All posts by John Fortunato

WILMINGTON BREW WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

Andy Bass on Twitter: "Site #87: Wilmington Brew Works, 3129 Miller Rd., Wilmington, DE. In December 2020, this craft brewery released a beer celebrating Joe Biden—RAIL CAR ONE: WILMINGTON TO WASHINGTON. Its

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

Proud to be the first Wilmington, Delaware production brewery in 50 years, WILMINGTON BREW WORKS opened its doors in 2018. Inside the tan stucco Miller Road Station mall, this rustic gray cement-floored pub connects to La Pizzeria Metro, whose light Italian fare and pizzas match the easygoing craft beers produced by head brewer, Craig Wensell, a former Blackhawk helicopter crew chief and local music teacher inspired by his homebrewing uncle.

In 2014, Wensell founded a home brew supply company and then began refining his brewing approach at nearby nano, Bellefonte Brewery. Now guiding a “family friendly” taproom, he has brought Wilmington Brew Works to prominence.

A stark wood-beamed high ceiling hovers above the arched windows (with hanging lights and fans), adding a light goth feel. The white-tiled wood top serving station (with 20-plus draught handles) gets surrounded by community tables and dining seats. There are also plenty of outside tables, some of which are covered by the trellis near the entrance. Stainless steel brew tanks are in the rear.

My wife and I try all nine fine beer selections available on my initial July ’21 noon swoon.

For starters, crisply clean light-bodied German pilsner, Synonym, a slightly musky Saaz-hopped standard-bearer with lemon-dried herbage grazing its dewy mineral graining.

Spry lemony orange-dried fizzing and mild Vienna malt sweetness contained moderate-bodied helles lager, Krauch’s Creation, a sessionable delight dedicated to a significant Delaware brewing pioneer.

Today’s menu also offered three variegated New England pale ales for perusing.

Zesty orange and tangy tangerine gained mild vanilla creaming for hazy golden moderation, Oranjealini, a lemon-licked pale ale with dry hay base.

Mellow yellow grapefruit bittering and brisk lemon zesting serenaded double dry-hopped New England pale ale, Return To Sender, fortified by dried oats flaking.

Another similarly named NE pale ale, Undeliverable Mail, let salty yogurt-soured grapefruit, pineapple, guava and tangerine tropicalia glom onto lemony orange peel tanginess and distant pine needled bittering.

Salty grapefruit-soured pineapple, guava and gooseberry tartness targeted dry champagne-fizzed ‘fruited cuvee IPA,’ Polychromatic Dream, a slightly offbeat tropical hybrid.

Palate-cleansing fruited sour ale, Synaptic Solution: Rainbow Sherbet, plied salted lemon tartness to red grapefruit, strawberry and orange tanginess over non-lactic acidulated malts.

Ultra-tart purplish red milkshake sour, Duvette, placed vanilla-creamed blackberry liming inside candied strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, mango, pomegranate and red cherry piquancy above almond-milked oats for puree-fruited Smoothie.

Dry nutty black chocolate and ashen dark-roast hop bittering pervaded ‘velvety’ Irish-styled Oatmeal Stout, Bricfeasta Indiscretion, leaving walnut, Brazil nut and coffee tones upon its earthen-backed mocha finish.

STITCH HOUSE BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

 

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

Two miles south of Wilmington Brew Works, downtown Wilmington’s STITCH HOUSE BREWERY came to fruition in 2018 (and closed August ’24). Using “tailored to drink” as its slogan, the brownstone-fronted, cement-floored, 7,000 square foot pub features a 15-seat zinc-topped elongated bar (with 20-plus draught taps), mod Industrial decor (such as centralized aluminum community tables), wood benched rear tables and glass-encased stainless steel brew tanks.

An open kitchen serves sandwiches, wraps and burgers while specialty cocktails and fine spirits are also available.

The outdoor front deck gets packed on Saturday night as my wife and I try eight versatile brews mid-July ’21.

Renaissance Man: Dan Sheridan and Stitch House Brewery | Edible Delmarva

Spritzy lemony orange fizzing peps up mild chamomile-lemongrass herbage and delicate coriander spicing above pillowy white wheat bed of Friends Witte Benefits, a tidy witbier.

Salty passionfruit pureed Berliner Weisse, Pucker Up, gained tartly limed lactobacillus souring over yogurt-soured wheat flouring.

Orange-dried floral spicing and herbal nuances dotted My Neck, Maibock’s toasted amber-grained pilsner malting.

Lemony orange-peeled banana fruiting topped Shipley Saison, leaving polite clove-cardamom spicing on the rye-dried pilsner malt base.

Sharp citrus pining greeted Snitchz Get Stitchz, a dry Imperial IPA with herbal-spiced grapefruit, orange and pineapple licks.

Smoked beechwood gathered barley roasted sweetness and dewy scorched earthiness for Rauch Haus Smoked Marzen, an easygoing German rauchbier.

Coconut-toasted chocolate sweetness contrasted light-roast coffee tones for Coconut Pete’s Porter, allowing vanilla, praline and buttermilk illusions to shelter the dewy peat bottom.

Black-malted dark chocolate chalking, nutty espresso tones and charred hops lightly embittered Sho Nuff Stout, recalling a dry Irish stout.

CROOKED HAMMOCK BREWERY – NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for crooked hammock myrtle beach

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Popular retail and entertainment village, Barefoot Landing, once had two brewpubs on its widespread premises. About a decade hence in February ’21, a few coastal Delaware-based entrepreneurs decided to venture south to the same North Myrtle Beach esplanade and try to brighten the comparatively lame South Carolina scene with their third franchise brewpub (and first outside of the First State).

Occupying two separate back mall buildings, CROOKED HAMMOCK BREWERY takes up a barn-y wood paneled brewhouse (with beige grain silo) and a spacious dining-roomed wood furnished pub (with antique bikes and skis on the walls). An elongated wood bar (withy 20-plus taps) connects the high ceilinged cement floor main space with a spacious front patio.

My wife and I enjoyed six stylishly conservative dry brews alongside a rangy fruited wheat and an interesting Pina Colada sendup with light pub fare on a crowded Monday nite, July ’21.

Vibrant Palmetto Punch Pilsner stayed tart as its sour passionfruit adjunct picked up lemon-cologned guava, gooseberry and honeysuckle wisps over oats-dried malts.

Musky fungi herbage seeped inside fresh sourdough breading and roasted barley crisping of amiable light lager, Four Tires, Two Friends & A Radio.

Mild coconut-milked pineapple souring teased tropical South To Somewhere Golden Ale, picking up mango-guava-kiwi snips.

Muted lemon-rotted green grape esters spread thru grassy hop astringency and mild fungi mold for Day Kolsch, a sourly sessionable summertime solution.

White peach tartness prodded Cackalackin Peach Wheat Ale, a dry pale body with tertiary strawberry, cherry and pomegranate illusions alongside wispy woodruff herbage subsuming its initial peachiness to the cracked wheat base.

Dry Citra-Eldorado-hopped Beach Escape Session IPA let perfumed lemony grapefruit tanginess and salty white-peppered herbage stay subtle above raw-honeyed pale malts.

Milk-sugared vanilla sweetness guarded strawberry puree tartness as mild grapefruit-orange-tangerine tang surged for Carhop Milkshake IPA.

Summery fruited sour ale, Brand New Day: Pineapple Coconut knocked off a salty Pina Colada with its lemon-limed pineapple tartness, zesty orange tang and vanilla-creamed coconut toasting.