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The Prodigal Beer

Dogfish Head returns to the Ocean State

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Once upon a time, the great Spanish scribe Cervantes said, “I drink when I have occasion – and some- times, when I have no occasion.” When it comes to hooch, an occasion to partake is always happier than no occasion, and lately beer-philic Rhode Islanders have special cause to toss back glasses. Friends, fellow barflies, it’s true: Dogfish Head has returned to our little corner of New England.

For those few, unfortunate souls who are unfamiliar with the Delaware-based beer company, Dogfish Head is a loose-collared but clever craft brewery that inspires a cultish devotion among its fans. And, partially because of that zealous fandom, the company decided in 2011 that it needed to halt sales in few states because it couldn’t keep up with customers’ thirsty demands. “We just couldn’t brew enough beer,” the company’s founder and President, Sam Calagione, said at the time. “We were left with a choice: leave shelves empty and frustrate beer enthusiasts everywhere, or stay true to our off-centered roots, and pull back.”

Sadly, Rhode Island was among the shunned states. (Wisconsin, Indiana and Tennessee rounded out the reject roster.) When the company announced its decision to pull up stakes here, beerhounds exploded with blue charm – or something like charm – on Twitter. “Have you ever looked at a f*cking map?” read one tweet. “You have to drive through Rhode Island on the way to Massachusetts.”

As anyone who marginally passed third-grade geography knows, Rhode Island is, indeed, sandwiched between other states that didn’t have their supply line cruelly cut. More than a few Dogfish devotees took advantage of that proximity via out-of-state liquor runs to keep a steady-ish home stock, but others got strategic. Crafty, even. Liam Maloney, Bottles’ Manager and Beer Director, says that his store’s machinations to lure Dogfish back began almost immediately.

“They made their announcement on a Friday afternoon. People kind of freaked out overnight, stockpiling whatever they had in cases and on draught,” he says. “Then, this past summer Dogfish posted a video thanking people for their patience, and promising to come back by year’s end. We thought it was a great opportunity to poke some fun, build a relationship and help them launch back locally.”

What followed was a series of mild send-up videos that feature both Maloney and Calagione – say that three times fast – and which are worth a Google search to watch. “They’ve been really, really good sports,” Maloney adds.

Once those videos helped break the news about an impending end to the drought, local beer fans rejoiced. But, like Samuel Clemens’s death, rumors of the company’s demise within state lines were a touch exaggerated. When Dogfish first made its announcement, some bars exercised creative stockpiling and never said die.

Julian’s on the West Side was one such place. “We have a big bash at the end of every year called the Longest Night of the Year party – a solstice thing – with live music, a killer buffet and an epic tap list,” General Manager Brian Oakley explains. “That’s one place we featured Dogfish on draft since they left, as well as doing an entire Dogfish Head beer dinner a year after they left and of course stuck some beers on draught here and there randomly.” And at Beervana, the craft beer festival that Oakley co-organizes, Dogfish always made an appearance.

Thanks to Dan Becker of the Duck and Bunny, the East Side wasn’t left dry, either. “I hoarded a few kegs,” he tells me. “I waited about six months before tapping the final keg, and invited all the people I knew who were loyalists. Some folks showed up an hour early. They wanted to sit as close to the tap as possible.

“Honestly,” he adds, “I’ve never encountered loyalty for a beer like the one for this brand. Before coming to Rhode Island from New York, I hadn’t even heard of it. Now, as we’re working to open a new place on the West Side, it’s inconceivable to not have both the 60 and 90 on tap permanently.”

For the uninitiated, Becker’s reference is to Dogfish Head’s signature 60-minute and 90-minute IPAs, which have become mainstays in the discerning beer-lover’s pantheon. This past December, Dogfish Head made its official return. Or, as one company rep commented, “Yep, we’ve looked at a f*cking map.” Lucky for them, we’re historically friendly to prodigal sons around these parts. That, and smoothed over by a good pint.

dogfish head, beer, dogfish head in ri, providence monthly, emily Dietsch

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