Wilmington Brew Works takes the belt at Beer Drinker’s Choice Awards
Wilmington Brew Works topped all 23 of Delaware’s breweries to take home the coveted fan-favorite championship belt at the fourth annual Delaware Beer Drinker’s Choice awards, held at Crooked Hammock in Lewes.
To the strains of Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” CEO Craig Wensell accepted the belt from last year’s winner, and two-time best beer champion, Mispillion River Brewing Company.
Much like how Mispillion won the contest last year with a sour, Wilmington Brew Works repeated the feat this year, winning with Par Avion, a luau punch fruited sour, which was so good it was tapped out within an hour.
“This is really awesome. We feel like we put out really good stuff and it’s nice to be recognized for that,” Wensell said.
Wensell said he plans to have the belt hung on the wall at Wilmington Brew Works’ brewery, which was founded in 2017, the first production brewery in Wilmington since the 1950s.
The Feb. 23 event was a sell-out, drawing more than 350 people, several of them in costume, and, most notably, bringing together every brewer in the state of Delaware. Each brewer brings two beers to the event - sours, New England IPAs and stouts were the most well-represented styles - and besides best beer, the audience can also vote on the Best Brewer Beard, Best Beer Drinkers Costume and Best Brewery Costume.
Crooked Hammock founder Rich Garrahan said, “This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had for it. The first year we had 11 breweries. When we had the idea, we wanted something that would be friendly competition. To have everybody come and be a part, it feels really good.”
The breweries ranged from Dogfish Head, the state’s first craft brewer, to one of the newest on the scene, Autumn Arch Beer Project based out of Newark.
Dogfish was one of the few breweries that did not attend last year but was there this year, serving up The Final Date, a Scandanavian rye pilsner, and a preview of Dogfish’s next bottle release, Mr. Chuckles Milk Stout.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Dogfish beer ambassador Bryan Selders said of the event. “It’s amazing to see this level of support by the local community for craft beer and support for small, independent businesses. I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
Much like Dogfish, many of the breweries on the scene started as homebrewers, including Midnight Oil Brewing Company in Newark, which started in 2018 as one of the first production breweries in Newark and is beginning to expand. Midnight Oil’s Bill Livesey said the brewery is adding six more taps and has canned its first beer, Cataclysm, a double IPA available in four-packs.
“It’s exciting,” Livesey said. “It shows how big brewing has got in Delaware.”
Autumn Arch opened in April 2019; brothers Jimmy and Dan Vennard had been homebrewing since 2014 as a hobby before they decided to make their hobby into a career. Jimmy said he and his wife, Katherine, a co-owner with the brothers, had gone to Asheville, N.C., a town noted for its vibrant beer scene, and were inspired to open their own place.
“It’s awesome just for the variety of beers. All these brewers have their own identity. It’s just a fun community to be a part of. Delaware has a really vibrant beer community,” Jimmy said.
