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.

Saturday 3/4: Brewers Reserve Rare Beer Tasting (5-7 PM), Iron Hill Brewery, 620 Justison St., Wilmington, DE 19801

Enjoy charcuterie and rare beers along with a fascinating 20-minute story on the history of brewing in Wilmington by John Medkeff, author of Brewing In Delaware. This Wilmington Beer Week special event will be held upstairs in Iron Hill Wilmington’s upstairs banquet room.

Featured beers include:

• Wilmington Brew Works – Flanders Style Red, a Flemish-style Sour Red Lager with light caramel notes, and a tart, acidic bite
• Wilmington Brew Works – Surprise Beer…You’ll just have to attend to find out what they’re pulling from the cellar.
• Stitch Brewing Co. – Barleywine, a strong, malty English-style barleywine
• Autumn Arch Beer Project – Ranch Water, an imperial blonde ale brewed with agave, lime, and sea salt
• Iron Hill – St Malty of the Rum, Belgian quadruple aged in Rum barrels
• Iron Hill – Grand Inquisitor Imperial Stout, aged in bourbon barrels for a year
• Iron Hill – Old Ale vintages (2011-2014), a vertical of English-style old ales bottled and aged for a decade or more
• Iron Hill – St. Malty the Rum, a Belgian-style Quad Aged in Rum Barrels for one year
• Iron Hill – Surprise Beer… You’ll just have to attend to find out what they’re pulling from the library.

Tickets:  $50. Includes 6.5 oz. pours of all beers with accompanying charcuterie board.

Click this link for tickets.

Partial proceeds benefit Restore the King.

Tickets for the January 28, 2023 Delaware: A Brew Story event at Alapocas Run State Park are now officially sold out.

Thanks to those who purchased tickets to support Restore the King and our partners at the Friends of Wilmington State Parks. We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Beer and history lovers, get your ticket now for the seventh annual Delaware: A Brew Story, Wilmington’s premier annual craft beverage tasting event, taking place Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 5-9 PM 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 beverage 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.

This year’s Brew Story presentation examines the remarkable rise, fall, and reemergence in the popularity of canned beer. Beer historian John Medkeff and collector Matt Del Pizzo will offer a brief show-and-tell talk, followed by a special showing of “Beer Can: A Love Story,” the docu-comedy short by Del Pizzo and Wilmington filmmaker Gordon DelGiorno.

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 to attend this event.

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

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

Click here to purchase your advanced ticket before the event sells out.