be able to get additional styles. That said, there are some Dogfish beers that are released in limited quantities or just at certain times of year! Here is the current Dogfish release schedule.
Your best bet is to first ask your favorite beer store if they would order the additional Dogfish beers you are looking for. I'm guessing that if they have interested customer and can get the beer - they will!
If that does not work, yes I'd contact the Distributor for the region (search the Fish Finder Map by your specific state/region and by Distributors) and see if they are able to get the Dogfish beer you are looking for. Some states have abv-caps and other rules regulating which beers we can ship into that state.
Thanks for asking - cheers
Hmmm... Squall IPA. Well, we haven't really released any information about that yet, now have we?! Stay tuned!
We call it the Dogfish Head 360-Degree Experience and yes, it's got it all! There is the brewery tour, a visit to the brewpub, a great room (the Brewmaster's Suite) at a waterfront Inn, a guided Kayak trip and the whole southern DE beach weekend experience! For the package we partner with The Inn At Canal Square and our local kayak outfitter Quest Kayak. For current rates and availability, follow the link above and contact the Inn directly. Cheers
Yes! Our 'Brand X' beer to be released in 2009 will be Sahtea. This is the beer that we first brewed at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub and was featured in the November 2008 article in The New Yorker's annual Food Issue. At this time we are still waiting to complete label design, then the labelling approval process. We were originally shooting for an April/May release, but it'll probably be more like June of 2009. Keep your eyes peeled!
Hi Randy - Thanks for the question, what great timing you have! We are just getting ready to release a variety 12-pack made up of our IPAs (4 60 Minute IPAs, 4 90 Minute IPAs, and 4 120 Minute IPAs).
You can read all about the release on Sam's blog here at www.dogfish.com.
More information about the IPA 12-pack will be available soon.
First Step - loving beer
Second Step - homebrewing like crazy
Third Step - check out beertown.org for the American Homebrewing Association (under the Brewers Association umbrella)
Best of luck and thanks for asking, cheers.
As far as we know, Popskull will not be available in Delaware. The beer was brewed at Three Floyds and will be licensed and distributed by Three Floyds. Although, there is the possibility they will be able to get a limited supply to us here in Delaware, we have not been told that this is feasible yet. If that changes, we'll certainly let everyone know, right here at www.dogfish.com! Thanks for asking... Cheers.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a hardy perennial that was brought to North America from Europe in the 1700s, and is now well-established across the continent. Lots of times, you'll see it along the side of a country road - thinking it's just a nice-looking wildflower! Though chicory has lots of uses, it's best known for its association with coffee.
At many points through history, coffee has become unavailable or too costly. During these times, people have often turned to roasted chicory as a substitute. Folks also used to make coffee from roasted acorns, yams and a variety of local grains. Anything was better than going without!
The root of the chicory plant is long and thick, like the tap-root of the dandelion. When dried, roasted and ground, it makes an excellent substitute for coffee. There is no caffeine in chicory, and it produces a more 'roasted' flavour than coffee does. Many coffee producers offer blends with up to 30% chicory, which cuts down on the caffeine content of your cup. But many folk enjoy a cup of 'coffee' made entirely from ground, roasted chicory.
Another perk about chicory is that it's more soluable in water than coffee, which means you use a lot less of it when brewing. Very economical for someone on a tight budget.
Chicory also offers extra health benefits that you wouldn't normally get from your cup of coffee. It is reported to help cleanse the blood and improve the health of your liver.
The young leaves can be used in salads, and the root can also be boiled and eaten like a vegetable (it's related to endive and radicchio). It's also grown for cattle food in Europe. The flowers are blue-purple, and will open and close at precisely the same time every day.
Thanks to about.com for all the Chicory information.
Dogfish Head's screenprinting shop now open for business!
Dogfish Head is taking a page from Andy Warhol's factory with the opening of our very own on-site screenprinting shop.
Artist Ali Selders pumps out one-of-a-kind original 4-color screen prints of unique Dogfish artwork. These prints are displayed in lit frames to be distributed to off-centered retailers, pubs and restaurants around the country who support the Dogfish cause.
Many breweries have neons... only Dogfish Head has NONEONS (non-neons)!
Four Dogfish beers feature a cowboy on the label and 4-pack ... who is that guy and why does he keep showing up on Dogfish Head beer?
