Cape Crusaders: Exploring SoDel - Part 2

Our first stop on Saturday after our extensive tour of the DFH facility was Brimming Horn Meadery. Taylor mentioned that Deuane said it was the best mead he'd ever had. Strong words! One of the owners, Jon, was there when he arrived. Taylor also mentioned that he got his start brewing at Dogfish Head, so the two were acquainted. Turns out he brewed for DFH for about 12 years and also has 3 years of wine-making under his belt. So it was time to try something new on for size: mead. He's also really into metal (bonus points) and Brimming Horn even has a Mead & Metal series, which features collaborations with a number of up-and-coming metal bands. Horns up, people! \m/

Interior of Brimming Horn (photo courtesy of Giftly.com).

If by chance you're unfamiliar with mead, it is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water. Other adjuncts such as fruit, spices, grains, or hops may also be used. It can be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. While the ABV content can be relatively low, most meads I've encountered are in the 8 to 15% realm, which is kind of between beer and wine. The majority of its fermentable sugar is derived from honey, which is the biggest differential between mead and beer. If you ever see a "braggot" on a beer menu, it is a wonderfully albeit rare hybrid style that melds beer with mead.

There was a lot to be had, so we opted for a sampler flight of six different selections, which was presented as a little viking ship! Here's the low-down:

• Russian Donkey - Moscow Mule-inspired mead with honey, ginger, and lime
• Tej - Sweet, earthy, spicy and citrusy mead made with with pure honey, woody hops and orange zest
• Seeds of the Underworld - Sweet mead with honey and pomegranate. Brewslut's favorite!
• Cherry Coffee Cake - cherries, coffee, and coconut. BAAAAM! 
• Blackberry Chai - sweet mead made with honey, local blackberries, and chai tea
• Melato - I'll let the folks at Brimming Horn explain this one in their own words: "Every two years, an amazing natural phenomenon occurs. In addition to the nectar produced by the Bracatinga flowers, bees also collect the honeydew produced by sap-sucking insects called cochineals, which live in the bark of the trees. Bees then process this honeydew, just like nectar, and produce Melato. Melato naturally remains liquid for a long time and can be compared to the best European forest honeys. Melato has been elected best honey in the world four times at the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations."

Pleeps also does mead!

My far and away favorite was the Cherry Coffee Cake, which was absolutely mind-blowing. Sadly, this was not available in bottles. This was so good that I'd keep a cattle trough of this on-hand to enjoy at my leisure. Luckily, they had bottles of Seeds of the Underworld, which Brewslut happily picked up to enjoy at home.

After an enjoyable visit to Brimming Horn (and accidentally backing into the food truck... nobody was injured, fortunately), it was time to continue exploring the local beer scene. Big Oyster, our next stop, opened its doors in 2015 and was named the fastest growing independent craft brewery in America by the Brewer's Association in 2018. After operating for only a year or so, the brewery expanded to open a 6,000-square-foot facility and brewpub on King's Highway, just outside of Lewes, inside the established Fins Ale House & Raw Bar. The brewery distributes its beers throughout Delaware as well as into southern PA and parts of MD. It was pretty busy when we arrived, but we managed to snag four seats at the bar.

Outside Big Oyster Brewery.

By now it was around dinner time, so we decided to get some grub while we were here. A quick perusal of the menu made me hungry even if I wasn't. Obviously, oysters are huge in this particular region of Delaware, but I ultimately decided to go for a Veggie Burger featuring an organic black bean and corn patty with guacamole, mixed greens, tomato, and cheddar jack on a brioche bun. Beer-wise, I made a wise decision going with Then, a wine barrel-aged saison that was aged on 2017 crop peaches from Fifer's Orchards. This beer was pretty damn delicious, with plenty of peachy goodness and a hint of vinous and woody tones from the barrel. This beer was one of my favorites of the day! Brewslut really enjoyed the Mango Dreamsicle, which was part of her sampler flight, so I picked up a 4-pack of that before we left.

...and Then there was Pleeps.

Working at Tröegs, I've been in the know for a while about the newly opened Thompson Island, the next stop on our itinerary. The brewpub is the first of its kind opened by a Delaware restaurant group, SoDel Concepts, which operates several successful restaurants in the area. The brewery takes its name from an island between Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach known as the Forgotten Mile, an area popular with hikers and birders.

Outside Thompson Island, Rehoboth Beach.

SoDel Concepts had acted as consultants when Tröegs opened its Snack Bar back in 2012. With Thompson Island, Tröegs returned the favor and assisted with the selection of a state-of-the-art brewhouse designed specifically for the restaurant. The brewpub itself is modeled after popular SoDel activities like bonfires, kayaking, paddle-boarding, fishing, and general "salt life." In addition to the bays and beaches, local farms will play a prominent part of the theme as well.

Interior of Thompson Island (photo courtesy of Visit Delaware).

SoDel has a very good reputation among diners in the region, so it was no wonder that the place was brimming with people when we arrived. We nabbed a high top table in the bar area and perused the beer menu. Something called Beautiful, a dry-hopped kettle sour, immediately jumped out. The beer begins with a kettle soured base, after which it gets the dry hop treatment with heavy additions of Citra and Galaxy hops to coax notes of citrus peel and papaya. This one was pretty solid overall. I was also happy to hear that Thompson Island had everything dialed in prior to its grand opening. Tröegs actually did a pair of Scratch beer collaborations, which we sent down for the grand opening. The brewery also dumped its first batch of beer, an IPA that was deemed just "fine" (not flawed or infected). Other breweries should take note of this practice before releasing subpar - or worse - beer to the public.

