© Dogfish Head Brewing
Sam Calagione is a true craft beer pioneer. In June of 1995, he opened the first brewpub in Delaware. “My goal was to have Dogfish be the first American Brewery focused on brewing beers with culinary ingredients from around the word instead of focusing on adhering to modern beer styles and recipes,” says Calagione.
He was living in New York City, taking some classes at Columbia and working at a beer bar when he caught the craft beer bug – thanks to brands like Chimay and Sierra Nevada. “After my first homebrew (made with cherries) turned out pretty darn tasty, I declared that brewing is what I wanted to do for a living.”
Photo © Dogfish Head Brewing
The name comes from an actual place called Dogfish Head. As Calagione says, it’s pretty much just “a jut of land located off the Maine coast.” He would spend his summers there as a kid. “When I told my dad I wanted to open a brewpub, he said, ‘You should name it Dogfish Head.’ The rest, as they say, is history.”
That’s Odd, Let’s Drink It
Calagione really believes in the good karma that comes with focusing on collaboration instead of the bad karma that comes with focusing on competition. The idea for the show came from a need to explore the art and oddities of experimental brewing at its most exotic and unique. Each episode, he teams up with a special guest who is at the forefront of his respective field to debut an experimental beer. “You’ve probably heard that old adage that every person has at least be one good novel in them.” He adds, “I believe in something more provocative and delicious than that. I believe every person has at least one great beer in them.” All they require is a fearless brewer like Calagione to coax it out of them. “I am stoked this show lets me do just that with some of the most creative and talented people in the world.”
Photo © Dogfish Head Brewing
The guests that will appear on the show are: Celebrity chef Mario Batali, NBA player Chris Bosh, world-class DJ Z-Trip, actors Ken Marino & Joe Lo Truglio and rap star Mac Miller. The first episode premieres on October 28th. New episodes will air each Wednesday on firstwefeast.com/thatsodd for a total of six weeks with the last episode running on December 2nd.
Photo © Dogfish Head Brewing
On top of promoting the show, Calagione is also set to release Dogfish Head’s 20th anniversary beer, Higher Math – a golden ale brewed with sour cherry juice and chocolate and clocks in at a whopping 17% ABV. “It’s like a big old cherry chocolate liquid birthday cake.” They are also releasing a collaboration with Woolrich, “Pennsylvania Tuxedo – a spruce-infused pale ale that pays homage to the flannel-suited hunters and gathers who dwell deep in the backcountry of Pennsylvania.” It’s made with tons of fresh spruce tips. “This 8.5% ABV ale smells like Paul Bunyan’s cologne and tastes like making out with Mother Nature.”
