You know Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday.
Now, meet Small Brewery Sunday, a new after-Thanksgiving occasion conjured up by the trade group Brewers Association.
The mission of Small Brewery Sunday is pretty self-explanatory: Go out to a small brewery near you and toast to the end of the Thanksgiving weekend with some really good beer. Order a flight and taste different offerings to buy for holiday get-togethers and gifts.
Delaware’s craft beer scene has blown up in recent years, making this new “holiday” a great excuse to check out a local brewery or two.
Here’s a list of Delaware breweries to check out, sorted by area:
Greater Wilmington
Dew Point Brewery: Located west of the city in Yorklyn, Dew Point is possibly the most picturesque brewery in New Castle County.
Bellefonte Brewery: Not to be confused the the Bellefonte Cafe, the Bellefonte Brewery is located on Old Capital Trail near Avalon, south of the city.
Wilmington Brew Works: This cool North Wilmington brewery is on Miller Road (near the Home Depot), and offers both craft beers like Subtle Pulchritude and its own hard ciders.
Stitch House Brewery: This downtown Wilmington brew pub is located on Market Street and serves its own brews, from a light Ladybug Lager (4.0% ABV) to the hard-hitting Tribiscus (9.0% ABV).
Twin Lakes Brewing: Located in Newport, this microbrewery prides itself in its historic brewing methods — and historic names, like Caesar Rodney Golden Ale and Tweeds Tavern Stout.
Liquid Alchemy: Maybe not technically a brewery, but we’re going to include it. Liquid Alchemy, located on Brookside Road near Alban Park, is a meadery, offering a variety of meads and ciders.
Newark area
Midnight Oil: Located on Pencader Drive in Newark, Midnight Oil offers original craft beers like the raspberry blonde ale Your Mom and the peppery, fruity Paradox.
Argilla Brewring Co.: Located at the Pietro’s Pizza in the Meadowood II Shopping Center on Kirkwood Highway, Argilla offers house drafts along with pizzeria fare.
Autumn Arch Beer Project: A small-batch, experimental brewery on Pencader Drive, Autumn Arch is known for its Newark State of Mind Redux super-dry imperial IPA.
Bear
Stewart’s Brewing Company: Founded in 1995, Stewart’s claim to fame is being the first brewpub in New Castle County. Offerings include smoked porters and a Chardonnay Barrel Aged Twelve O’Clock Rye Saison with Raspberries.
Smyrna
Blue Earl Brewing Company: The taproom serves Blue Earl’s popular varieties in a rotation, including Clockwork Orange and Honeysuckle Rose.
Brick Works Brewing and Eats: One of two locations (the other is in Millsboro), this brewpub eatery serves its craft beer along with sit-down meals including steak and eggplant parm.
Middletown
Volunteer Brewing Company: Delaware’s smallest breweries, Volunteer has two barrels and a commitment to serving the Middletown Odessa Townsend community.
Crooked Hammock: One of two locations (the main location is in Lewes), this brewery serves signature brews like Haulin’ Oats and Shoobie.
Dover
Fordham & Dominion: This brewer of beer and soda serves craft beer options like Zombee Honey Ale and Sweet Heat IPA.
Milford
Mispillion River: Co-brewer of the light ABV Ladybug Lager, Mispillion River is known for brews like Space Otter and the 11% ABV Hagrid.
Beaches
Dogfish Head: This local brewery needs no introduction — and since its merger with Boston Brewing, it’s almost too big to be on the list. They have a tasting room in Milford, two restaurants in Rehoboth and a coastal in in Lewes.
Crooked Hammock: One of two locations (the other is in Middletown), this Lewes-based brewery serves signature brews like Haulin’ Oats and Shoobie.
Big Oyster Brewing: Located in Lewes, Big Oyster is a full restaurant with its own craft beer on tap.
Revelation Craft Brewing: This Rehoboth craft brewery, home of the Sussex County Mule, is open year round; its two beer gardens in Milford and Middletown are seasonal, and a Georgetown location is launching soon.
38-75 Brewing: A 20-gallon brew house out of Garry’s Dewey Beach Grill.
Brick Works Brewing and Eats: One of two locations (the other is in Smyrna), this brewpub eatery serves its craft beer along with sit-down meals including steak and eggplant parm.
Delmar
3rd Wave Brewing Co.: The southernmost craft brewer in the state, 3rd Wave offers a large selection of brews on tap, from light ABV wheat beer to Trippel and Chocolate Cherry Stout.
