In the craft beer industry, few names are held in such high esteem as Delaware’s Dogfish Head brewing. Founded in 1995, nearly a decade before the current craft beer boom, the brewery has made a name for itself by exploring unique, non-traditional beer recipes and ingredients. Dogfish Head was one of the top 15 producing craft brewers in the US in 2016, and you couldn’t buy their beer in West Virginia until this weekend.
On Saturday, May 20th, Morgantown’s beer lovers packed into The Apothecary Ale House and Cafe to celebrate the first pours of Dogfish Head in the state. The launch party was originally planned for Saturday May 13th, but an approval hangup at the state level pushed the event back a week.
Jeff Wyatt of Mountain State Beverage, one of the local distributors now carrying Dogfish Head, shared his excitement “Anybody who knows craft beer knows Dogfish Head, and we’re really excited to finally bring it to West Virginia.” Grace Hutchins, one of the co-owners of The Apothecary, shared Mr. Wyatt’s excitement, happy to see the craft beer bar filled with guests hours before normal opening. “We’re really excited to host this launch party- it’s been a long time coming, and it’s really fun to have the first taps of Dogfish Head in the whole state!”
The brewery’s unique name comes from a small inlet on the coast of Main, where the owner spent time as a child. The main brewery is located in Milton, Delaware, and the brewery also operates a handful of pubs, inns, and restaurants in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and the metro DC area.
Guests at the launch party received branded koozies and keychain bottle openers, and the bar held a raffle drawing for t-shirts and other prizes. Nine of Dogfish’s beers were available on tap: the 60 min and 90 min IPA’s, Flesh & Blood, Namaste, India Brown Ale, Romantic Chemistry, Festina Peche, Saison du Buff, Midas Touch, Palo Santo, and Burton Baton. Beer lovers who missed out need not worry- it is likely that Dogfish Head will soon be available at local beer haunts in the very near future.
