Dogfish & Dewey Beer Co. unveiling Fifer Orchards apple cider doughnut beer at Analog-A-Go-Go

Apple. Cider. Doughnut. Beer.

Yes, it's now a thing. And you can drink it starting this weekend.

The folks from Dogfish Head, Fifer Orchards and Dewey Beer Co. are the madcap geniuses behind the uniquely Delaware creation, pairing the mouth-watering seasonal favorite doughnuts with a couple of the beach's best breweries.

The 7% ABV brown ale brewed with Fifer doughnuts and apple cider, along with cinnamon and vanilla beans, will make its Rehoboth brewpub debut Friday at 11 a.m. as Dogfish kicks off its two-day Analog-A-Go-Go beer and music festival.

The eighth annual bash draws about 1,500 to Dogfish Head's Milton brewery and Rehoboth Beach brewpub, lured to the beach area on a chilly November weekend thanks to an array of super rare cask-conditioned beers paired with rock bands.

If you try the doughnut beer Saturday in Milton, you will then be able to get the real deal since the 18-foot Fifer Orchards Doughnut Food Truck will be on site, selling their hand-mixed apple cider doughnuts made with a knock-out blend of flour, spices, sugar and Fifer’s fresh apple cider, of course.

The concept grew out of an idea Michael Fennemore had --  Fifer's fourth generation co-owner.

He wanted to make a hard cider using Fifer's apple cider that would taste like an apple cider doughnut.

"I brought it to Dogfish since I really needed to get it into the hands of the professionals and from there is developed into a beer," he says.

While he hasn't had a chance to taste the new beer yet, the reaction to the idea of an apple cider doughnut beer has been off the charts.  

"Everyone pretty much falls out of their chair and cracks a smile as they wrap their heads around a doughnut beer -- quintessential fall in a pint glass," Fennemore adds. "It's pretty much a reaction of: 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this sooner?'"

The beers

Have Another Donut: The first-time collaboration between Dogfish, Dewey Beer Co. and Fifer Orchards is like a sweet, liquid doughnut that will give leave you with a buzz-on. "We threw nine pounds of actual doughnuts brewed fresh that morning into the mash tub," says Bryan Selders, Dogfish's brewing ambassador, who runs their brewing program.

Invisible Ink: Your eyes won't be deceiving you. This 6% ABV brew looks like a pilsner, but it's actually a stout -- a blonde stout to be exact. How's that? They took a toasty golden ale and brewed it with Askinosie Tanzanian and Ecuadorian cocoa nibs and shells that contribute flavor, but almost no color. It was officially released a couple of months ago and has surely left at least a few beer drinkers scratching their heads while rubbing their tummies.

Palo Santo Marron: This 12.5% ABV roasty and malty brown ale has been specially aged in bourbon barrels just for Analog.

Horchata: A 5.7% ABV golden cream ale first released in recent weeks and brewed to emulate the popular Mexican drink. "We started with a cream ale, amped up the body and sweetness with milk sugar, and then aged it on Madagascar vanilla beans and Ceylon cinnamon sticks. Served on cask with a low carbonation level to enhance the creaminess of the mouthfeel and bring balance to the warm cinnamon and sweet vanilla flavors, this golden, full-bodied beer is sure to please," Dogfish reports.

Raspberry Truffle Stout: How about a 6% ABV milk stout made with cocoa nibs and raspberries?

Pennsylvania Re-Tux:  A 8.5% ABV spruce tip pale ale with juniper berries, cranberries and orange that just screams autumn.

75 Minute IPA: The IPA that's perfectly nestled between Dogfish's 60 and 90 Minute IPA offerings -- why didn't they call it "The Goldilocks"? -- returns cask-style.

Nordic Rose: A 7.3% ABV Norwegian farmhouse ale brewed with rose, citrus peels, juniper, coriander and wildflower honey.

The spirits

There will be two samples of distillery concoctions up for grabs at Analog.

The first is a whiskey Manhattan made with Dogfish's new Whiskey Finished In Rum Casks -- a whiskey aged in barrels that were previously used for their Barrel Honey Rum. For the Manhattan, the whiskey is mixed with sweet vermouth and bitters.

Note: A limited number of the new Whiskey Finished In Rum Casks bottles will be sold on-site at the festival, nearly two weeks ahead of its official Nov. 29 release, which will bring it to Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., stores first.

