Twin Lakes Brewery leaving Greenville, moving to new location

Twin Lakes Brewing Co. is moving from its Greenville home to a new, yet-unnamed Delaware location, according to Jack Wick, a company founder.

The tasting room and tours at 4210 Kennett Pike brewery have been closed to the public since June. In a Facebook post Tuesday to the First State Brewers' group, former head brewer Rob Pfeiffer said he and another brewer left the operation "a couple of weeks ago."

Wick said the brewery is moving because its lease was up in 2013. He said several Delaware locations were considered and a lease has been signed.

An announcement about the new site is pending, Adam Doherty, the company's CEO, said in an email.

Wick said he hopes to reopen by August.

On Tuesday morning, John H. Cordrey, Delaware's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner, said Twin Lakes has contacted his office about moving the brewery, but has not yet filed the required $1,000 application paperwork.

He said the process takes at least 30 days. Cordrey said notice must be given to property owners anywhere from 200 to 1,000 feet of the new location.

Delaware now has at least seven microbreweries, Cordery said, and two more applications are pending. There also are a variety of brewpubs - restaurants that make their own beer - throughout the state.

Cordery said he was glad to hear Twin Lakes was staying in Delaware. "They're a good brewery."

Twin Lakes Brewery has been in operation since April 2006. It was co-founded by Wick, Matt Day and Sam Hobbs, whose great grandfather was DuPont Co. director Eugene E. du Pont. Wick said Hobbs is still a brewery owner.

For nine years, the operation has been located inside a Greenville barn retrofitted into a brewery on land off Kennett Pike that's been owned by Hobbs' family for several generations.

The historic barn, dating back to about 1826, originally was the art studio of Hobbs' uncle George "Frolic" Weymouth, founder of the Brandywine River Museum, the Chadds Ford, Pa., institution that specializes in Wyeth family paintings.

The brewery's name comes from two ponds, known as the "twins," that were on either side of the driveway of the 252-acre family farm.

Since at least the 1920s – according to News Journal files – the Hobbs family allowed the public to skate free of charge and at their own risk on the landmark "twin" ponds. One collapsed several years ago, and one pond remains.

Twin Lakes Brewery produces American-style ales and lagers made with water from the deep rock aquifer located on the Twin Lakes Farm.

In 2011, Twin Lakes started canning its flagship brew, Greenville Pale Ale, for distribution in six-packs and cases.

Twin Lakes beers, which are named for local sites and historical figures, are sold at Delaware liquor stores, in pubs and restaurants and distributed to nearby states.

The Delaware Burger Battle, which had been held on the Twin Lakes Brewery property for the past three years, has moved been to a new location for its Aug. 29 event. It will be held this year at Cauffiel House on 1016 Philadelphia Pike.

"Please await information when the tasting room will reopen to the public in the near future," reads a recent post on the Twin Lakes Brewery Facebook page.

In Greenville, the tasting room was open Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Wick said the tasting room at the new brewery site will be open more often.

"We have a great partnership and a long-term vision plan," he said.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico Read her blog at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings