Floris Delée accepts post as brewmaster at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery recently announced Floris Delée is coming onboard as the Delaware brewery’s brewmaster. Delée has worked in the brewing industry across the country and around the globe. “We are really proud to have Floris joining us as brewmaster here at Dogfish Head,” said Dogfish Head President Sam Calagione. “Like a well-balanced beer, Floris brings the perfect blend of technical prowess and passion for creativity to our off-centered world.”

Delée earned his degree in biochemical engineering from the Karel de Grote-Hogeschool University Charlemagne in Antwerp, Belgium. He is a brewmaster and biochemical engineer with a minor in wastewater engineering.

His brewing career spans several continents. He started working for the Alken-Maes Breweries in Waarloos, Belgium, where he wrote his thesis on the design and commissioning of the pilot brewing plant in 1993. From there, he went on to the New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colo., where he worked his way up from entry-level engineer to technical director, leading the design and engineering departments. Delée also went back to Europe to work for Anton Steinecker Maschinenfabrik GmbH in Freising, Germany.

Delée started his own engineering firm, Kathinka: Brewers, Process Engineers & Consultants, in 2002; visit kathinka.be/3_engels/kathinka.html. The firm was based on his international experience building and designing sustainable brewing and soft-drinks operations. His primary goal with Kathinka was to pursue his passion for innovative designs that form a solid balance between environmental, economic and social parameters.

Kathinka clients in the United States include Boston Beer Co., Deschutes, New Glarus and Harpoon. Outside the United States, Delée has worked with a diverse selection of breweries in the Caribbean and Central America, including Beliken Brewery in Belize, Banks in Barbados, Carib in Grenada and Trinidad, Cerveceria Baru in Panama, Banks in Georgetown, Guyana, and Florida & Farm Ice in Costa Rica, the brewers of Imperial and Pilsen.

Through Kathinka, Delée has been working with Dogfish Head since January 2009.

“Floris has earned the trust, confidence and respect of our co-workers in his work here over the past year, and that will go a long way in taking the reins of brewery operations,” said Dogfish Head Chief of Operations Nick Benz. “The leadership, technical expertise, industry contacts and creativity Floris brings to Dogfish will ensure we always have an offering of beers that pushes the envelope of what beer is and what it can be. We’re very excited he’s now part of our team.”

Despite believing he’d never return to working at a single brewery again, Delée was drawn to Dogfish. “Taking on the Brewmaster role at Dogfish is intellectually intriguing, because every aspect of brewing off-centered ales for off-centered people is energizing and exciting,” said Delée. “Even for a Belgian, there seems a neverending quest for innovation and experimenting at Dogfish that is exciting, something I look forward to being part of.”

In addition to his passion for beer and brewing, Delée is currently studying for his certificate in winemaking at the University of California at Davis.