Brew Travel: Dogfish Head Brewing

I had the opportunity to stop by Dogfish Head Brewing in Delaware a few weeks ago on my way home from New Jersey. I didn’t get to go on the tour because it was sold out but I did enjoy the brewpub and and a quick look around.

The brewery itself is in a neighborhood, which caused me to think I was lost at first. The brewery is expanding right now and they were adding new tanks to the outside. If you every watched the Discovery series “Brew Masters” you know about theSteampunk Treehouse outside the brewery. If you haven’t, the treehouse is an all metal, steampunk inspired, interactive art piece that debuted at the Burning Man festival. I would love to get to play in it for five minutes…let alone have it in my front yard.

As you walk into the building there is a glass enclosed conference room. Sam, the owner, was inside filming a podcast for their newest beer. The store has a tasting bar and all the clothes, logo gear, glasses and most importantly beer that you could want.

After finishing film Sam came into the store and spoke with some of the people waiting for the tour. I love a brewery that welcomes you like this. You got the sense that everyone was happy to be there and on the team. 

After the brewery and a few purchases I headed off to the brew pub for lunch. The place just opened for the day and was already packed. They have a small lot s you are most likely going to end up parking on the street. Just as a heads up the meters take quarters only.

Find a seat at the bar and order up a make your own taster and a bite to eat. I had:

Czechsum Function

Chicory Stout

Raison D’ Etre

90 Minute IPA

Indian Brown Ale

Shelter Pale Ale

URKontinent

The food and beer were great. If you’re ever in Delaware and have the opportunity stop by and say hi.

Bottling

It’s been about two weeks and my latest brew is ready to journey from the carboy to the bottles. This particular brew is supposed to be an IPA but…seeing as I’m not much of an IPA person, I might have sweetened it out with a little too much honey. This is my first beer I wasn’t sure about.

One issue I ran into was during the initial fermentation. The first burst of activity blew what hops I couldn’t filter out up into the throat of the carboy and into my blow off tube. This created a small issue when I changed out my blow off tube for the airlock. There was a crust that formed in the carboy throat and it was blocking everything. I ended up having to clear the block before I could put the airlock on.

Very carefully I used a sterilized spoon to clear it, while trying very hard to keep it from falling into the beer. I did pretty well, thankfully. After that it was all a waiting game.

After two weeks it was time to bottle. This is the first time I had a cloudy beer, I mean really cloudy. There was a lot of sediment at the bottom of the carboy and the beer itself was not as clear as I had hoped. Not a big deal but, like I said, I wasn’t too sure about this brew.

Bottling went well with my usual setup. I used honey as my charging sugar for bottling. This time I used smaller grolsch bottles than I normally do. I did this with the intention to give some of this brew away and not loose my cobalt blue 16oz bottles.

There were no issues during bottling besides the fact that my auto siphon broke last time I bottled and I need to get a replacement. It still works but the curved neck broke off and the interior tube gets easily stuck in the outer tube…oh well, that’s a good excuse to go to the homebrew supply store.

I ended up with six 12oz and two 16oz bottles of beer. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one turning out.

Back to Ft. Dix

I had to do a quick trip back to Fort Dix, N.J. a few weeks ago. This gave me a chance to revisit some of my favorite places around the Philadelphia and Fort Dix area.

My first stop was Iron Hill Brewery, I had been here back in April and fell in love with their beers. This second visit was no disappointment.

I started the night with their Anvil Ale, a version of an English Bitter. The chicken pot pie was good and mixed well with the Special Belge from Brasserie Dupont. Rounding out the night was the Hefeweizen and Hopfenweizen both good for the end of a good meal.

After I finished training I was able to run into Philadelphia and visit the Eastern State Penitentiary. This old prison turned museum is a must see. It’s architecture and abandoned feel give it an air of being haunted. I didn’t see anything on this visit but I can see where people get the idea. This location has been featured several times on Ghost Hunters and other paranormal shows and until you actually visit you can’t get a true sense of what the place is like.

My next stop was the City Tavern, a location where you can imagine yourself drinking with the likes of Jefferson and Adams. I had a taster of four beers named for some of the founding fathers and based on recipes from the period.

A brief visit to the Irish-Pol followed. They have a good tap list with the feel of a real local bar where you’re welcome but eyed unless you’re accepted. My favorite type of watering hole.

The last stop for the night was back at the Triumph Brewery. This is a great place for food and good beer. The highlight of the evening was the Hopapolooza. This homebrew based beer won a competition at the brewery and was being featured at the time of my visit.