Revelation to purchase 16 Mile Brewing site
Months after the 16 Mile Brewing location in Georgetown unexpectedly closed, Rehoboth’s Revelation Craft Brewing has announced it will purchase the brewing facility.
In a Nov. 30 press release, Patrick Staggs, Revelation Craft Brewing president and brewmaster, said the response to Revelation’s beers at the beach has surpassed all expectations.
“We are proud of the experience and variety we offer. In order to continue to deliver on the high standards we have set and reach our goals, we need the right type of capacity. This opportunity in Georgetown is absolutely the right place for the right time,” said Staggs.
Staggs said Revelation’s West Rehoboth location, which opened in July 2016 near the Junction and Breakwater Trail will remain. It has become a well-known oasis for local cyclists, he said.
“Rehoboth is our home, and we plan to continuously improve that home and always offer our guests the high quality beers and the comfortable experience they have grown to love,” said Staggs. “The purchase in Georgetown is a key part in helping us secure that goal for the future.”
The Georgetown property is Revelation’s second attempt to expand locally. At the same time it was opening its West Rehoboth brewery, the company was also given conditional-use approval by Sussex County Council to renovate the former John Wesley United Methodist Church in Belltown, between Route 9 and Beaver Dam Road near Five Points, into a 8,500-square-foot restaurant and brewery.
Late in 2016, Revelation lost the property after Immanuel Shelter, which operates a five-month Code Purple shelter in Rehoboth for area people who are homeless, purchased the property in an attempt to establish a year-round location.
At the time, Staggs said down payments lapsed while the company was working its way through securing five parcels abutting the church property. The plan for the brewery only worked with all six parcels because of parking requirements required under county code, he said.
In an interview Dec. 2, Staggs said the Georgetown location allows Revelation to offer what it wanted to offer at the Belltown location, plus it allows for the company to continue to grow. He said the company recently opened a beer garden in Whitehall, a planned community near Middletown, and the Georgetown operation has the potential to meet the brewing demands of all three locations.
The brewery in Georgetown will offer a full menu, which will match Revelation’s beers to their culinary equivalents, said Staggs. The brewery will also be expanded to include an outdoor seating area and events space, he said.
Staggs said he found out about the closing of 16 Mile the same way everybody else did, and it was surprise. He said he reached out to owner Brett McCrea to simply say he was sorry to hear of the closing, but then it became apparent the site might address their growing needs.
This has been about a month in the making, said Staggs, adding with a smile, “I was surprised it wasn’t leaked before this.”
Staggs said the 16 Mile team was a leader in the Delaware craft beer scene for the past decade. He said the Georgetown brewery was well maintained and will allow a quick transition.
“We can’t wait to show off what we have in store,” says Staggs.
The anticipated opening date for Revelation in Georgetown will be spring 2019. For information and updates go to facebook.com/revbeer and revbeer.com.
