Dogfish Head is marking the completion of a three-year project at the Rehoboth Avenue location where the brewery got its start
The landscaped courtyard, new brewhouse and distillery operations, and EmPOURium store is the final stage in bringing together the downtown restaurants, Brewings & Eats and Chesapeake & Maine – a seafood restaurant in Rehoboth Beach.
The project commenced in 2015 when construction got underway on Chesapeake & Maine, the site of a former Irish restaurant and bara. Next was Brewings & Eats in the former parking area and other enhancements.
“From the world-class stage to the killer brewing and distilling program, guests can truly experience 360° of Dogfish in the same place we first began our story in 1995 as the smallest craft brewery in America,” says Sam Calagione, CEO and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. “I’m most proud that over the years we’ve been successful in building our Rehoboth restaurant brands as top beer destinations in the Mid-Atlantic region, and by coming together, and connecting our beer, food, spirits, music and merchandise – we can provide a world-class, panoramic, multi-sensory experience for folks to enjoy at our downtown properties.”
The project drew opposition from the city for a time, with claims that it was not grandfathered in under previous codes regarding size and other features.
The landscaped, dog-friendly outdoor patio area seats 36 guests and serves as a passageway connecting Brewings & Eats and Chesapeake & Maine. The menu offers a full selection of food and drink offerings from the pub.
With a wooden exterior and large glass windows framing the courtyard, the gathering space offers behind-the-scenes views into the brewing and distilling production areas along with allowing guests to see bartenders and mixologists serving drinks and chatting with customers through the windows of both restaurants.
The new, fully-manual five-barrel brewhouse system includes five fermentation tanks and five serving tanks.
The enhancements allow for increased brewing production capacity enabling Bryan Selders, Dogfish Head Brewing Ambassador, the ability to create a significantly higher volume of exclusive brews.
The new 50-gallon still allows Graham Hamblett, lead distiller at Dogfish Head Distilling Co., to experiment with creating culinary-inspired spirits which will be served at the Rehoboth restaurants.
To celebrate the opening, Dogfish Head Distilling Co. is debuting Lemon & Peppercorn Vodka, a spirit that captures the essence of both restaurants as it contains seafood seasoning found at Chesapeake & Maine, with a wood fire smoked twist done at Brewings & Eats.