Well, it doesn't make too much sense... and it's kinda convoluted, but here it goes ...
A few years back, Dogfish Head founder/President/poet/performer Sam Calagione wrote a monologue in which he created an alternative universe in which Woody Guthrie, instead of being the 'Father of the American Protest Song,' was instead the 'Father of the American Craft-Brewings Renaissance.'
Sam's idea stemmed from an interview Woody Guthrie did with Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in which Guthrie described how he brewed a batch of homebrew with twice as much yeast as the recipe called for with the hopes that it would ferment twice as fast. Woody and his gang drank it the very next day - and of course got sick! But, as Sam sees it, the American Extreme Beer movement was born at that very moment.
Sam's didn't stop there (shocker!), he built a whole beer dinner around the idea and hit the road performing at beer bars across the country.
About the same time, Sam realized that one of his favorite musicians, Jon Langford (founding member of legendary British rock band the Mekons and also a member of the Chicago band the Waco Brothers) was an artist that depicted other well-known musicians in his work.
Sam hunted Jon down and asked him to design the label for Old School Barleywine, showing a Woody Guthrie-like hero adding the yeast. The label was a hit and the idea grew to include four beers including the Olde School, Burton Baton, Immort Ale and Raison D'Extra.
Pangaea is the name scientists call the Supercontinent before they all split apart way back in the time of the dinosaurs. It's a great limited release beer that we make!
Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione came up with the idea while watching a documentary about dinosaurs with his son Sammy.
The beer features ingredients from each continent.
So, you know the tale about our Midas Touch beer (the recipe was re-created from the crockery residue found in the tomb of King Midas), but did you know you can re-create the feast at home in your slow cooker!?
In the cookbook "The Gourmet Slow Cooker, Simple & Sophisticated Meals from Around the World" by Lynn Alley (we got our copy at Williams-Sonoma) the very first recipe is for The Midas Feast and featuresDogfish Head Midas Touch as an ingredient - pretty cool huh?
The meal is a lamb, barley, and lentil stew - pair it with a nice glass of Midas Touch and you have your very own gourmet meal (and sophisiticated too!). YUM!
Interested in making your own beer? Well, find your local homebrew club! In Rehoboth Beach, the Delmarva United Homebrewers meet monthly at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats. At the monthly meeting members sample brews, talk beer and have a great time.
Meetings are held the second Thursday of every month. Contact D.U.H. at D_U_H@comcast.net for more information!
We often get questions about allergies, special diets and more in relation to our beers, so here are the answers to some of the more frequently asked questions of that nature ...
A few of our ales have wheat in the recipe ...Palo Santo Marron, Festina Peche, Red & White, Black & Blue and Pangaea.
Our gluten-free beer is our Tweason'ale.
We are not certified organic.
Our brewing process uses no animal or fish derived products.
Enjoy and Cheers!
Dogfish Head supports Original Music by featuring it at our original Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Brewpub every Friday & Saturday night year round.
Please feel free to check our current Entertainment Schedule.
Thanks so much - and support Orignal Music!
"Dog Head Fish"
"Fish Head Beer"
"Dog Head Brewery"
We've heard every variation in the book (and some of them are quite interesting!). It's not difficult, just different. It helps if you know the backstory ...
Dogfish Head is a place. Think Hilton Head... just like the famous jut of land off the Carolina coast, Dogfish Head is a (soon-to-be?) famous jut of land off the Maine coast. It's on Southport Island, near Boothbay Harbor. There's a small beach and right around the bend a great-looking lighthouse (check out the photo on the right).
Local legend has it that Dogfish Head, Maine is named Dogfish Head because when the lobstermen put out their traps near this particular point, they usually ended up with more dogfish (a small shark) than lobsters. Makes sense, right?
So why Dogfish in Delaware? Dogfish founder and die-hard New Englander Sam Calagione spent summers up at Dogfish Head. When his die-hard Delaware wife wooed him to The First State to open a brewpub in 1995, he wanted to bring a piece of New England with him - so he named his place Dogfish Head.
There you have it - the offical story... notice we say "story."
You read all about it in Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione's book "Extreme Brewing," and now you can build your own!
The Zopinator is a homebrew-scale version of Dogfish Head's innovative continual hopping method. Traditionally, hops are added twice in the boiling process (once early for bittering and once late for armoma), but continually adding incremental doses throughout the boil leads to a beer that is outrageously hoppy without being overwhelmingly bitter.
