The Friends of Delaware’s Gambrinus Statue, Inc. (FDGS) recently earned Candid’s 2024 Silver Seal of Transparency. Candid (formerly GuideStar) is the world’s largest source of information on non-profit organizations.

Our rating puts FDGS in the top 0.1% of charities nationally regarding transparency and demonstrates FDGS’s commitment to transparency and means that it has shared clear and important information with the public about our goals, strategies, capabilities, achievements, and progress indicators.

Tickets have officially sold out for the 2024 Delaware: A Brew Story event taking place on Saturday, 1/27/2024 from 5-9 PM at Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington.

Thanks to those who purchased tickets. Proceeds from this event benefit Restore the King.

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Join us on Friday, January 5 from 5-7 PM at Blue Ball Barn for an Art Loop Wilmington free event, featuring beer-related artwork and more from local artists and designers, including:

• Mandee Boucher, director of marketing & graphic design, Big Oyster Brewery
• Sarah DeFlaviis, owner & designer, Sassafras Studio (design for Bellefonte Brewing Co., Stitch House Brewery, & others)
• John Fusco, co-owner/VP creative & brand marketing, Wilmington Brew Works
• Pat Higgins, illustrator and cartoonist (design for Wilmington Brew Works & others)
• Joe Hoddinott, owner, photographer, & designer, Phojoegraphy (design for Twisted Irons Craft Brewing, Painted Stave Distillery, & others)

Frank’s Wine will be on hand to pour complimentary beverages.

This Art Loop event serves as a special preview of the “Art of Brewing” theme, which will be examined in more detail during the Delaware: A Brew Story beer tasting event on Saturday, 1/27/24 from 5-7 PM at Blue Ball Barn. Advanced tickets to Brew Story can be purchased here.

Beer and history lovers, get your tickets now for the eighth annual Delaware: A Brew Story, the Wilmington area’s most popular and longest-running craft beverage tasting events, taking place Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 5-9 p.m. inside Blue Ball Barn at Alapocas Run State Park. Brew Story is known for its unique spin, mixing a Delaware-centric craft beverage tasting with a local beverage history theme.

Enjoy unlimited samples from several of Delaware’s finest craft beer producers. Raffle baskets filled with brewery merchandise, gift certificates, tasting vouchers, and more will be up for grabs. Food will be available on-site for purchase from area food trucks.

The theme of this year’s event, “The Art of Brewing,” focuses on the impact of graphic art on Delaware’s beer industry from pre-Prohibition until the present day. The event includes a presentation on the history of Delaware brewery graphics, followed by an entertaining, show-and-tell panel discussion with several artists and designers involved in the state’s current beer scene.

Chase the winter blahs away and treat yourself to an evening of fun at Delaware: A Brew Story.

Ticket prices are $40 for general admission (includes access to the event, unlimited beverage samples, and a SiliPint tasting glass) and $10 for designated drivers (includes access to the event and a reusable water bottle). You must be at least 21 years of age or older to attend this event.

A Brew Story ticket makes a great holiday gift! Click here for additional Brew Story details and to purchase your advanced tickets before the event sells out. Enter code FODGS24 at checkout to receive a $5 discount.

All proceeds from ticket sales and raffles benefit the Friends of Wilmington Parks and Restore the King, the effort to save Delaware’s historic King Gambrinus statue.

Delaware: A Brew Story is brought to you by Alapocas Run State Parks in partnership with the Friends of Wilmington State Parks and the Friends of Delaware’s Gambrinus Statue and sponsored in part by Renewal by Andersen.

Event Benefits Statue’s Restoration

After a three-year hiatus, the largest craft beverage festival in northern Delaware is set to return to Wilmington. The Delaware Cadillac Downtown Brew Fest takes place Saturday, August 12, 2023, from noon to 7 p.m. along the entire 800 block of North Market Street.

