Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro’s Pizza (Newark, DE)
Technically our first stop of our Delaware trip was really the last stop of our DC trip. But for convenience sake I’m going to include it in this post. We stopped at Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro’s Pizza in Newark, DE for some dinner, drinks and to meet up with our friends (and part time guest beerventureres) Nate and Dani. We ordered a couple of pies for the table- ours was the Brewer’s Guild Pie which included chicken, apples, onions, mozzerella and BBQ chipotle sauce. YUM! A little pricey, but a lot of delicious. After a weekend of beer, we decided to split our flight and chose Boogsley’s Pumpkin Ale, Zossimov Imperial Stout, Devil in Nylon Hose Belgian Strong, Sweet Sweetbacks Badass Wheat and Blood Orange Whipped Wit. In a surprising change of pace, we agreed on one beer being the favorite: the orange wit. Andrew described as “literal orange creamsicle in a glass”. My second favorite was the Belgian Strong which was just the right combination of sweet and boozy.
The atmosphere of Argilla Brewing felt more like a local bar and pizza joint than brewery. As we were finishing up our dinner open mic night was beginning which made conversations a little more difficult but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. But we were definitely satisfied with our food and beer. I don’t think you need to go out of your way to visit Argilla, but if you’re in the area and in the mood for a good beer and good pie, we would definitely recommend stop. Argilla earns 3.5 pizza slices out of 5.
Dew Point Brewing Co. (Yorklyn, DE)
Just two weeks after our DC trip, we headed back down to Delaware to celebrate our friend Nate’s 25th (plus a few) birthday. As with all great celebrations, much beer was consumed. After a party making us feel like undergrads again and a Wawa Gobbler (and if you’ve never had the pleasure of trying a Wawa Gobbler, please change that immediately), we decided to go check out a brewery or two with the birthday boy.
Our first stop was Dew Point in Yorklyn, DE. As we were driving over we saw a bunch of old buildings that looked like they would make fantastic breweries. Lo and behold the next old building was our destination. The tap room is located in a beautifully restored second story of the Garrett Snuff Mill complex, which was originally built in 1901. Walking up to the taproom, there was an outdoor beer garden with picnic tables, cornhole and fooseball. We lucked out the weekend we visited was a beautiful October day that was unseasonably warm and sunny.
As for the beer, we ordered a massive 10 beer flight. Unfortunately nothing really wowed us. If you’re looking for IPAs this is not the place, as there was only one on tap (although I loved the name- Hopwarts Express!). The brewery described itself as belgian style beers. Overall, we really enjoyed the space and the beer was decent. It’s a great place to hang out with friends, playing some games and enjoying a pint or two.
Dew Point is a great spot for locals to hang out and drink, but we didn’t find anything that would warrant a trip out that way unless you were already in the area. Dew Point earns a solid 3.0 out of 5.
Kennett Brewing Company (Kennett Square, PA)
We decided that since we don’t normally get to these parts often so we might as well take advantage and find some more beer. Our google search led us to Kennett, PA which is home to Kennett Brewing Company and one of Victory’s brewpubs. Our first stop was at Kennett Brewing Company.
We grabbed a small bite and a flight of 5. I enjoyed the Oranje Bloem but our group came to the agreement that there could have been more orange flavor. The Ploughman Porter, which I sampled from Nate’s flight, was pretty tasty but the overall favorite was The Kidd English pale ale. Although there was nothing special about the makeup of the beer, it was just one of those fine examples of a brew done right and those of us who don’t particularly enjoy the style could still appreciate. They also had a housemade hard cider (which was delicious), local wines and non-alcoholic soda for the kids or designated drivers in your life.
The brewery was in a cool basement location and seemed to be heavily involved in the community with events happening almost daily which Shakesbeer (Shakespeare reading + drinking), a 5k, grand fondo, halloween party, and food drives. This definitely gave us the feeling that KBC has a great relationship with the locals and the community. Kennett Brewing also didn’t offer anything out of the ordinary, but the beer was never the less enjoyable. Kennett Brewing Company earns a 3.25 out of 5.
Victory Brewing Company Kennett Square (Kennett Square, PA)
Just a five minute drive away was Victory’s Kennett Square Brewpub. Although Victory’s main brewery was another half hour in Doylestown, the KSQ location does brew a few of their own beers on the premises. We ordered a flight of some seasonals, a cask version of Hop Devil and a KSQ only beer; Magose. The best of the flight was without a doubt the Blackboard Series Peach; nothing else even compared. Even Andrew was enjoyed the cask Hop Devil immensely, voted for this Intense Belgian Blonde.
The brewpub itself was modestly sized, but scaled accordingly for a brewpub. The massive bar had an impressive tap line featuring the best Victory had to offer (and then some), and there was also plenty of seating at hightops and regular restaurant tables. Since we were still full from Kennett Brewing Company we cannot speak to the food offerings although some of the dishes that passed us smelled delicious. There was also a bottle shop and growler fill station. As we can find most of these beers locally we decided to pass but its good to have the option! The KSQ location had appartments above it, and condos behind it and we were grateful that we don’t live in either locations because we probably wouldn’t get much done. Victory KSQ earns a should visit 4 chalkboard drawings out of 5. And if you go, be sure to try all of the Blackboard series; you won’t be disappointed.
