Dogfish Head & CREEM Magazine Team Up For Boy Howdy Cream Ale

This morning, I have another new CREEM Magazine collaboration coming from Dogfish Head in Milton, Delaware. This is Boy Howdy, and it will be an American cream ale that will hit a sessionable 5.5%-AbV. This Small Batch Series beer will be packaged in 12-oz cans, and stay tuned for release details.

Label Text Dogfish Head Boy Howdy!:

“The Official Beer of Rock ‘N’ Roll! Brewed in partnership with CREEM Magazine & inspired by its iconic ‘Boy Howdy!’ can, this real-deal cream ale features the satisfying smoothness of select corn brightened by the zest vibrancy of Michigan-grown hops. Blessed with bright citrus & a touch of soulful herbs, experience ‘The Official Beer of Rock ‘N’ Roll!’ We brew our culinary-inspired beers using real ingredients. Every beer has a story rooted in adventurous flavors & creative brewing processes. Explore the goodness with every sip.”

This 29 July 2026 Update from Dogfish Head:

Before there was a partnership, a collaboration, or a beer, there was a shared obsession. For us and CREEM Magazine, that obsession has always been music.

Since the day we opened our doors more than 30 years ago, we’ve proudly dubbed ourselves beer geeks with a music problem. From hosting iconic bands on our stage to creating music-inspired beers, spirits and cocktails, and collaborating with artists and cultural icons, original music has always been woven into our DNA.

And then there’s CREEM.

Dubbed “America’s only rock ‘n’ roll magazine,” CREEM spent decades chronicling the artists, albums and attitudes that defined generations of music fans. Their work helped shape rock journalism as we know it today, building a legacy rooted in authenticity, irreverence and an unwavering love of great music.

So when the opportunity arose for us to put actual beer inside CREEM’s iconic prop can, Boy Howdy!, we were all in.  

The story behind Boy Howdy!

Longtime CREEM fans know that Boy Howdy! is much more than a catchphrase.

Lovingly dubbed Boy Howdy!, CREEM’s milk-bottle mascot first appeared in the magazine’s second issue back in 1969. Over the years, the simple-yet-psychedelic character became one of the publication’s most recognizable symbols, popping up on merchandise, magazine pages and, perhaps most famously, a beer can.

There was just one catch: the beer wasn’t real.

The iconic Boy Howdy! can was originally created as a prop for photo shoots. Despite never containing an actual beverage, it became a fixture of rock ‘n’ roll culture and developed a mythology all its own. For decades, fans wondered what a real Boy Howdy! beer might taste like.

As it turns out, we had some ideas.

An Analog-A-Go-Go exclusive goes regional

The first track on our Boy Howdy! mixtape began in 2024 at Analog-A-Go-Go, our annual celebration of analog beer, music and art held at our Milton Brewery.

We teamed up with CREEM to brew the first-ever real-life Boy Howdy! beer, available exclusively at the festival. This original batch gave festivalgoers the first chance to finally experience the beer that had lived for decades in rock ‘n’ roll lore and the response made it clear we’d struck a chord.

So we’re bringing it to the main stage. As part of our Small Batch Series, Boy Howdy! Cream Ale is making its way to taps and shelves throughout the Mid-Atlantic, allowing more folks than ever to experience this rockin’ collaboration for themselves.

A beer worthy of the can

Of course, when you’re tasked with brewing the official beer of rock ‘n’ roll, we couldn’t help but aim for something as iconic as the Boy Howdy! icon himself. And what better style to carry the name than a cream ale?

Not only does a cream ale make perfect sense for a CREEM partnership, but it’s also got one pretty punk rock origin story.

Back in the late 1800s, American brewers found themselves staring down a rapidly changing beer landscape. Crisp, pale lagers were surging in popularity, but not every brewery had the time, space or equipment needed for traditional lager brewing. Rather than wave the white flag, American brewers got creative, developing a style that borrowed the refreshing drinkability of lagers while relying on ale fermentation techniques. The result was cream ale: a uniquely American beer style born from ingenuity, independence and a willingness to bend the rules.

Boy Howdy! is a real-deal Cream Ale that features the satisfying smoothness of select corn brightened by the zesty vibrancy of Michigan-grown hops, a nod to the magazine’s Detroit roots. To put an off-centered spin on this classic beer style, we split the wort and fermented it separately with two different yeasts before bringing everything back together.

The result is a crisp, easy-drinking beer with bright citrus and a touch of soulful herb. It’s refreshing, approachable and a true American original that’s the perfect back beat for any rock ‘n’ roll adventure.

Boy Howdy! That’s Good.

What started as one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous fictional beers has officially become the real thing. From the pages of CREEM Magazine to taps and shelves across the Mid-Atlantic, Boy Howdy! is finally ready for its biggest tour yet.

Find Boy Howdy! Cream Ale on draft and in 6-packs near you using our Fish Finder, then pour a pint and turn the volume up. 

About Dogfish Head:

The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when we opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats – the first state’s first brewpub – in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The plan was to bring original beer, original food and original music to the area … and we did just that!

Not only was Dogfish Head Delaware’s first brewpub, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. With our very first batches brewed on a system that was essentially three little kegs with propane burners underneath, we were brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant. It proved to be more than a full time job and when the doors to the brewpub first opened, we brewed three times a day, five days a week! The benefit? Brewing on such a small system gave us the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes.

