As a fanatic of sipping smooth sour ales throughout the dog days of summer, it is appropriate that I visit the headquarters of one of the best one of them all, Dogfish Head Brewery, during the current steamy months.
An adoring lover of the off-centered brewery's Festina Peche, their Berliner Weisse-styled beer fermented with fresh peaches, I always feel the need to stock up on the tart seasonal brew, hoping it will last me well into the inappropriate months. However, title me an addict, but my fruity and tart pints flooded with this light concoction are already bone-dry, and by the likes of local distributors, others have the same idea.
But, as you may have noticed in previous posts, B and I enjoy journeying to the homes of our favorite beers, so it was about due-time to dabble around Dogfish Head. Since we are lucky enough to have relations with a summer home near the Milton-based headquarters, just one visit this summer was obviously not enough, as we already clocked two curious adventurous throughout the well-liked craft brewery.
Tiptoeing around the fairly large establishment of Sam Calagione does seem like the thing to do for Rehoboth Beach visitors, so keep in mind, if you plan to hop by for a visit, you must reserve a spot on their arranged brewery tours. Yes, they are for free, although they fill up in a timely fashion.
The most exhilarating investigation I encountered behind closed doors were the massive exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood tanks used to age the incredible 12-percent brown ale that's on the tips of many's tongues as of late. (Watch the video below, DFH's John seems to be quite a fan, too.)
All tours conclude with four free tastings from their quirky taps, and lucky for me, one of the offerings on each of our recent visits was my peachy pleasure. However, one may argue that I should expand my tasting palate, but that's what having a boyfriend is for (i.e. stealing slurps of all the beers I haven't nabbed on my own).
Visiting twice in a span of three weeks allowed us to become chums with the tasting room's mainstay, John, who serves all of the brewing company's visitors their free beer (how could you not love that job). Clever and quick to nickname, he's a source for speedily spewing what makes the samples you will soon be slurping, and kind enough to agree to star in a quick clip from this blogging fish.
During our summery stops, I must reveal that we also became fans of DFH's Theobroma (brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs), Namaste (made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander) and Sah'tea (Chai tea-inspired). And, I have to greedily admit, we will probably be back again soon, before this sultry summer concludes.
