The 5 biggest Delaware cities & towns without a brewery (and why they want one)

With about 25 breweries now slingin' suds across Delaware in cities and towns big and small, it got us thinking.

What are the biggest municipalities in the state that don't have a brewery?

Sure, it might sound like a Delaware beer geek drinking game, but we put our pints down and researched the five biggest First State spots without their own hometown brewery. 

While the state's biggest cities each have at least one brewery (Wilmington, Dover, Newark), there are also much smaller towns with one as well, including Dewey Beach, Newport and Delmar.

In a state with 57 incorporated municipalities, these are the five biggest without their own brewhouse. We reached out to a city or town official in each location to gauge whether fermentation might be headed their way anytime soon.

In each conversation, they said would welcome a brewery. Now, it's just up to a beer-maker to come to town armed with malt and hops.

Seaford

Population 7,736. We spoke with City Manager Charles Anderson.

Has the city been approached by any potential breweries in the past? "Not really, we have not had a real serious inquiry to date."

Would one be a good fit? "We are certainly open to those opportunities and have really put the feelers out there, if you will. Breweries are unique. It's a big deal. People travel to visit them. Seaford has shown success with small restaurants and drinking establishments in our downtown. Bon Appetit Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in the state and they are thriving. Plus, if you look at our core downtown, we have the Nanticoke River down there and it would be a picturesque place for a brewpub."

What would be the benefits and/or drawbacks? "It would provide residents with another option and bring visitors in who eat, spend money and go shopping. As far as a drawback, I can't really see one. There's just a lot of positive there. These places create a destination with uniqueness."

Are you surprised one hasn't opened yet considering your size? "To be honest with you, yes. They have even sprung up in cities smaller than ours and they're doing well. I just wonder what the headwinds are that prevent it from happening. We would like to know because if there's something we can do to fix it, we ought to fix it."

Elsmere

Population 6,106. We spoke with Mayor Eric Scott Thompson.

Has the city been approached by any potential breweries in the past? "No, we have not. Elsmere has not been approached by anyone trying to set up a brewery."

Would one be a good fit? "We would definitely entertain anybody who would want to set up one. I don't know if we have the ordinances in place for something like that yet, but absolutely. The ones I have been to seem to add a benefit to wherever they are."

What would be the benefits and/or drawbacks? "It would increase people coming into town, give us an opportunity for us to show off Elsmere and become a place for the people of Elsmere to go have a good time and enjoy themselves. It's a nice place to hang out. It's amazing how the IPA craze has really gone nuts. There's a lot of creativity there and people are willing to try new things."

Are you surprised one hasn't opened yet considering your size? "No, not really. I've been thinking, 'Where would one go?' The way we're zoned, it couldn't be in someone's house or garage. It would have to be a location and I'm thinking about Kirkwood Highway. But that would be a much bigger investment for someone who has come up with a great recipe and is just getting started. There are some places available [on Kirkwood Highway], but it would take some work to retrofit it. There would be a capital expense associated with it. They can't just pop up overnight. That may be one of the deterrents, presently." 

New Castle 

Population 5,357. We spoke with City Manager William Barthel.

Has the city been approached by any potential breweries in the past? "Have we been approached and had an official discussion about it? I'd say no."

Would one be a good fit? "For the right spot, it would be a good fit. We're always looking for and encouraging businesses of all kinds to come into the city. With the right location and the right company, sure."

What would be the benefits and/or drawbacks? "These breweries are all over the state and it would help attract tourists. With the pier and the other great restaurants we have, I think it could be a great attraction for people both outside and inside the city." 

Are you surprised one hasn't opened yet considering your size? "To a degree, I'd say so because they are so popular and have an upside to them for the right investor. I'm not especially surprised, but it's a little interesting that someone hasn't come into town and established one at this point."

Millsboro

Population 4,293. We spoke with Town Manager Sheldon Hudson.

Has the city been approached by any potential breweries in the past? "Not that I can think of and I've been with the town for about three years."

Would one be a good fit? "While most of the county is seeing a lot of retiree growth — and we are seeing some of that — we're seeing a lot of working professionals and families relocating in town because we're becoming a little bit of a restaurant and retail-type hub. These working professionals, Millennials and Gen Xer's are looking for something to do, so more entertainment options like sports bars and brewpubs would definitely be good for enhancing the appeal to that demographic slice. There's definitely a need, so we're trying to roll out the red carpet to restaurants, investors and developers so they give Millsboro a second look."

What would be the benefits and/or drawbacks? "It would give those Millennials, Gen Xer's and working professionals another reason to relocate here. It would just add another dimension. Maybe Baby Boomers were drawn to something different, like a traditional bar. The younger folks are more attracted to the breweries and brewpubs. It's just adapting to trends."

Are you surprised one hasn't opened yet considering your size? "I'm a little bit surprised, but I think part of the reason why is that we may have to do some code updates to make it more friendly. Over the last couple of years, we've been doing that. So I think we're better positioned moving forward to land something like that. We're just getting the word out that we're open to embracing some of the changes in the marketplace. There's no better way to do that than code. Code isn't exciting and sexy to talk about, but for a developer or restaurateur, it's huge because they want to make sure it's a friendly environment."

Laurel

Population 4,160.  We spoke with Town Manager Jamie Smith.

Has the city been approached by any potential breweries in the past? "We had someone express some interest in possibly opening one about a year ago, but they just had questions about our code and whether it was permitted. There has never been a formal request."

Would one be a good fit? "I think so, yes."

What would be the benefits and/or drawbacks? "A benefit would be that it would attract people to come to the town. We have a project called The Ramble [a mixed-use redevelopment project along Broad Creek] with a walkway and nature-based playground. One of the things we talked about when designing this was having a brewery or a brewpub like that in the area. I think the town would be very open it. Right now, Abbott's on Broad Creek is the place along The Ramble to get an adult beverage."

Are you surprised one hasn't opened yet considering your size? "Not necessarily. We do have some commercial property in town, but a lot of it is occupied. There aren't many vacant commercial buildings, so that's a drawback right now. But if more buildings opened or what have you, it's a good possibility."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

DELAWARE'S BIGGEST CITIES AND TOWNS WITH BREWERIES

1. Wilmington, population 71,106

2. Dover, population 37,538

3. Newark, population 33,858

4. Middletown, population 21,897

5. Smyrna, population 11,584

6. Milford, population 11,075

Source: U.S. Census population estimate (July, 2017)

DELAWARE SMALLEST TOWNS WITH BREWERIES

1. Dewey Beach, population 379

2. Newport, population 1,050

3. Rehoboth Beach, population 1,488

4. Delmar, population 1,765

5. Milton, population 2,879

Source: U.S. Census population estimate (July, 2016)