Surf’s up with a single sip!

Dogfish HeadWith fall fully upon us and cold winter nights not too far away, let’s think about the beach – specifically the “beach beer” of Dogfish Head.

We’ve added Dogfish Head brews to our beverage portfolio and are delivering the well-known “beach beer” to 22 East Tennessee counties from the Tri-Cities to Knoxville.

These craft-brewed ales emerged from Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, which was established in Rehoboth Beach in 1995 as the first brewpub in Delaware.

Sam Calagione, the founder and president of Dogfish, became interested in craft beer while working at a bar in New York City in the early 1990s. He had earned a college degree in English, which came in handy when he wrote the brewpub’s business plan.

Locals and tourists latched onto the brand, and demand quickly expanded well beyond Delaware’s borders. Dogfish went from being the smallest commercial brewery in the United States to needing a 100,000-square-foot converted cannery 15 miles away in Milton in 2002.

The brews have a great following among beer enthusiasts, and the company embraces its offbeat culture with the motto: “Off-centered ales for off-centered people.”

The lineup includes Namaste, a Belgian-style beer with orange slices, lemongrass and coriander, and the company’s signature IPA products, 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPA. The ales get their names from the amount of hop additions and boil time during the brewing process.

While it will be a while before we can enjoy the sand and surf of summer, at least we can sip these brews and remember cool beach breezes and the sounds of waves and seagulls.

You also can keep up with the company at its community blog, called, appropriately enough, Blogfish.

Enjoy these new brews and, as always, drink responsibly. Cheers!