10 Best Breweries in Delaware with 30 Beers Worth Trying

BAR NOTES

60 Minute IPA is the 6% starting point for Dogfish Head’s continuous-hopping approach. Northwest hop character brings citrus and a firm bitter edge, while malt keeps the beer from becoming a one-note hop exercise. It is the most accessible comparison with 90 Minute.

Taste the two IPAs at a similar temperature and notice how malt weight changes the impression of bitterness. Our IPA roundup gives you more reference beers. For food, a grilled chicken sandwich is a useful starting pairing because browned flavors can stand beside the hops.

BAR NOTES

90 Minute IPA raises the strength to 9% and makes malt a larger part of the experience. Continuous hopping and additional dry hopping build the aroma, but the richer body is equally important to the comparison with 60 Minute. Choose it for a slower tasting.

Use a smaller tulip or snifter and give the beer room to warm slightly. The double IPA roundup shows how other breweries handle stronger hops. A sharp cheese or roasted meat makes more sense beside this malt weight than a very delicate salad.

BAR NOTES

Punkin Ale is a 7% brown ale made with pumpkin meat, brown sugar, and spices. Its brown-ale foundation matters: this is an autumn beer with malt substance, rather than a pale beer carrying only pumpkin-pie aroma. Look for it during the fall release.

Try the first sip before pairing it with dessert, then compare it with roast turkey or sharp cheddar. The pumpkin beer collection helps distinguish brown-ale versions from lighter pumpkin beers. Serve it cool enough to refresh while leaving room for cinnamon and nutmeg to develop.

BAR NOTES

Swishy Pants is Dewey’s 7.5% hazy IPA built around Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic hops. Citrus and tropical-fruit impressions come from that hop combination. Keep it separate from Swishier Pants, the fruited version, when choosing a package or comparing tasting notes.

Pour into a clean glass and compare aroma with the first sip rather than assuming haze predicts sweetness. Our hazy IPA guide explains the broader style. Keep takeaway cans cold and drink them fresh so the hop character remains the main reason to open one.

BAR NOTES

Sunset Eclipse adds a 6% American stout to a brewery often associated with hops and fruit. Coffee and chocolate are the stated flavor impressions, giving the flight a darker register. Those notes describe the roast profile; they do not establish a separate coffee addition.

Try it after the lighter beers and before a particularly sweet fruit sour. A simple glass pour helps you notice roast and body without a dessert masking them. The stout roundup provides more dark-beer comparisons when you want to follow this side of Dewey’s range.

BAR NOTES

Secret Machine – Triple Berry is the specific 7% blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry entry in Dewey’s rotating series. The current producer menu describes a smoothie-inspired fruit sour without lactose. Other Secret Machine flavors are separate recipes and should not be treated as interchangeable cans.

Keep the beer refrigerated and follow any package serving instructions. Compare it with Sunset Eclipse as a fruit-versus-roast contrast, using small separate pours. The sour beer roundup gives broader context, but a fruit-heavy beer need not resemble a dry, barrel-aged mixed-fermentation sour.

BAR NOTES

First State Hazy is the current 6% core hazy IPA. The updated Middletown menu lists Citra, Idaho 7, and Simcoe, with tropical and citrus impressions. It is a useful modern starting point rather than an excuse to substitute an older core beer name.

Compare it with First State IPA at the same stated strength. Texture, aroma, and the finish should provide the interesting differences. If you want to explore the style at home, our hazy IPA guide explains the brewing choices behind soft hop expression and haze.

BAR NOTES

First State IPA is the 6% West Coast-style member of the core range. Pine and citrus lead the producer description, and the current draft menu lists Centennial, Idaho 7, and Simcoe. The malt-and-hop balance gives a useful contrast with the equally strong hazy beer.

Taste this alongside First State Hazy before adding a seasonal double IPA to the flight. Our West Coast IPA guide explains the drier, more bitter style direction. A fresh package is the best basis for comparison; a warm, old can can blur the differences.

BAR NOTES

First State Pils brings the core comparison down to 5% and puts crispness first. The current menu lists Pekko and Citra, while the producer highlights a light citrus lift. It is an American pilsner, so a modern hop accent fits the stated style.

Make this the first glass before either IPA, and notice the finish while your palate is fresh. The pilsner roundup offers both classic and newer interpretations. A simple snack such as salted pretzels keeps the lager’s smaller malt and hop details easy to follow.

BAR NOTES

Hammerhead IPA is Big Oyster’s 6.4% West Coast-style flagship. Citrus, grapefruit, and pine form the useful tasting frame. Producer pages differ on the number of hop varieties, so the beer’s established style and flavor direction are more useful here than a fixed recipe count.

