Dogfish Head unveils new beer and outdoor initiative

Kicking off on Earth Day, Dogfish Head unveiled a new initiative aimed at encouraging people to get active outside, while at the same time releasing the brewery’s first nonalcoholic beer. 

Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione said Dogfish has been brewing beers the last few years that are low alcohol and based around active lifestyles, including Namaste, SeaQuench and Slightly Mighty. He said the feedback from lovers of those beers indicated the desire for a full-flavored nonalcoholic beer. 

It’s called Lemon Quest, and the flavor compares most to Namaste, Dogfish’s wheat beer, with its fruit flavor and lemony finish. The beer is crisp and tart but easy to drink with a bit of a darker profile than a typical wheat beer. Like Dogfish’s low-calorie IPA Slightly Mighty, Lemon Quest also is lo-cal, coming in at 90 calories. 

Calagione said to create Lemon Quest, Dogfish used dealcoholization and low-gravity fermentation. Dogfish brewed a real beer with a low alcohol content and then mixed it with dealcoholized beer to create the end product, which comes in at .5 percent alcohol by volume, typical for most nonalcoholic beers. 

As part of the release of Lemon Quest, Dogfish has created a new outdoor initiative called Mother Nature, Let’s Do This, which was developed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Calagione said Dogfish has been partnering with the local Nature Conservancy chapter in Delaware and Pennsylvania, but this was the first opportunity to work with the organization on a national level. 

The company has always supported environmental causes, from raising money for The Nature Conservancy in Delaware, to providing financial support for trails and kayak launches in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. Dogfish is planning to donate $50,000 to The Nature Conservancy as part of the launch of Lemon Quest and the Mother Nature, Let’s Do This initiative. 

The name of the initiative comes from a painting Calagione and his son made that hangs at the Dogfish Inn in Lewes. The program involves a quarterly series of outdoor activities, customized by the participant, arranged by themes. From April to June, the theme is On the Water, so activities can include paddleboarding, kayaking and boating. July through September the theme is On the Road, which would include things like biking and walking. From October through December, the In the Cold theme focuses on cold-weather activities like skiing and snowboarding. Finally, from January to March, users are encouraged to get On the Trail and do things like hiking and running. 

Those taking part will have the opportunity to earn badges for each season by sharing their adventures on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #MotherNatureLetsDoThis. Dogfish Head is selling custom-made beanies made by Patagonia where badges can be displayed. Calagione equated the badge concept to earning a merit badge from the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. 

“We want people to unplug their computers and plug into Mother Nature,” Calagione said.

For more information, visit dogfish.com/mothernature.