The Zopinator was invented by homebrewer Paul Zocco to bring this technology into the hombrewing arena.
Click here to download the PDF version of Paul's Zopinator plans.
60 Minute IPA ... 90 Minute IPA ... 120 Minute IPA ... What's the deal with the minutes? Why do they matter? You asked, we'll answer!
When brewing up a batch of Dogfish (or any beer for that matter), the malted barley is mixed with water and boiled (this is the simplified version, people). During the boil hops are added to the kettle. The hops are usually added two or three times during the boil. Hops added at the beginning of the boil are referred to as the bittering hops and add the bitter character to the beer. Hops added toward the end of the boil are the flavor and aroma additions and bring the beer it's hop flavor and aroma. Here at Dogfish, we kinda took an off-centered approach the whole hop addition concept. We were sitting around one day wondering what would happen if you added the hops continually throughout the whole boil of the beer? Whoa ... Dude ...
We did some experimenting and some taste-testing (by far, the best part of our jobs!) and came up with a continual hopping regimen. We McGuyver-ed an old-fashioned football game (the kind that vibrated) to slowly, but surely dump the pellets into the beer during the length entire boil - we really liked the result and the 60 Minute IPA was born (the boil time for that beer is ... ta-da ... 60 minutes long)! We feel the beer retains the best of the hops flavor and aroma without a hop-wallop in-your-face assault.
The football game didn't last too long (it got wet), so we built Sir Hops Alot (a machine we invented that perfected the continual hop regimen) for our 50-bbl brewhouse. When we upgraded to our 100-bbl brewhouse, Sir Hops Alot was retired and we brought in our latest invention Sofa King Hoppy (a bigger, badder invention that allows for continual hopping).
The continual hopping regimen was a hit and we expanded the technology to our 90 Minute IPA (a 90 minute boil ... more time, more hops!) and our 120 Minute IPA (I think you get it by now ... 120 minute boil ... lots more time, lots more hops - holy hops, this one is for the hard-core hophead).
Glad you asked? That's why we ask hopheads ... Feel the burn? That's the sickness and the cure. Enjoy!
During these dog days of summer, with high heat and humidity, we at Dogfish Head are adding a little bag of desiccant to our case boxes. As the beer travels through varying conditions on its way to the consumer, bottles may start to sweat. These little bags absorb moisture inside the box and prevent water related problems, like Limp Cardboard Syndrome (LCS). We realize we didn't invent the idea of using a little pill to keep our goods firm all the way home, but, we felt you ought to know. So there it is...
Respect. Wishing you and yours an LCS-free summer. Your friends at Dogfish Head.
Chicory Stout... it's good for what ales you!
Dogfish Head brewers make the Chicory Stout with St. John's Wort? In addition to roasted chicory, organic Mexian coffee and licorice root, St. John's Wort adds a subtle herbal note to the aroma of this beer.
It also make's it nature's only anti-depressant depressant - get it?!
It's so good... you can almost taste it! At least we hope you can!!!!
To help you out, we partnered with Marnie Old, a sommelier out of Philadelphia. Marnie came down to our brewpub and we had tasting session with a bunch of our beers. She helped us come up with the tasting notes, food-pairing recommendations and glass suggestions that you will find on many of our beer description pages here on Dogfish.com.
Thanks Marnie!
We currently do not sell any draft beer at the Milton pub. We do have a tasting license and provide free samples to our tour guests and visitors to our Tasting Room. In addition, we do sell packaged beer and our complete line of merchandise. The Tasting Room at the Milton brewery is open Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 5pm. Growlers are available (with some exceptions for limited availability beers) to go from our Rehoboth Beach brewpub.
We require reservations for the free tours of our Milton, DE brewery in order to make the experience as wonderful as possible for our guests! Basically, before we started the reservation system, we'd have way too many people show up for a tour and the tour was kind of a chaotic. Remember, you are touring a working brewery! We need to make sure our tours are as safe as possible. We also want to make sure that you can hear your friendly tour guide, see what he/she is pointing out, and get a chance to get your free samples at the end of the tour! You can save spots for your free tour right on our website. We do ask that you please wear closed-toe shoes on the Dogfish Head brewery tour. Thanks!