Start the Big Oyster flight here, then move to the oyster stout for a clear hop-to-roast contrast. The IPA collection gives you more benchmarks. Choose a fresh can or current draft pour rather than relying on the label’s reputation to overcome tired hop character.

BAR NOTES

Shuck It is a 6.2% oyster stout brewed with locally harvested oysters. Dark-chocolate and toasted-bread impressions put malt and roast at the center of the description. The oyster ingredient is real, so check it before ordering if shellfish affects your beer choice.

Pair a small pour with roasted mushrooms or a savory seafood dish, then see how the roast sits beside the food. Our stout collection supplies broader comparisons. Avoid expecting a salty seafood broth simply because oysters are used in the brewing process.

BAR NOTES

Shuckin’ Pumpkin is Big Oyster’s 5.5% seasonal pumpkin ale. Caramel and dark-fruit notes meet cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in the producer description. Its lighter strength makes an interesting comparison with Dogfish Head’s fuller 7% pumpkin brown ale during an autumn visit.

Try it before a sweet dessert so the spice level is easier to assess. A roasted squash dish is a useful pairing experiment. The pumpkin beer roundup helps you compare different foundations rather than treating every seasonal beer as the same pumpkin-pie recipe.

BAR NOTES

Reach Around IPA is Mispillion’s 6% recurring IPA, with a brewery-managed listing of 35 IBU. That figure suggests a different starting point from the stronger Not Today Satan, though perceived bitterness still depends on malt, hop character, and how fresh the beer is.

Order both in smaller pours if you want a fair comparison. Start here and notice the finish before moving up in strength. Our American IPA brewing guide explains the malt-and-hop balance that makes the category broader than a simple competition for more bitterness.

BAR NOTES

Not Today Satan moves Mispillion’s IPA flight to 7.3%. The brewery-managed description names El Dorado, Centennial, Columbus, Cascade, and Mosaic, with 55 IBU. That wider hop mix is the useful story behind the memorable name, rather than a claim that the beer must taste aggressively harsh.

Compare aroma first, then the aftertaste against Reach Around. A grilled burger gives the stronger hop profile something savory to work against. The IPA roundup adds other hop combinations to investigate when you want to move beyond this two-beer comparison.

BAR NOTES

Space Otter is the 5% American pale ale in this Mispillion trio. Citra and Azacca are the named hops, giving you a lighter-strength route into the brewery’s hop range. It deserves a first pour instead of being treated as an afterthought between two IPAs.

Taste it before Reach Around and Not Today Satan so its smaller scale remains clear. Our American pale ale guide explains the category’s balancing act. A lightly seasoned chicken wrap is a useful pairing when you want hop aroma without the heavier beer dominating lunch.

BAR NOTES

Sway is Crooked Hammock’s year-round 7.2% New England IPA, brewed with Citra and Mosaic. Soft citrus and tropical-hop impressions are the intended focus. Its role in the flight is the full-strength hop beer alongside a light lager and a coconut golden ale.

Drink a fresh glass rather than judging the beer by haze alone. Compare it with Dewey’s Swishy Pants on a separate visit to explore different hop blends. Our hazy IPA guide gives the brewing background for the softer texture associated with this broad style.

BAR NOTES

Hammock Light is a 4.2% light lager with a producer-listed 10 IBU. Its appeal is a crisp, uncomplicated pour that fits before the more aromatic beers. The lower strength does not remove the need for clean fermentation and a malt balance worth noticing.

Order it first when you want a useful baseline for the flight. A clean glass and a simple grilled sandwich let its gentle grain character remain visible. The lager roundup shows how much variety exists inside a category that is sometimes dismissed too quickly.

BAR NOTES

South To Somewhere is the current 4.9% coconut golden ale. Crooked Hammock identifies fresh coconut as an ingredient, giving the beer a tropical direction beyond hop-derived fruit impressions. Current producer figures guide this card because some older venue listings show a different strength.

Read the current can and compare coconut aroma with the lighter malt base. A spicy grilled shrimp dish is a useful pairing experiment. Our blonde ale roundup offers simpler golden-beer comparisons, helping you isolate what the coconut contributes rather than assuming all golden ales taste alike.

BAR NOTES

Thompson Island IPA is currently listed by the producer at 6.5%, with citrus-peel, pine, and tropical-hop impressions. Older directory entries show 6%, so check the current package when comparing versions. The signature beer gives you the brewery’s straightforward hop-led introduction.

Try it with a woodfired meal after sampling No Bad Days. The West Coast IPA guide offers a useful comparison for pine-and-citrus hop expression without establishing an identical recipe. A small first pour leaves room to investigate the brewery’s more experimental releases afterward.