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Gary’s hosts Dewey Beach Brewfest

Gary’s Dewey Beach was the scene May 3 for the 11th annual Dewey Beach Brewfest, which brought together 29 breweries to raise money for charity. Shown are Gary’s co-owners Holly Sloniewski and Gary Cannon. RYAN MAVITY PHOTOS
Ryan Mavity
May 11, 2022
Chris Pink of Brick Works Brewing pours a tasting of Drop Trowel, Brick Works’ New England IPA.
Tom Rohe and Molly Lukaszewicz of First State Brewing Company admire a pour of Ambitious Empowerment, a hazy IPA with dragon fruit.
Heavy Seas Beer of Baltimore was on hand, with Atwood Murray, left, and Joe Baird pouring Hazy Cannon IPA and Rip Currant, an ale with raspberry and black currant.
Nicole Izzo of 2SP Brewing Company in Delaware County, Pa., holds up a can of Voluptuous Fuzz, an American wheat ale brewed with peach and apricot.
Justin Toohey of Gary’s pours 38-75’s two offerings: Amster Damn, a Belgian pale ale, and Jungle Boogie, a brown ale whose name was inspired by the late Dennis Thomas, saxophonist of the ’70s funk group Kool and the Gang.

Gary’s in Dewey Beach was the scene of the 11th annual Dewey Beach Brewfest, which brought together local and national breweries to serve good libations and raise money for good causes.

Gary’s co-owner Holly Sloniewski said this year’s event raised money for Sean’s House in Newark, a mental health safe haven for people between the ages of 14 and 24, created by the Unlocke the Light Foundation. Sean’s House is named for Sean Locke, a former member of the University of Delaware men’s basketball team who suffered from depression and committed suicide in 2018. Sloniewski said Locke loved Dewey Beach; Locke’s father is friends with Gary’s co-owner Gary Cannon. 

The second charity receiving funds from the event was Delaware Brewers Guild, which supports independent breweries in Delaware. Gary’s features the small 38-75 Brewing brewery, and Sloniewski said the guild was very helpful in supporting local brewers through the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the hospitality business hard. 

“They went above and beyond, and we wanted to give back to them,” she said.

Normally, the brewfest is held on a Saturday, but Sloniewski said this year, the brewfest was held May 3 on a Tuesday to allow for members of the restaurant industry to take part. 

“All the restaurant industry, they’re working on a Saturday, so they never really got to come, or if they did, it was for an hour and they had to leave,” she said. “We wanted to give those people the chance to come out and have some fun.”

The brewfest featured 29 breweries serving up more than 50 different beers, with tequila and hard cider options also available. Breweries ranged from small local craft companies such as 38-75, Crooked Hammock, Big Oyster Brewery, Dewey Beer Company and Mispillion River Brewing to bigger players such as Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada, Shiner, Troegs and Brooklyn Brewery. 

Tastings were divided into two sessions, one from 2 to 4 p.m. and the second from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets were $35 per session and attendees were given a souvenir pint glass and a scorecard for the beers they tasted. Sloniewski said the 2 p.m. session sold 200 advance tickets.

 

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