Each April 11, beer enthusiasts around the world raise their glasses in honor of King Gambrinus, the legendary king of beer. In 2020, the Friends of Delaware’s Gambrinus Statue (FDGS) began a new tradition by celebrating the king and Delaware producers of beer, cider, mead, spirits, and wine with a Facebook Live statewide toast.

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?

On Monday, April 11, 2022, participating Delaware craft beverage producers will celebrate Delaware’s King Gambrinus Day. Since this year’s event lands on a Monday, some producers may celebrate the day on Sunday, April 10 instead. You’re encouraged to contact your local brewery, cidery, meadery, distillery, and winery to ask how they are celebrating the day – special events, drinks specials, toasts, etc. – in their tap and tasting rooms.

We hope you’ll join us for the annual statewide toast in honor of Delaware’s craft beverage producers and King Gambrinus on April 11 at 7 p.m. at Midnight Oil Brewing Company. The toast will be simulcast via Facebook Live on Restore the King’s Facebook group page.

So, here’s to King Gambrinus.

And here’s to Delaware’s 38 breweries, 3 cideries/meaderies, 6 distilleries, and 4 wineries! Thanks for all that you do.

Wilmington Brew Works has just released one of its flagship beers, Krauch’s Creation – a helles style lager – in cans. But this release is special because the can’s graphics acknowledge the First State’s rich brewing history and reference two active brewing heritage projects – Restore the King and the Christian Krauch Memorial Fund.

The front of the Brew Works’ can features a colorful image of the old Diamond State Brewery’s King Gambrinus statue, in homage to a similar image that graced the former brewery’s Stoeckle Select brand bottles and cans in the 1940s and ‘50s. The reverse side of the label tells the story of Christian Krauch, pioneer brewer and Delaware’s Father of Lager Beer, for whom Krauch’s Creation is named. The label also features QR codes linking to websites for Restore the King, the effort to renovated Delaware’s King Gambrinus statue, and the Krauch Memorial Fund, the campaign to place a monument on Krauch’s unmarked grave.

Check out this video involving Brew Works’ John Fusco and Delaware beer historian John Medkeff discussing Krauch’s Creation can release.

The Friends of Gambrinus offer Wilmington Brew Works a debit of gratitude for their unfailing support for Delaware beer heritage projects and appreciation of the First State’s rich brewing heritage.

From 1865 until Prohibition, Hartmann & Fehrenbach’s Brandywine Lager Beer Brewery in Wilmington’s Forty Acres neighborhood was one of the Delaware region’s largest breweries. H&F supplied the Delmarva and beyond with their award-winning lager beer, porter, brown stout, and ale.

This shirt, featuring H&F’s mysterious Pegasus logo, pays tribute to one of Wilmington’s historic Big Three breweries.

Proceeds from the sale of this limited run shirt will be donated to Restore the King, the campaign to save the Delaware’s iconic King Gambrinus statue. Sales ends May 7, 2021,

Order your shirt here.

From 1872 until 1954, the name Stoeckle was synonymous with great beer in the Delaware Valley.

During this holiday season, the Friends of Gambrinus is offering this limited run shirt celebrating the legacy of the Stoeckle Brewing Company and their historic Diamond State Brewery.

Proceeds from the sale of this shirt will be donated to Restore the King, the campaign to save the Diamond State Brewery’s iconic King Gambrinus statue.

Order your shirt here.

Exciting news from the Friends of Gambrinus!

The Friends of Gambrinus is very pleased to announce a unique premium available to Restore the King campaign donors.

For a limited time, we’re offering detailed resin miniatures of Delaware’s historic King Gambrinus statue as donation premiums. The statuettes are exact replicas of the iconic sculpture that graced Wilmington’s Diamond State Brewery from 1882 until 1962. They are faithfully reproduced from a laser scan of the original king statue.

For a minimum donation of $275, you’ll receive a 9” tall resin King Gambrinus statuette. A 5” tall replica is available for a donation of at least $175.

Why not treat yourself or that special beer lover to a special slice of Delaware beer history and support a good cause in the process?

Click DONATE on the SUPPORT US page to take advantage of this special premium offer and help Restore the King. Please indicate if you would like a 5″ or 9″ replica when donating.

The Friends of Delaware’s Gambrinus Statue, Inc. is proud to announce that we recently earned a 2019 Bronze Seal by adding information to our Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar. Now our community members as well as 10+ million GuideStar users can find out more about our mission and programs. Plus, we’ve provided fresh information to 200+ charitable websites and applications that use GuideStar data, such as AmazonSmile, Facebook, and Network for Good.

What do you think? Check out our GuideStar profile here.

GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. Foundation Center and GuideStar have joined forces to become a new nonprofit called Candid.

Donate now to help Restore the King, Delaware’s King of Beer.

The Friends of Delaware’s Gambrinus Statue, Inc. (FDGS) is pleased to announce that the Restore the King campaign has reached a significant milestone – 20% of the project’s $100,000 fundraising goal total.

FDGS would like to thank those who have boosted the effort to bring Delaware’s King of Beer back to the First State through your direct donations and attendance at events like Delaware: A Brew Story and Wilmington’s Downtown Brew Fest.

We recognize that there are so many worthy public causes and sincerely appreciate your continued support. If you would like to make a charitable contribution to further support Restore the King’s cause, please click here.

Look for exciting announcements about King Gambrinus in the months ahead.

You did it! Because of your generous support, the King Gambrinus Day Challenge has been met!

Thanks to everyone who donated to this campaign. You met the match and helped turn an anonymous $5,000 donation into $10,000!

While this fund-raising goal has been satisfied, much hard work remains to Restore the King.

We look forward to sharing exciting news about the King Gambrinus statue project in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, it’s never too late to donate to help save this important Delaware icon.

Thanks to reporters Ryan Cormier and Jerry Habraken and The News Journal for providing exceptional coverage of the Restore the King campaign.

Click here to view the story and video at Delawareonline. 

Look for additional coverage on Restore the King in the forthcoming November edition of Out & About Magazine.