Uh-oh...

After visiting Thompson Island, we headed over to the Dogfish Head EmPOURium, which had been given a considerable overhaul since our last visit more than a decade ago. Established in 1995, it was the home of the brewery (once cited as the smallest commercial brewery in the country... oh, how the times have changed). With the brewing facility sharing its space with the brewpub kitchen, DFH founder Sam Calagione had the luxury of simply grabbing off-the-wall ingredients like raisins, maple syrup and roasted chicory, all of which worked their way into some of DFH's earliest and most popular beers. Over the years, the "Brewing & Eats" became known as the place for craft beer, spirits, food and live original music. After more than two decades, the new site opened right next door to the original space. I was surprised to see how much everything had expanded - especially the stage! - since we'd last visited. The bar was much bigger too, and we were able to secure four seats there. One of Taylor's brewing friends also made a quick appearance while we were there, and we chatted for a bit. 

Outside the DFH EmPOURium (photo courtesy of Trip Advisor).

Taylor suggested a West Coast-style IPA brewed in celebration of national IPA day called Covered in Nuggs. Dank, piney and citrusy - all good qualities in an IPA, if you ask me - this beer covers all the bases. Hopped heavily with the classics - Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe - this IPA didn't disappoint. I wish more breweries brewed IPAs like this. Even the last time we were out in San Diego, the "haze craze" had infested many of the traditional old school breweries.

Obviously, DFH has come a long way since the early days, and while not every beer may be a home run, but you'd be hard-pressed to find another brewery that has made more of an impact on the craft beer scene. Sam is a trailblazer, and his experimental nature and eclectisim has raised the bar and set an industry trend that's mimicked by countless other breweries to this day.

Following our visit to the EmPOURium, we headed over to one of the local breweries I was most excited about checking out: Dewey Beer Co. The brewery opened for business on May 28, 2015 in an old eatery called Bubba's Grill just off Coastal Highway. In addition to a full restaurant offering a diverse, scratch-made menu, the brewery side of the operation churns out some amazing forward-thinking beers on a custom-made 7-barrel system. Perhaps Dewey's most popular beers stem from its Secret Machine series of fruited sours. I was anxious to dive into some of these, and let me tell you... they didn't disappoint!

Outside Dewey Beer Co.

The place was boppin' when we arrived (and for good reason, as I'd soon find out) but we managed to snag a hightop table in the back of the crowded room. Upon perusing the beer list, I noticed a few Secret Machine variations on there. The two we ended up ordering were Pomegranate Coconut Mousse and Cherry Blackberry Pie. The former is an imperial sour brewed with sweet and tangy pomegranate and fluffy coconut-chocolate mousse, while the latter is brewed with cherries and blackberries to mimic a slice of fresh-baked pie. Both were absolutely delicious, but I think I have to give props to the Pomegranate Coconut Mousse variant. Regardless, both of these beers intrigued me to the point that I was mentally making plans for a return visit the following day. Plus Taylor said the food is awesome, so another visit seemed like a no-brainer decision.

After an enjoyable session at a world-class brewery, we headed to Scotty's Bayside Tavern, a dive bar located near Taylor's house. This place is at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to what we'd just experienced at Dewey Beer Co... not that I was anticipating anything more. A smoky place with colorful locals, pool tables, and questionable tunes on the jukebox, Scotty's is a quintessential local dive bar. By this time, we were all pretty schlitzed and hankering for some grub. Greg noticed a Chinese restaurant next door, so he called to place an order. In the meantime, we ordered a round of Natty Bo cans. At two bucks each, I'd say it was a bargain. After a while, our Chinese food was ready and we chowed down on sub par chicken fried rice right from the box while at the bar. I'm pretty sure the bartender wasn't too pleased with us not using plates or napkins, but we were too oblivious to take notice. After another round of Natty Bo for everyone - and a few choice tunes on the jukebox - we headed back to Taylor's to close out the night with some more beers.

Inside Scotty's (photo courtesy of Yelp)

I broke out a few things I'd brought with us, including a bottle of Corne De Bois, a strong ale from A l'abri de la Tempête, and London Balling, an Amburana wood-aged barleywine from Against the Grain. Just as my refrigerator is overflowing with Tröegs, so it Taylor's with a variety of DFH offerings. He busted out a few we hadn't had before, including Vibrant P'ocean and Slightly Mighty. The former is a combination of two unique base beers – one developed by Rodenbach (Grand Cru, anyone?) and the other by DFH. The result is a complex, ruby-colored ale that's dry and tart with notes of dark fruit, berries, and lemon zest. The latter is a light bodied, low-calorie IPA featuring tropical notes and a hint of toasted grain. At only 95 calories and less than 4 grams of carbs, this beer delivers quite a bit of flavor and aroma for such a small beer. You can definitely slam a few of these without feeling bloated! He also shared a bottle of Bourbon Barrel-aged World Wide Stout, which we'd never had the opportunity of trying. This version of the legendary imperial stout is aged in charred oak bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distillery. Dense, roasty and complex, this huge 18-ish% ABV heavy-hitter boasts rich notes of coffee, licorice, dark caramel and plenty of bourbon warmth. After that one, I'd say you could stick a fork in us.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of our adventures in SoDel, including our much anticipated visit to Burley Oak. Until next time...