Insert ‘off-centered ales for off-centered people.’ Our hunger for weird ingredients and venturing off the beaten path was just getting started.

Fast-forward to 2002 and after spotting a stainless-steel bin in a rural Delaware scrapyard, our wandering eye led us to explore the wild and wonderful world of spirits. Sam worked with engineers and welders to reshape the tank in the form of a pot still – lovingly named ‘Frankenstill’ – and Dogfish Head’s days of hand-distilling gin, rum and vodka began. We’ve since expanded our distillery operations to our Milton campus with Frankenstill standing guard.

The off-centered fun doesn’t start and stop with beverages though … oh no. Here at Dogfish Head, we have places to eat, places to drink and places to play. The missing link? A place to stay. That’s why in 2013 we designed a basecamp for both beer lovers and adventure seekers alike – the Dogfish Inn. Located in historic downtown Lewes, it’s chock-full of style, quality and craft … let’s spend the night together!
But Wait, There’s More…


But before we get ahead of ourselves, we have a bit more to tell you. With connections to both the Maine and Chesapeake regions from our founders Sam and Mariah, it only makes sense that our coastal roots would lead to our very own seafood restaurant, and in 2016 we opened the geographically enamored Chesapeake & Maine. Featuring fresh seafood sourced exclusively from the coastal waterways between the Chesapeake & Maine, you’ll find our take on coastal dishes, handcrafted cocktails and Dogfish beers in a casual, nautical-themed atmosphere.
And just when you think there couldn’t possibly be more…

Still motivated by non-conformity, by spontaneity and by experimentation, Dogfish Head turned the page of our American craft beer story in May of 2019 and started our next chapter by merging with our longtime friends-in-beer – The Boston Beer Company. With complementary portfolios and a band of like-minded co-workers, we combined our own superpowers in the beer, spirits and off-centered experience worlds with Boston’s superpowers in building strong, diverse and innovative brands in craft beer and beyond-beer.

With a never ending thirst for exploring new waters, in 2021 we swam south for our next great adventure – Dogfish Head Miami. Located in the Wynwood neighborhood, this off-centered outpost was a place to celebrate all of our favorite things – innovative ales, tasty eats, and immersive art. Sadly, due to significant rent increases throughout the Miami area, we made the difficult business decision to permanantly close our Dogfish Head Miami doors in Nov. 2022. 

At every turn, our restless desire to create what hasn’t yet been imagined keeps us bringing new stories, new tastes, and new experiences to you.

Because we don’t jump on the bandwagon, we are the funky drummer.

Every day is an exploration. A thoughtful search through a crowded world, we search for that thing that makes us pause – that idea that excites us, the inspiration we can’t ignore. The journey can be unpredictable … but that’s what makes it kind of magical.
Dogfish Head Brewing & Spirits…


If you haven’t had the chance to taste Dogfish Head, find a beer, track down one of our spirits or visit one of our restaurants! You’ll quickly see why international beer writer Michael Jackson called Dogfish Head “America’s most interesting and adventurous small brewery.”

We’re beer geeks with a music problem. We’re analog beer for the digital age. We take what we do seriously … ourselves? Not so much. But mostly importantly, we make off-centered goodness for off-centered people and there’s a whole mess of us that work hand-in-hand to make it happen.

Founded in coastal Delaware by Sam and Mariah Calagione back in 1995, Dogfish continues to move in a slightly off-centered direction, motivated by non-conformity, spontaneity, and experimentation. We’ve been known to march to the beat of our own drum, and that’s just the way we like it.

There are over 2,000 of us now thanks to joining forces with our longtime friends in beer at the Boston Beer Company … so lots of people work together day in and day out to make Dogfish Head, well, Dogfish Head.
When we opened in downtown Rehoboth Beach as the smallest commercial brewery in the U.S., we began with a straight-forward, but unorthodox mission: off-centered ales for off-centered people.

Flash forward to today. We’re a bigger – but still small – brewery (with a distillery, tasting room, two restaurants, and a hotel!), with the same mission.

Thanks to a lot of awesome fans who believe in what we are doing as a company we have a lot of passionate, talented, and team-oriented co-workers who have come together to grow this company into a very special community. A community that has supported us fiercely since the day we opened our doors and a community that inspires us daily.

Here at Dogfish Head, yes, we make off-centered ales for off-centered people. The key word though … people. People means that all are welcome in our off-centered world. A world where we’re dedicated to providing a safe environment for our coworkers, guests, and partners. A world that is free of discrimination and intimidation, and where all are treated with respect and dignity.

With people at the heart of everything we do, the following behaviors are just not going to fly when you find yourself in any of our locations:

Physical touch without consent
Unwanted attention – staring, stalking, or trapping an individual
Hate speech or attire
Inappropriate, disruptive, or offensive behavior that crosses personal boundaries (unwanted nicknames, sexual remarks, remarks on physical appearance)

If we find that a guest is having a hard time sticking to the house rules listed above, they will be asked to leave. Actions that repeatedly threaten personal boundaries of our co-workers and guests have no place here.
There’s nothing we love more than sharing our space with new and old friends alike, but we want everyone to feel safe and respected. We’ve typed this out to make sure we’re all on the same page – because together we can craft a world where everyone is welcome. Now … who wants a beer?!

zzubreebym