Dela We Are

The original 2021 DelaWeAre Collab

The pandemic was a really tricky time for a lot of brewers, especially in Delaware where most brewers are small and strongly rely on taproom sales. Obviously, when restaurants were forced to shutter so were brewery taprooms. I distinctly remember (in both awe and terror) April 2020: Autumn Arch had barely been open a year, we were inexperienced business owners facing an enormous revenue loss, and the future was far from certain.

We marched through that spring and limped into fall which was when a few Delaware brewers got together (virtually, of course) with an idea for a collaboration beer supporting the Delaware Brewer’s Guild, our non-profit advocacy group that does work advancing (and sometimes defending) craft beer initiatives in Delaware. The Guild was instrumental in working with the governor’s office in early 2020 to secure take-out sales and then later helping to craft clear guidance for breweries to open in a limited way. This was huge for small brewers.

Adding the ‘Delaware River Mud Pie’

The original 2021 version of DelaWeAre was a take on the classic IPA and individual brewers put their personal spin on the recipes. We canned our DelaWeAre IPA that year (and it had a totally rad label).

This year, we are putting a new twist on the state-wide collab. Brewers are creating beers under the DelaWeAre name that personifies what Delaware beer means to them. For Autumn Arch, this meant: (1) something strongly tied to the seasons (autumn is our namesake after all), (2) linked to something in Delaware that had an impact on us (both Dan and I are UofD grads), and (3) spending some time on oak.

Is there anything that screams fall more than a stout? Pumpkin spice fans, put your hands down.

Enter our DelaWeAre Beer: a decadent imperial stout, barrel-aged in a Painted Stave bourbon barrel (Smyrna, DE), and loaded with ‘Delaware River Mudpie’ ice cream from the UDairy Creamery. Truly, a winning combination of stout, oak, bourbon, and ice cream. It’s one of the loveliest beers we have on tap at the moment. And it’s only at the Autumn Arch taproom.

Drop by soon and tell us what you think about our DelaWeAre beer and all the others around the state!

Justin finishing up the brew day…

Why Don't You Make More Hazy IPAs?

It’s what the people want! But is it?

The financial bottom line of thousands of breweries across the country would say ‘yes, this is definitely what the people want’. But I would follow this pithy statement with a short addendum - “For now”.

Sure, lots of people love a turbid IPA. So does the Autumn Arch brew crew and our stellar staff. But we typically only have one hazy IPA on tap at any given time (or maybe two on a rare occasion), and this is in alignment with our two beer menu principles.

First, let’s acknowledge that we’re living in the GOLDEN AGE OF CRAFT BEER! It makes zero sense for us to stack the menu with a bunch of hazy IPAs and ignore dozens of other highly interesting (and tasty) ales and lagers. It is fun for us to brew all these different styles and by extension, we think it’s fun to consume these as well. Thus:

Beer Menu Principle 1:
High Quality + Deep Variety

Plenty of local breweries are making plenty of fantastic hazy IPAs, and you should definitely check those out if you’re into that sort of thing. Personally, I think hazy IPAs will always have a good following due to their very approachable nature, but I think the craft beer industry as a whole will eventually move onto another trendy style. It’s inevitable. Our tastes change with the times. Just like Tevas and Nickelback, what seems like a slamdunk now will not always be.

And that leads to:

Beer Menu Principle 2:
Always be on the interesting side of new things.

Because that’s where unknown flavors and complex relationships meet adventurous tastes.

And we think that sounds a lot like you.

ps. Check out both of these principles in action at Autumn Arch on August 4th (National IPA Day). We have six new IPAs on tap plus a firkin and a new can release….it’s a style you rarely see in cans - black IPA.

Get Your Spook On: A Halloween Beer For Those Who Dare Go There + Top Haunted Spots AROUND Newark!

October has arrived and AUTUMN ARCH BEER PROJECT is fully embracing the spooky season. We’re so psyched to get our fright flags flying, that we’ve brewed up a superbly scary new beer (complete with a can design that would make even Michael Meyers stop and stare).  And we’ve compiled a list of haunted local haunts in and around Newark, Delaware for your fearful pleasure.

10.3% Imperial Stout, Coffin Motif

The first stop on the Delaware Halloween tour is Fort Delaware just outside of Delaware City. If you’ve always wanted to go searching for ghosts, look no further.  Aside from being a rad Civil War prison, Fort Delaware provides a dramatic background for a “3-hour paranormal investigation” hosted by the Diamond State Ghost Investigators.  Sign-up soon as the spots are limited!  (includes a cool boat ride too!)  