For a more fruitful distillery option on Saturday, try the Bees Knees, a mixture of Dogfish's Whole Leaf Gin, honey and fresh lemon juice. 

The bands

Friday: Philadelphia singer/songwriter Michelle Zauner brings her experimental pop solo project known as Japanese Breakfast to the Rehoboth brewpub (320 Rehoboth Ave.) at 10 p.m.

Her Delaware stop comes after rocking Coachella over the spring and ahead of a three-night, year-end residency at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia from Dec. 29-31.

On Wednesday, it was announced Japanese Breakfast will perform at next year's Shaky Knees festival in Atlanta, which will be headlined by Tame Impala, Beck, Cage the Elephant and Incubus.

Saturday: The music cranks back up at 10 p.m. with Calagione and Selders opening the night as The Pain Relievaz, their self-described "most influential beer-geek hip-hop duo of our generation." (Yes, their tongues are firmly placed in their cheeks.)

In what they say will likely be their final public performance -- they have opened for everyone from Tone Loc to P.M. Dawn during their 15-year run -- expect humorous raps about beer.

So why are they calling it quits? "Because we're old," jokes Calagione, now 49. Adds Selders: "Actually, it's so we can have a comeback reunion tour, of course."

Once they are done the room will really shake when Trappist, a beer-centric thrash punk band from Los Angeles, grabs the musical baton and runs with it.

The three-piece also writes all about beer and booze, flown in by Dogfish especially for this short, but powerful set.

The food

After 10 beer and spirit samples, your belly will be growling on Saturday.

Not only can you dig into some of the food at the brewery's new Tasting Room & Kitchen -- they now have calzones, pizzas, salads, sandwiches and more --  but there will be an array of food trucks in Milton.

Choose from Dogfish's own Bunyan’s Lunch Box, I Don’t Give a Fork, Mojo Loco, Nellie’s Waffles, Scission Espresso, WiLDWiCH and the aforementioned Fifer Orchards doughnut truck.

The marketplace 

There will be about 25 vendors on site selling their wares from vinyl shops and artists to vintage clothing shops and glass-makers.

Delaware vendors will include the Dewey Artist Collaboration nonprofit making DIY bottle openers, Rehoboth vinyl shop Extended Play, Milton's Frantic Frets Music & Antiques, Bear-based Pat Higgins Illustration and Newark's Rainbow Records.

What's free and what needs a ticket?

With two days of events at two different locations, it could be confusing keeping track of it all.

But it really shouldn't be.

The nighttime live music shows at the Rehoboth Beach brewpub on Friday and Saturday are free to all -- no cover.

But if you want to attend the beer-sampling portion of the fest in Milton (500 Off Centered Way) on Saturday, you'll need a ticket.

How to get into the tastings

The Saturday tastings (both beer and spirits) start at 11 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. at the brewery in Milton.

It costs $20 and includes 10 samples, allowing you to choose between eight beers and two distillery options.

And if you’re not an alcohol-drinker, it’s $10 to get in the gate and the cost includes soda, access to the marketplace, along with the same treehouse and brewery tours that also come with the $20 ticket.

Kids ages 12 and younger are free to enter.

You can purchase tickets in advance at dogfish.com/analog-a-go-go or in person on the day of.

Analog-A-Go-Go's 8-year history

Launched in 2011, the festival has been held at Dogfish Head's properties every year except 2016 when it came north for a super-sized edition at Bellevue State Park.

The event, which usually draws about 1,500 people, was created as a way to put Dogfish's love of music on a pedestal, building on the brewery's music-themed beers and years of hosting free, original music in the brewpub.

"We are equally passionate about music as we are about beer, so on this weekend we get to combine those two loves and it's exponentially more awesome," Calagione says.

Even though the New Castle County version of the festival was the biggest event in the brewery's history, drawing 3,500 people to see acts such as Built to Spill, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Talib Kweli, it was a logistical nightmare and major time-suck for a group of employees tasked with pulling off the event.

The festival returned to Sussex County last year with performances by Waxahatchee and The Legendary Shack Shakers.

If you go

What: 8th annual Analog-A-Go-Go

When: Friday and Saturday

Where: Dogfish Head's Milton brewery (500 Off Centered Way) and Rehoboth Beach brewpub (320 Rehoboth Ave.) 

Cost: $20 (Only needed for Saturday beer and spirit sampling portion of the event.)

Full schedule: dogfish.com/analog-a-go-go

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).

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