My girlfriend and I went to Rehoboth Beach for a beachy weekend recently.
On the way we made the cursory stop in Milton at the Dogfish Head Brewery. This was our first visit to the brewery. Short version: I give the tour a 5/10. For reference, the best brewery tours I’ve ever been on are Cantillion (worldwide) and Sam Adams (stateside). Just a bit longer version: it was hot, it was loud, and we didn’t many interesting parts of the brewery.
Of course some of these complaints are situation. If it wasn’t a Friday in July things may have been different. I did get to see the original Sir Hops-A-Lot and Sam’s original Brew Magic system (pictured). So that was cool. The guide made some interesting comments about r usability and sustainability. For instance, Dogfish gives spent grain to local farmers who feed it to their cows and pigs which is nothing new. However, the beef and pork served at the brewpub is from those same farms. The best part of the tour was the tasting afterwords.
While in Rehoboth, we ate dinner at Brewing and Eats. We have eaten there each time we have been in Rehoboth. Its always good. To drink I had a 75 minute IPA on cask dubbed “Johnny Cask.” I also had “Black and Red” a minty, cherry, stout. Both were good. I give the edge to Johnny. My favorite moment in the pub was witnessing someone come up the the bar and order a Bud Light bottle for “a girl likes Bud Light.” The bartender handled it well.
While the tour was a little disappointing (maybe because you expect a lot from Dogfish) the beer never disappoints. If you are going to be in the area, make a reservation, see the brewery, do a tasting, and get some brewpub exclusives.