Second stop: tour of Old New Castle. If you’re looking for a history lesson while you get spooked, this is the activity for you. The Amstel House is “one of the town's most haunted locations” due to the Lady in Blue.  We would tell you who the “Lady in Blue” is; however, no one knows for sure.  Keep in the spirit of colonial Delaware and drop by Jessop’s Tavern for a bite and brew afterwards.

Third stop:  check out Dead President’s Tavern in Wilmington. While the tavern isn’t haunted by any actual presidents (that we know of) it is supposedly haunted by an exceptionally problematic drunk, who was aptly named “Lemonade Mullery”.  Visitors that were unfortunate enough to pull up a bar stool close enough to Mullery experienced, “dishes being thrown at them, screaming, dominoes floating from the game boards in the recreation room, and other activities.” Mullery ended up dying in an unfortunate slipping accident in the tavern’s bathroom where his spirit apparently still lives; so stop by and hopefully you won’t get hit by a rogue ghostly domino.

Once you’re freaked out enough to REALLY need a drink, Autumn Arch’s tasting room is the perfect place to recover with friends. Our new 10.3% Imperial Stout, Coffin Motif, is out just in time for Halloween. A dark-hearted stout with an elegantly creamy body and strong roastiness, this strong stout pours jet black with a tan head, as all respectable stouts should. For those looking to imbibe on something a little more mellow - we just released our popular fall beer “Sans Pumpkin”, a delightful pumpkin porter.

History of Craft Beer. Then and Now.

Believe it or not, craft beer did not always exist in the world *gasp*.  True.  There were even a few years where beer was illegal in the U.S., and that was probably a difficult time to be alive!  Beer has come a long way since it first began, and Autumn Arch Beer Project is just a small piece of this huge and constantly evolving industry.  

Before you take another sip of your hazy grapefruit milkshake sour IPA, understand that craft beer is on a journey that started with humble beginnings.  Prior to craft beer becoming the phenomenon it is today, American craft beer traversed amendments, Prohibition, bold entrepreneurs, acquisitions, and at least one Recession (and Brut IPAs...how was that a thing?).

Early History of Craft Beer

One of the most significant moments in the history of beer was the Prohibition era. The Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was enacted into law on January 16, 1919. Thus began the era when manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcoholic beverages was declared illegal (can you imagine this happening today?!)

All legal breweries came to a screeching halt and soon took to producing non-alcoholic beverages to keep themselves afloat. These breweries started manufacturing malt-syrup, near beer, colas, and root beers….coincidentally, a lot of breweries have started doing this again!  i.e. sparkling waters, kombuchas, and NA beers.

It took 13 years and multiple acts to repeal the Prohibition, ending with the Twenty-first Amendment. Once beer was legalized again, the journey to more flavorful beers started, a journey that was not really planned.

1979: President Jimmy Carter Legalized Homebrewing

Prior to Jimmy Carter’s presidency, homebrewing was surreptitiously conducted in garages and backyards, but in 1979, the world was modernized and Congress passed the H.R. 1337, a bill that repealed any restrictions and taxes towards homebrewing. The bill then came into effect when President Jimmy Carter signed it into law. As soon as the H.R.1337 was passed, America saw its first Brewers Association and the American Home Brewers Association come into existence.

In 1978, there were about 89 breweries in the U.S.

1990s: The Microbrewery Boom

In the period between 1985-1997, the microbrewery scene saw a boom like never before. With 20+ percent growth year over year, there was no stopping the craft beer business. People soon started seeing the potential, especially, because the early craft brewery owners were extremely successful. The Boston Beer Company even went public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the year 1995! This brought in a new wave of investors who wanted to imbibe in the rapidly growing business. 

By the end of 2020, there were over 8,000 breweries in the U.S.

Where We Are Today 

While sales of all-time favorites and national flagship brands shrink, beer lovers have started experimenting with new flavors and styles (e.g. hazy IPAs, Fruit Smoothie Beers, seltzers, etc). In this case, consolidation has not crushed innovation; it has, in a way, fueled it. Brewers have realized their consumers have a strong desire to experiment with new flavors, and they are merely obliging them – even if this requires producing lesser volume but greater breadth of offerings.  Gone are the days where a brewery could rely on a handful of ‘flagship’ beers!

Autumn Arch Beer Project, along with most of the other Delaware craft breweries, would not be where we are today without the strong growth in U.S. craft beer. Today, we have 15 different types of brews on our menu ranging from 3 varieties of IPAs, a couple Lagers, two imperial stouts and a sour or two...this is definitely a step up from the typical 1995 microbrewery menu!  The team at Autumn Arch is constantly striving to create new and complex flavors, and this is not only the key to growing in a dynamic industry, but it’s been the key to craft beer's success over the past 40 years.  Embrace the change!

From Source: Craft Beer in America: The History and Development | Microbrewery.com

From Source: The Illustrated History of Craft Beer in America | First We Feast