- Four breweries are preparing to open this summer and fall in Lewes, Georgetown and Townsend.
In a small state that already boasts nearly 40 craft breweries, you may think Delaware has hit its saturation point when it comes to suds.
Not so fast.
There are at least nine more breweries either preparing to open or in the planning stage across the state, including at least four preparing to open this summer and fall in Lewes, Georgetown and Townsend.
So grab a pint glass and start practicing: First State beer lovers are about to have more barstools to fill pretty soon.
For a running list of Delaware’s breweries, both open and in the planning stages, check out DelawareBeerHistory.com run by Delaware beer historian and author John Medkeff Jr.
Nearly five years after purchasing the former 16 Mile brewery at 413 S. Bedford St., Revelation is nearing an opening date for its new production brewery and tasting room. The new location will join Revelation’s Rehoboth Beach location with even more outdoor space thanks to a large 2,400-square-foot pavilion built at the front of the Georgetown brewery. With the inside work completed, only the parking lots and sidewalks remain on their to-do list. Expect them to open the doors this summer with a grand opening date to be announced soon.
Claws and crafts will coincide at 316 Gray St. soon. The Crab Guys takeout-delivery spot will also house the new Shellfish Brewing Company with the takeout crabs moving outside and the brewery taking over the indoors. Other than that, those behind the project are tight-lipped. They did let out this nugget of info: Shellfish should be open in about 1-1/2 months.
The brewery under construction at 1145 Savannah Road just received its building supplies last week, only still waiting for the stone that will go around the foundation of the brewery, said David Jones, who owns the brewery with his wife Christine. Once the stone is in, then they can install the siding and windows. Lewes Brewing will be a 10 bbl brewhouse with six fermenters and a pair of Brite tanks. There will also be a 1 bbl system for one-off beers. Speaking of beers, expect everything from IPAs, New England IPAs, and pilsners to lagers, fruited sours and stouts with seasonal beers thrown in. The spot will also have an outdoor beer garden, outdoor deck and indoor seating with a large bar. Food trucks are expected to post up and sell meals to hungry beer-drinkers. Jones hopes to be open this fall.
Last year, SoDel Concepts president and CEO Scott Kammerer told Delaware Online/The News Journal that his company was planning a third brewery in Fenwick Island to go alongside their two other breweries: Thompson Island and Ocean View brewing companies. Well, things have changed. The site for the potential Fenwick Island Brewing Company was not approved and now they are looking for a new location instead, said Nelia Dolan, vice president of the newly formed Southern Delaware Brewing Co., a SoDel spinoff and now home to Thompson Island and Ocean View. Southern Delaware is currently examining the Millsboro area for its third brewery. “There are a couple of sites that we are considering and have been in negotiations with both the landowners and builders,” Dolan said. No matter the exact location, it will be a ground-up project, which they hope to get started in late fall with an opening in winter of 2024/2025, she added. The dining room will be approximately 3,500 square feet and will have 220 dining and bar seats. There will also be a beer garden with about 30-40 additional seats, along with outdoor games.
Lewes’ Beach Time Distilling co-founder Greg Christmas is getting into beer. Expect balanced English bitters, Belgian saisons and German Hefeweizen instead of an IPA- or sour-heavy menu at the same location as Beach Time at 32191 Nassau Rd. “We’re going to do the difficult beers that brewers are afraid of,” Christmas said. The final permitting is coming any day now, he added, and an opening date is expected by mid-July.
It’s been 3-1/2 years since Feebs opened and now the distillery at 733 McColley St. is about to get in the beer business. Earlier this month, the Facebook page for Feebs posted a photo of its approval for a brewery or brewpub and added #feebsbeer on the message. “Step one complete!! We are go for step 2,” they wrote. No other details were available about the project.
A “micro-brewery incubator” is slated to be part of the new 1,350-unit development known as The Granery at the former Draper Farm. Milton approved the annexation of the 450 acres at Sand Hill and Gravel Hill roads last year for the planned community. The builder, Convergence Communities, said in a press release last year that the brewery accelerator “will be a unique feature that helps local brewery entrepreneurs overcome start up costs to build and grow successful businesses.” It is still in the conceptional stage and would need to be approved by the town, a project representative said. Construction is planned to begin at The Granery early next year.
Last year, the bike shop at Shoppes of Louviers on Paper Mill Road won approval from Newark City Council to add both a microbrewery and tasting room at the longtime service and repair shop. As a host of trail rides, groups gather at the shop after for beer and they want to brew and sell their own to their customers. These days, the shop is working on getting approval on the state level. So when might they be serving their own bicycle brews? Longtime employee Chris Denney says, “We have high hopes for it happening this year, but I would imagine it happens next year.”
Lewes’ Big Oyster Brewery has a second location in the works and it will be about 10 miles north in Milford. It will be located at a new golf course named Southern Delaware Golf Club, formerly Rookery North and the Shawnee Country Club before that. Jeff Hamer, owner of Fins Hospitality Group and Big Oyster, says the new restaurant and brewery will be located in the clubhouse and pro shop, currently undergoing a $2 million renovation. Beer will not only be brewed there, but also distributed from the site to wholesalers. Initially, it was going to open this fall, but delays with the golf course now put the opening of both the brewery and golf club in April of 2024. Hamer says Big Oyster fans should expect the same beer and food found at the Lewes location.
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 Twitter (@ryancormier).
