Dogfish Head, Dewey Beer Co. create 'perfect fall beer' for Analog-A-Go-Go

The taste of apple cider and warm doughnuts bring the nostalgic feelings of fall to mind. 

Now, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Dewey Beer Co. and Fifer Orchards are bringing those feelings to the craft beer world. 

The three Delaware businesses are collaborating on a new, limited-edition beer that emulates the flavors of Fifer Orchards' apple cider doughnuts. The currently unnamed brew will be available during the Analog-A-Go-Go event weekend from Nov. 16-18 held at multiple Dogfish locations including Rehoboth Beach's Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats and Milton's Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. 

“This will be a perfect fall beer," said Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery CEO and founder. 

Dogfish is on its eighth annual Analog-A-Go-Go event and Calagione explained every year the brewery teams up with another brewery to make a limited-edition beer. 

Dogfish was planning to collaborate with Dewey Beer Co. when Mike Fennemore, owner of Fifer Orchards, came to Calagione with the idea of using the orchard's apple cider doughnut as beer inspiration. 

Dogfish has been buying vegetables for its food menus and fruits for its beer and spirits from Fifer Orchards for over two decades, Calagione explained. An owner of Dewey Beer Co. also previously worked at Fifer, so the three part collaboration only seemed natural.

“It makes more sense if we do this as a three-way collaboration for exponential awesomeness," he said. 

Calagione also explained Dogfish has a strong commitment to using fresh ingredients in their beers. 

“The closer we can source those from the ground outside the door of our brewery, the better they are, the better we feel about supporting our community," he said. 

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The apple cider doughnut beer is the meant to give the drinker feelings of fall. Calagione said it includes sweet notes from apple cider, molasses and Madagascar vanilla bean, rustic bread notes, and hop bitterness to balance the sweetness. 

“The beer will have all the characteristics of a beautiful doughnut,” he said. 

The beer is a bit stronger with a 7 to 8 percent alcohol level. 

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It will take on an opaque brown color mimicking the apple cider doughnut. Calagione said the breweries are intentionally allowing the haze that will come from the cider in the beer to be included. 

The beer will be a brown ale amber style, said Michael Reilly, Dewey Beer Co. head brewer and co-owner. 

For Reilly, the biggest goal is to create a balanced beer for an easy fall drink. 

“You want them all to meld together to make a perfect combination of flavor," he said. 

Reilly said getting to work with Dogfish was a great experience and having more people involved makes the beer-making process even better.

“It’s not challenging it’s actually super fun,” Reilly said. 

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Dogfish Head is currently brewing the beer in anticipation of Analog-A-Go-Go. The brewery will make 16 kegs, offering some at the event and on tap at Brewings & Eats and Dewey Beer Co. while supplies last. 

The next step? Finding a name to match the fun flavors.

“The naming part is super fun, but challenging now that there’s 7,000 breweries in America finding a name that hasn’t been taken yet,” Calagione said. 

To get the creative juices flowing for the naming process, Calagione said the best thing to do is, of course, drink beer. 

If you go: 

What: Analog-A-Go-Go 

When: Nov. 16-18

Where: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, 6 Cannery Village Center in Milton, Delaware, Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave in Rehoboth Beach, Chesapeake & Maine, 316 Rehoboth Ave in Rehoboth Beach and the Dogfish Inn, 105 Savannah Rd in Lewes

Cost: $20 for Nov. 17 event at Milton brewery

Buy tickets: Dogfish.com/analog-a-go-go