Big Oyster wins the belt at Beer Drinkers’ Choice Awards

Big Oyster Brewery of Lewes took home the big gold belt April 2 at the sixth annual Beer Drinkers’ Choice Awards, held at Crooked Hammock outside Lewes. 

For the fourth year in a row, a sour was the winning beer, with Big Oyster’s Hot Mess Sour taking home top honors. Big Oyster dethroned two-time defending champion Wilmington Brew Works, which had won with its Par Avion sour in 2020 and its Luau Punch in 2022. The 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, Mispillion River Brewing had won championship belts with its War Llama sour. 

All 26 of Delaware’s craft breweries took part in the event, in which brewers bring two beers for the audience to sample. The sold-out crowd was also able to vote on other categories as well, including Best Costume – brewers and the audience are encouraged to dress up – Best Booth, Most Unique Beer, and Best Judges Costume, where the crowd could vote on the favorite audience costume.

Best Costume went to Wilmington Brew Works, whose crew dressed as cast members from the hit Apple TV show “Ted Lasso,” while Best Booth went to Mispillion for its Star Wars-inspired setup. Most Unique Beer went to Iron Hill Brewery for Peaches and Dreams, a spinoff of the brewery’s Peaches and Cream Milkshake IPA, while Dylan Stevens and Wes White ran away with Best Judges Costume for their Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo outfits, based on the characters from Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

Crooked Hammock founder Rich Garrahan said, “It just keeps getting better and better. The breweries stepped up their game. You can tell the beers they brought they’re really proud of and excited to show.”

Garrahan said the awards are always very tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the somewhat serious nature of beer festivals. Prior to the awards, Crooked Hammock hosted its Brewer’s Brunch, where the breweries gather for a pregame meal and to talk shop. Garrahan said he’s proud of the way the awards have become an event in the Cape Region, and that the strong attendance points to the health of Delaware’s beer-brewing industry.

“To hear people outside the door say ‘I’ve been to every single one’ or ‘this is our third year in a row’ ... people definitely want to come back for it. I think we’re doing something right,” he said.