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How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione changed Delaware brewing laws

January 26, 2015Keith Gribbins

Sam Calagione has a great personality, and you can just feel it in this hilarious video. It was nearly 20 years ago to the day last week when Dogfish Head Brewery opened its excellent brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Del. (we still go there at least once a year). In this quick video, Calagione recounts the big day he went to the brewpub to take down the old sign of the last failed restaurant when some passerby (upon asking what he planned for the new business) informed him it was illegal to brew commercially in the State of Delaware. Calagione had no idea. In fact, in 1995, Calagione was weeks away from opening Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats when he found out, so he ended up creating a bill that eventually made brewing commercially legal in Delaware. Just watch the video above. Calagione tells it better.

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Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione is a proud citizen of the Dickies Nation
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TheDogsOfBeer says

    January 31, 2015 at 11:28 am

    @CrowdBrewed @CraftBrewingBiz @dogfishbeer although it was Marty Haugh of Rockford Brewing that got the laws in line 4 microbreweries in DE

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  2. TheDogsOfBeer says

    January 31, 2015 at 10:42 am

    RT @CrowdBrewed: How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione Changed Delaware Law http://t.co/RaOsBOlY1R @craftbrewingbiz @dogfishbeer #laws @TheDogsO…

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  3. VicinityBrew says

    January 29, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione changed Delaware brewing laws http://t.co/7w5Hk9OOEk

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  4. BeerLawCenter says

    January 28, 2015 at 7:00 pm

    Not a new story, but it is a good story >> How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione changed Delaware law http://t.co/EKcNKPl9pT @CraftBrewingBiz

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  5. HarlemBlueBeer says

    January 28, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    #BlueLightHustle How #DogfishHead ’s Sam #Calagione changed Delaware law http://t.co/M24Snhbhj8 via @craftbrewingbiz #craftbeer #bluelight

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  6. JanetLindenmuth says

    January 28, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione changed Delaware law http://t.co/Seh5oouSze via @craftbrewingbiz

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  7. CrowdBrewed says

    January 28, 2015 at 3:17 pm

    How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione Changed Delaware Law http://t.co/RaOsBOlY1R @craftbrewingbiz @dogfishbeer #laws @TheDogsOfBeer #brewery

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  8. Brew & Be Covered - Texas says

    January 27, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    Brew & Be Covered – Texas liked this on Facebook.

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  9. palanole says

    January 26, 2015 at 11:32 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: How Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione changed Delaware brewing laws. Hilarious story @dogfishbeer http://t.co/Lp1YVlkyC3

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  10. Ryan Salisbury says

    January 26, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    Ryan Salisbury liked this on Facebook.

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  11. Scott Davidson says

    January 26, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    Scott Davidson liked this on Facebook.

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  12. Mateusz Górski says

    January 26, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    Mateusz Górski liked this on Facebook.

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Trackbacks

  1. Behind the Brew-sic | Beardless Beer Guy says:
    December 17, 2015 at 10:21 pm

    […] Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione was well on his way to opening day when he discovered that operating a brewpub in the state of Delaware was not legal. No problem. He just worked to draft legislation and pass a bill to change the law. Really. See Sam tell the tale. […]

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