Dogfish Head brewery takes on hospitality venture
Sam Colagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, set sail in June to celebrate the opening of his new Dogfish Head Inn. He is sailing from the home of the inn in Lewes, Delaware, to Maine, all while sipping on the brewery’s Pennsylvania Tuxedo – a pale ale brewed with spruce tips. Colagione embodies the off-kilter beer tradition of Dogfish Head in way that online culinary school students can appreciate. The opening of the inn establishes the third exploit in the brand’s brew tour experience.
Colagione established the inn as a stop-off point between the brewery’s production facility in Milton, Delaware, and its brew pub and distillery in Rohoboth Beach, Delaware. The distance between the two is only a half-hour by car, but Colagione is making an effort to encourage his summer brew tour guests to take advantage of the oceanside location and bike instead.
Brew history
Dogfish Head has long been more than just a brewery. It is the major sponsor of the Firefly Music Festival, which is held for four days in June every summer. Dogfish Head has taken its love of music even further and brewed a ‘musicology’ series, which relies on collaborations with musical greats such as Pearl Jam and the Grateful Dead. The most recent musical brew hums to a spicier tune. Designed with the musician Julianna Barwick, Rosabi is an imperial pale ale with a hint of wasabi. The beer packs a light wasabi punch and a heavy hand of 8 percent alcohol content.
The Dogfish Head Inn bares a large vintage sign with the Dogfish logo. This beer-themed hotel features 16 rooms and a thorough sense of beer. From beer soap down to the Dogfish-logo waste paper baskets, this beer themed hotel has it all. The only thing that visitors will not have a chance to enjoy is the Dogfish Head beer. In order to encourage his guests to visit the brew pub, the brewery and other local establishments, Colagione has opted to not serve his craft brews on location. However, guests are encouraged to bring their selections from the distillery back to the hotel, where they can enjoy them by the outdoor fire pits or inside by the cozy fire in the lobby.
Dogfish Head enthusiasts will be happy to know that a parchment paper trail guide sits atop every room’s dresser with detailed instructions on how to explore the area by bike or foot. The town of Lewes offers beach views during the ride to the brew pub. This trip is a good way to take in the full essence of the 13th-largest craft brewery in the United States.
The hotel was built to allow the guests a better feel of the company. Rather than just spending an hour at the production brewery or at the brew pub, visitors can bask in the nostalgia with their overnight accommodations.