Patrons of the fourth annual event can sample a variety of beverages from 56 craft companies, many of them from the First State. Music will be provided by the Flying Komoroski Brothers, Sug Daniels, Frankie Goes to Dollywood, and DJ Andrew Hugh. The outdoor block party also includes a cornhole tournament and homebrew competition. Food will be available for purchase from food trucks and participating restaurants along the festival block.

Advanced tickets and additional event information are available online at www.BrewFestWilm.com.

The $50 General Admission tickets include 1 p.m. entry and unlimited beverage samplings. VIP tickets at $75 include noon admission, a designated covered seating area with special reserve beer samplings and finger foods, and unlimited beverage samplings. Designated drivers and those under the age of 21 may purchase admission tickets at $12, which does not include beverage samplings.

Proceeds from the event benefit Restore the King, the effort to repair Delaware’s King Gambrinus statue and bring back it to public display. The 140-year-old sculpture was mounted on Wilmington’s Diamond State Brewery from 1888 until 1962 and has been in storage since it was broken in 1978. Details about the project can be found at www.RestoreTheKing.com.

After a three-year hiatus, the always popular Downtown Brew Fest returns to the 800 block of Wilmington on Saturday, August 12, 2023 from noon to 7 p.m. The block party features more than 50 craft beverage vendors pouring their products, along with food trucks, an impressive roster of live music, a cornhole tournament, a homebrew competition, vendors, and raffle prizes.

Visit BrewFestWilm.com for more information and to purchase advanced tickets.

Proceeds from the event benefit Restore the King.

We’re pleased to offer our generous patrons the following premium gifts for their generous support for Restore the King.

When making your donation, please indicate your premium preference and, if applicable, the desired size/variation in the “Add special instruction to the seller” field of the online donation form.

9-inch King Gambrinus statuette

$275 minimum donation

5-inch King Gambrinus statuette

$175 minimum donation

This detailed resin miniature of Delaware’s historic King Gambrinus statue is an exact replica of the iconic sculpture that graced Wilmington’s Diamond State Brewery from 1882 until 1962. Available in 5-inch or 9-inch variations.

Restore the King logo t-shirt

$50 minimum donation

This adult-sized shirt is made of 100% cotton and pre-shrunk. The white tee features our colorful Restore the King graphic. The shirt is available in men’s sizes (Small through 4XL) and women’s (Small through 2XL) sizes.

Restore the King bottle opener keychain

$25 minimum donation

An ornamental cast metal bottle opener keychain with Restore the King’s logo.

Thanks to all the patrons who attended 2023 Smyrna Craft Beverage Fest for a very successful event last Saturday. We sincerely appreciate your support, along with event host How Do You Brew; our volunteers but especially music director, Tony LaBoy; the generous craft beverage vendors for their time and products ; the musicians who treated us to great tunes; the food trucks for the delicious eats; and the Town of Smyrna for their support. We hope to see you again next year at the 3rd Annual Smyrna Craft Beverage Fest in 2024.

If you missed the event, stay tuned. We’ll have an announcement soon about another craft beverage festival on August 12 supporting Restore the King.

Join in the statewide event Tuesday, April 11 as Delaware celebrates its vibrant craft beverage scene on the Diamond State’s fourth annual King Gambrinus Day.

Over the last quarter century, the First State’s craft beverage industry has developed into a significant cultural, economic, and social driver, worthy of a day of recognition. What better day to celebrate Delaware’s bringers of good cheer – our craft producers – than April 11, the day dedicated to the mythical inventor of beer, Gambrinus?

Contact your local brewery to ask how they are celebrating the day in their tap or tasting room.

We also invite you to join Restore the King for the annual statewide toast to Delaware’s craft beverage producers and King Gambrinus on April 11, 7 p.m. at Twisted Irons Craft Brewery. The toast will be simulcast via Facebook Live on the Restore the King’s Facebook Group page.

So, here’s to King Gambrinus. And here’s to Delaware’s breweries, cideries, meaderies, distilleries, and wineries! Thanks for all that you do in bringing the public good cheer!

Check out this Delawareonline.com column detailing the effort behind Restore the King.