Local entrepreneurs conjure up benevolent spirits
So what good is food without something to wash it down with? In spite of that dangerously dangling preposition, it’s fun to combine a good meal with a refreshing beverage. And as the 2016 season approaches, there’s no shortage of things going on in the sipping department!
The Dewey Beer Company has been up and running for about a year now, and all that stainless steel at the corner of Saulsbury Street and Coastal Highway is turning out some pretty tasty brews. Owners Clinton Bunting, Brandon Smith and Mike Reilly (the brewmeister himself) are particularly proud of their Blonde’s Blond, a refreshing house ale with the gentle bite of tropical hops.
Another new kid on the block is Big Oyster Brewery in the Fins Ale House on Coastal Highway. If you like to drink your dessert, give the Big Oyster Stout a try. It’s creamy and medium bodied with whispers of chocolate and dark roast coffee from Sean Hixon, resident bean roastin’ maniac at The Point Coffee House & Bake Shoppe.
Crooked Hammock in Lewes has been so busy that they’ve added even more stainless steel to their sparkling brewery. Part of the fun at Crooked Hammock is finding out the source of the beer names. Shoobie. Mootzy’s Treasure. The Wilbon. See? Now you have something to talk about with the barkeep.
To make sure that his brand-new Chesapeake & Maine restaurant is well stocked with soothing spirits, Sam Calagione and his off-centered Dogfish Heads have come up with the new Analog Vodka, Compelling Gin and Whole Leaf Gin (bubbled with coriander seeds, angelica root, chamomile flowers, cubeb berries and whole-leaf hops). Just up the road, Rehoboth’s favorite moonshiner, Zack King, lovingly tends his room full of stills at Delaware Distilling Company. He bottles the spicy rum served at Seacrets in Ocean City along with his own vodka and other goodies.
Speaking of rum and new kids on the block, Greg and Mary Christmas (it’s too easy - I’m not running with that) recently opened their Beach Time Distillery in Lewes, next door to bread whisperer Keith Irwin’s Old World Breads. One of Greg’s stills was brought here from his home in the Tennessee hills where … well, let’s just say that not many people got to see (or find) it until he set up shop here in the Cape Region.
It won’t be long until we get our very own meadery here at the beach. Mead is an ancient alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water and other flavorful ingredients. Brimming Horn Meadery will be open in a matter of days on Route 9 near Lavender Fields Farm. Founder/President Jon Talkington has been making mead for over 15 years and has won just as many awards.
Our soon-to-be-bubblin’ Revelation Brewery is fitting up a brewing and tasting room in West Rehoboth. Bryan Keith of Mio Fratello restaurant in Fenwick Island, along with partner Harry Metcalf and others, plan to also open an associated brewpub in the old Belltown UMC in Lewes. They recently received county council approval to resurrect the venerable old structure into a fun place to dine and sip a few. It will be fun to have yet another adult beverage to pair with all the great food around town.
By the way, I’ll let you in on a secret: Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 28, when five of our local breweries will pair their best brews with five of our best local chefs at Fish On in Lewes. The kicker? The chefs are not permitted to make anything they have ever made commercially! Crooked Hammock, Big Oyster, Dewey Beer Co., Mispillion River and 16 Mile are providing the suds, and Maurice Catlett (Fish On), Hari Cameron of a(MUSE.), Matt Kern from Salt Air, Mike Clampitt (Po’Boys Creole & Fresh Catch) and pastry chef Dru Tevis (Nage) will be the chefs cookin’ out of their comfort zone. And it all goes to benefit your local Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth. Keep an eye on Cape Gazette for details.
Of course that’s just the tip of the ice bucket when it comes to upcoming beer and spirits pairings, so order up a pile o’ steamed crabs or a mess o’ oysters and pour yourself something tasty - and local - while you enjoy everything our Cape Region has to offer.
Bob Yesbek is a serial foodie and can be reached at byesbek@CapeGazette.com.
