Dogfish Head has always been a brewery that has marched to the beat of its own drummer, so it’s no surprise that they’re making waves in the culinary world by creating beer-centric foods. Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head’s founder, says that his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware brewpub has been focused on food since the day it opened. They have tried out all sorts of beer-related dishes, like hop-oil brownies and pale-ale ketchup, but now they’re really getting serious and extending foods to a national market.
Calagione knows the stakes can be high when you start distributing on a larger scale, so he’s making sure that he does it right. Parked outside of the Dogfish Head brewery is a food truck named Bunyan’s Lunchbox (yes, it looks like a giant lunchbox) that serves as Calagione’s test kitchen for foods he’s trying to develop. Last month the food truck was serving up four different ale-infused bratwursts, which were the result of more than a year of research and development. Now, you can expect those sausages to start being distributed up the east coast throughout the summer. The four flavors are:
- A classic bratwurst made with pork, coriander, white pepper, mace, mustard and a dark Belgian-style ale Raison d’Etre
- The Heirloom Italian Brat made with pork, fennel, red pepper and the honey-accented Midas Touch
- The Greek Feta Brat made with chicken, feta cheese, spinach, mint, cumin, lemon and Midas Touch
- The Spicy Espresso Brat made with chicken, espresso powder, cumin, habanero pepper and the mocha notes of Chicory Stout
In addition to the brats, Dogfish Head is already selling two foods that are available through their website right now: Dogfish Head Brooklyn Brine Hop-Pickles and Dogfish Head Hard-Tack Clam Chowder, both of which are spiced with 60 Minute IPA. In order to keep up with demand and to ensure there’s enough space, Calagione partners with other food companies to produce his beer-centric foods. He actually tried to make beer flavored ice cream back in 1999, but he didn’t have the space to continue on and make it a profitable venture.
We love that Dogfish Head is so inspired to get creative with their brews and we can’t wait to see how they grow their food offerings. Will you be buying any of these?