With nearly 30 craft breweries operating across Delaware, it’s sometimes hard to wrap your head (or lips) around which ones are best to visit.
Sure, there’s a lot that goes into a brewery beyond the beer: staff, ambiance, live music, food, games and more.
But if you’re strictly talking about the brews, raiding the ratings of First State breweries on the popular beer-rating Untappd app is a great way to start.
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Delaware Online/The News Journal first crunched Untappd’s numbers for all 23 of Delaware’s breweries a little more than 3½ years ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the state.
Dewey Beer Co. in Dewey Beach scored the top spot with a 4.02 score (out of 5) with Milton’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery taking second (3.85) and Wilmington Brew Works and Volunteer Brewing Co. in Middletown tying for third place (3.81).
What has changed since then? Quite a bit.
Instead of 23 breweries, there are now 29 excluding multiple locations.
Two breweries have closed ― Twin Lakes Brewing Co. in Greenville and 3rd Wave Brewing Co. in Delmar ― with eight new spots having come online. In addition, there are nearly 10 more breweries preparing to open or in the works across Delaware these days.
Newer breweries jump in standings
The latest numbers from Untappd reveal that Dewey Beer Co. remains the best-rated brewery in the state (4.07), powered by nearly a half-million votes from beer drinkers weighing in.
Located across from The Starboard in Delaware’s smallest big party town, Dewey Beer is a particular favorite for those drawn to their slate of unique fruited sours.
While the best beer-maker remains the same, a couple of newer breweries have surged into the top 5 in recent years.
Loakal Branch Brewing Co., tucked away in Delmar off North Bi State Boulevard, has streaked to second place (3.94) since opening in late 2020. Loakal is part of Berlin, Maryland’s, Burley Oak Brewing Co. family and has been wowing plugged-in beer drinkers ever since. (Note: only about 6,500 votes have been logged for Loakal due to a combination of their young age and rural location compared to many more for most of their competitors.)
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Another eye-catching brewery with big moves is Autumn Arch Beer Project, which opened in a Glasgow industrial park in 2019. In early 2020, they were tied in ninth place against all other Delaware breweries on Untappd. These days, they have bolted to a third-place tie (3.84) with the venerable Dogfish Head Craft Brewing.
Top 5
1st place: Dewey Beer Co., 4.07 ranking (Dewey Beach)
2nd place: Loakal Branch Brewery Co., 3.94 rating, (Delmar)
3rd place (tie): Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, 3.84 rating (Rehoboth Beach, Milton)
3rd place (tie): Autumn Arch Beer Project, 3.84 rating (Glasgow)
4th place (tie): Wilmington Brew Works, 3.83 rating (Wilmington)
4th place (tie): Thompson Island Brewing Co., 3.83 rating (Rehoboth Beach)
5th place: First State Brewing Co., 3.82 rating (Middletown)
Rest of the Top 10
6th place: Big Oyster Brewery, 3.8 rating (Rehoboth Beach)
7th place: Volunteer Brewing Co., 3.78 rating (Middletown)
8th place (tie): Blue Earl Brewing Co., 3.76 rating (Smyrna)
8th place (tie): JAKL Beer Works, 3.76 rating, (Middletown)
9th place (tie): Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro’s Pizza, 3.73 rating (Milltown)
9th place (tie): Twisted Irons Craft Brewing Co., 3.73 rating, (Ogletown)
9th place (tie): Ocean View Brewing Co., 3.73 rating, (Ocean View)
10th place: Bellefonte Brewing Co., 3.72 rating (Prices Corner and Brandywine Hundred)
The rest
11th place: Midnight Oil Brewing Co., 3.71 rating (Newark)
12th place: Revelation Craft Brewing Co., 3.7 rating (Rehoboth Beach, Georgetown)
13th place: Mispillion River Brewing Co., 3.68 rating (Milford)
14th place (tie): Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, 3.67 rating (Newark, Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach)
14th place (tie): Brick Works Brewing and Eats, 3.67 rating (Smyrna, Long Neck)
15th place (tie): Stewart’s Brewing Co., 3.66 rating (Bear)
15th place (tie): 1937 Brewing Co. at Delaware Park, 3.66 rating, (Stanton)
16th place: Hangman Brewing Co., 3.64 rating, (Claymont)
17th place: Stitch House Brewery, 3.63 rating (Wilmington)
18th place (tie): Dew Point Brewing Co., 3.61 rating (Yorklyn)
18th place (tie): Bethany Brewing Co., 3.61 rating (Ocean View)
19th place: Fordham & Dominion Brewing Co., 3.53 rating (Dover)
20th place: 38°-75° Brewing Co. at Gary’s Dewey Beach Grill, 3.49 rating (Dewey Beach)
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (Twitter) (@ryancormier).
