Southern Living....

Brewing a Success

Beer master Sam Calagione tries to keep a level head about his business. Still he admits it's also fun to go against the grains. “We brew off-centered beers for off-centered people,” the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder says as he offers a taste of his latest creation. “We’re definitely not out to be the next Budweiser.” Sam may not be striving to be the “King of Beers,” but he certainly rules in the minds of thousands of beer lovers in Delaware--and around the country. Dogfish Head produces some of the world's most distinctive beverages, and Sam markets them in some unique ways.

Raisins and Hops

Sam first got the idea for a boutique beer business while waiting tables and bartending in New York City. "I'd check out books on making beer from The New York Public Library. Then I'd go home to try to make my own and add all sorts of strange ingredients," he remembers.

Among those ingredients was a bunch of raisins, the base for Raison D’Etre--one of Sam's earliest creations, which he still makes today at his brewery in Milton. Recently expanded to more than 103,000 square feet, the state-of-the-art facility turns out 50,000 barrels of ales, stouts, and lagers annually. It's more than enough to supply Dog Head's three beer-based restaurants, including one in Rehoboth Beach; another in Gaithersburg, Maryland; and a new location, which opened in August in Falls Church, Virginia. They also send their brews to hundreds of other pubs, clubs, and specialty-food stores around the country. Dogfish Head offers more than 25 varieties of one-of-a-kind beers with names such as Chicory Stout, Punkin Ale, Aprihop, Burton Baton.

Food, Foam, and Fun

Not bad for a business that didn't cap its first bottle until 1995. "We're seeing a 40% annual growth, and the brewery expansion could put us up to 60%," Sam says proudly. "We started out as one of the smallest craft breweries in the country, and now we're one of the fast growing."

When he's not dreaming up new beer styles, Sam can usually be found sharing his tasty wares with customers at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the Rehoboth Beach pub. Aided by his wife, Mariah, he creates beer and food  pairings for the menu and hosts themed dinners to highlight his brews.

Last year the couple put together a series of Beer is from Mars, Wine is from Venus, evenings during which Sam teamed with female sommelier Marnie Old to promote both types of beverages. "A six-pack of Dogfish Head may cost $7 to $10, so the dinners help educated people as to why it's worth the money," he explains. "Just like wine, our beers are accepted by gourmets as part of a good meal."

Spreading the Word

Along with brewing creative beers and running a bustling bottling business, Sam has attained a somewhat legendary reputation for his attention-getting ways of spreading the Dogfish Head gospel. He has rowed across the Delaware River (in the tradition of George Washington) to bring his beers to New Jersey drinkers; built brewery-side bocce courts for his employees and customers; and designed promotional items such as T-shirts, posters, and belt buckle bottle openers.  

Working with the Inn at Canal Square in Lewes, Sam created the Dogfish Head 360 degree Experience Package, which offers visitors two nights in the Brewmaster's Suite, a six-pack of assorted Dogfish Head ales, a variety of beer-infused soaps, a kayak dolphin tour, a brewery tour, and a sunset boat ride to the Rehoboth Beach pub.

A few years ago he took a 3-foot-tall glass cylinder, packed it with a 1/2 pound of fresh-leaf hops, and hooked the whole thing up to a keg of his 90 Minute I.P.A. The result called Randall the Enamel Animal, adds the taste, touch, and smell of fresh hops to almost any beer--and it is used by brewpubs and home brewers around the world.

Now that Sam has risen to the top of his liquid profession, what’s next? “We hope to open more Dogfish Head brew houses," he says. "If they are successful, we may franchise the concept.”

That might make Sam the king of beers after all.

Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats
320 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302-226-2739
Hours: opens at noon daily and serves lunch and dinner.

Dogfish Head Alehouse
800 West Diamond Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD  20877
301-963-4847
Hours: opens at 11:30am daily and serves lunch and dinner

Dogfish Head Alehouse
6363 Seven Corners Center
Falls Church, VA  22044
703-534-3342
Hours: opens at 11:30am daily and serves lunch and dinner

Dogfish HeadCraft Brewery
6 Cannery Village Center
Milton, DE 19968
www.dogfish.com
888-836-4347
Tours: 3pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; 3pm Saturday (during summer)