Startups

Dec. 1 is the first #SmallBrewerySunday: Here’s how to do it in Delaware

There's a new shopping holiday on the calendar — and this time, it's all about beer.

Dew Point is one of many craft breweries in Delaware. (Photo by Holly Quinn)

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.

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

How 5 orgs help local businesses achieve success

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

Technical.ly’s 2024 gift guide for Delaware

Technically Media