Dogfish Celebrates First Brewery-Themed Inn With Port-to-Port Beer-Dinner Series

In late June, Dogfish Head Founder and President Sam Calagione is embarking on a 600-mile boat journey to celebrate the opening of the Dogfish Inn and raise money and awareness for The Nature Conservancy.

At five stops along the way – Atlantic City, Manhattan, Block Island, Boston and Portland – Sam will host multicourse beer dinners at some of his favorite restaurants.

In the spirit of the adventure, Dogfish Head and the host restaurants will donate $2,000 for each stop to The Nature Conservancy, a million-member nonprofit dedicated to conserving "the lands and waters on which all life depends."

Sam and his teenage son Sammy will set off in a 19-foot Boston Whaler on June 23 from The Dogfish Inn in picturesque Lewes, Del. They plan to pull in to Dogfish Head, Maine – the place where Sam spent summers as a kid and where the brewery got its name – on July 1.

"When Dogfish Head was just starting out in 1997, I rowed the first six-pack sold out of state across Delaware Bay to New Jersey," says Calagione. "This trip I’m taking with Sammy is like the varsity version of that JV trip, and I’m excited to show him and anyone who follows our adventure that a company can do well while doing good."

The launch point – the just-opened Dogfish Inn – is a first for the craft beer and hospitality industries. It’s an off-centered home base for beer geeks and beach lovers reflecting Dogfish Head’s offbeat approach to style, quality and craft. This new motel experience embraces modern style and convenience while celebrating an analog era of family vacations, big cars and endless summers.

The Dogfish Inn’s home in coastal Delaware – just a few hours from Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York – ensures not only a beautiful summer tourist season, but also shoulder seasons with great weather and warmer water temperatures than destinations to the north. On Oct. 1, for example, when the average temperature in Martha’s Vineyard is 58 and the water temperature is 62, the air in Delaware is 66 and the water is 68, making the Dogfish Inn the perfect launch pad to explore the natural goodness of Delaware.

As Sam and Sammy motor their way up the Eastern seaboard, they’ll be making pit stops to hike, paddleboard and photograph some of the coastal properties The Nature Conservancy protects. They’ll see places like South Cape May Meadows, a globally renowned birding spot at the southern tip of New Jersey; Pine Neck Nature Sanctuary, a 77-acre beachcomber’s dream on Long Island’s South Shore; and Berry Woods Preserve, home to a multi-use mosaic of conservation near Maine’s Kennebec River. 

At each overnight location, Sam will host a beer dinner highlighting the diversity, complexity and food-compatibility of Dogfish Head’s off-centered ales.

Along the way, A Moveable Feast (#MoveableFeast) will raise $10,000 for The Nature Conservancy. The Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy will get 25 percent, and the local chapter at each stop will get 75 percent.

"The Nature Conservancy is eternally grateful for Dogfish’s unflagging support," says Richie Jones, state director of the Delaware chapter. "We are thrilled to welcome Sam and his son to our preserves as they work their way along this epic journey."

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