As the official brewery of Record Store Day, Dogfish Head is bringing together independent beer and independent record stores through its reignited collaboration with longtime friends the Grateful Dead and the return of its fan-favorite pale ale American Beauty. Dogfish Head and the Grateful Dead are also turning up the volume with the creation of Sage and Spirit, a limited edition, 10-track vinyl album that will release on Record Store Day (Saturday, April 13).

“The enjoyment of a beautiful beer alongside an amazing album is an exponentially awesome experience, and we at Dogfish, take every opportunity we can get to weave together the art of brewing and our love of music” says Sam Calagione, CEO and founder of Dogfish Head. “We’ve always been inspired by the Grateful Dead’s creativity, collaborative nature and most of all music, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them again for the re-release of American Beauty and our Record Store Day release.”

Brewed to 6.5% ABV to commemorate the year the Grateful Dead was formed (1965), American Beauty is an all-American pale ale infused with granola and succulent wildflower honey. First concocted in 2012, American Beauty is now available year round in a 6pk/12oz bottles with red, white and blue packaging featuring the band’s iconic ‘dancing bears.’  Fans of the design can check out the American Beauty-themed Dogfish Head x Crosley record player, available for sale on the brewery’s website, the perfect turntable to use when dropping the needle on a copy of Sage and Spirit.

Sage and Spirit features a hand-picked collection of Grateful Dead melodies, curated by the band’s audiovisual archivist and legacy manager, David Lemieux. After combing through the band’s expansive discography, Lemieux selected the following tracks to appear on this collaborative Record Store Day release: “Sugar Magnolia,” “Eyes Of The World,” “Lost Sailor,” “Saint Of Circumstance,” “High Time,” “Unbroken Chain,” “If I Had The World To Give” and “Sage and Spirit.” Also featured on the album are recordings of “Jack Straw” and “Brown-Eyed Women” from the band’s European tour in 1972. The perfect accompaniment to a pint of American Beauty, copies of Sage and Spirit will be sold, starting on Record Store Day, April 13, at independent record stores around the country.

“Choosing the songs for ‘Sage and Spirit’ really didn’t take long, but that’s not to say I didn’t put a lot of work into it. My directive was, ‘You’re sitting on the porch. It’s a summer day. You’re drinking a Dogfish Head American Beauty and listening to the Dead,’ and immediately I thought, ‘I got it,’” said Lemieux. “I was so inspired by that directive that the record turned out to be just that; the soundtrack to a summer day – or really any day. It’s mellow and meditative, and every song is a truly beautiful track.”

As self-proclaimed beer geeks with a music problem, Dogfish Head is also bringing back Dragons & YumYums, the brewery’s collaboration with The Flaming Lips. Shipping nationwide just in time for Record Store Day, this intensely tropical yet subtly bitter pale ale is brewed with a combination of dragon fruit, yumberry, passion fruit, pear juice and black carrot juice for an explosion of fruit in every sip. Part of the Off-Centered Art Series, Dragons & YumYums (6.5% ABV) is making its comeback in 6pk/12oz bottles with a playful and vibrant new look from artist Michael Hacker.

But, that’s not all! Available year round in 6pk/12oz bottles, Wood-Aged Bitches Brew is yet another of Dogfish Head’s melodic music collaborations to indulge in this Record Store Day. Originally brewed to honor the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis’ legendary 1970 jazz fusion record, Bitches Brew is a blend of three threads of an imperial stout and one thread of Tej, a native African honey beer. Wood-Aged Bitches Brew is the same bold, dark beer folks know and love, but this time it has been aged in American oak and Palo Santo wood tanks. A 9% ABV brew chock full of roasty aromas of vanilla, licorice and chocolate, this succulent sipper is best enjoyed alongside some classic jazz fusion tunes.

For more information about Dogfish Head’s music collaboration beers, or to find some American Beauty, Wood-Aged Bitches Brew or Dragons & YumYums near you, visit www.dogfish.com. More information on Dogfish Head’s Record Store Day events can be found at www.dogfish.com/events.  To find a record store near you, visit recordstoreday.com.

To celebrate their ‘long strange trip’ together, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and the Grateful Dead release a third iteration of American Beauty, American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA, brought together by Warner Music Artist Services. American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA is an unfiltered IPA brewed with spelt, an ancient heirloom grain that contributes earthy notes and a natural haze, and dosed with a special yeast variety designed to liberate hop aromatics. The result is a psychedelic, 7.0% ABV ale that is bursting with notes of tropical fruit and juicy citrus. American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA will be available year-round in 6pk/12oz cans throughout Dogfish Head’s 45-state network starting in mid-November.

“As a self-proclaimed beer geek with a music problem, I couldn’t be happier about the continuation of our awesome partnership with the Grateful Dead and our collaborative efforts to develop American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA,” said Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head. “Just as the Dead say, ‘there is a road, no simple highway’ – our journey to develop the perfect recipe for American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA was a lengthy one, but we ‘put our money where our love is’ and eventually arrived at our flavor destination.”

Inspired by the Grateful Dead’s beloved “American Beauty” album, American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA’s style callout lovingly references the fan-favorite track “Ripple.” To accompany the beer’s new, chart-topping recipe, American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA boasts original, kaleidoscopic artwork featuring one of the Grateful Dead’s iconic ‘dancing bears’ holding a festive balloon adorned with the band’s logo.

Dogfish Head’s relationship with the Grateful Dead began in 2013, when the first version of American Beauty was released in 750ml bottles. This imperial (9.0% ABV) pale ale brewed with organic almond honey and granola was rereleased in 2014 and 2015, each year with different artwork. In 2018, American Beauty made an encore in 6pk/12oz bottles, this time as a more approachable (6.5% ABV) pale ale brewed with granola, succulent wildflower honey and all-American hops. This year, American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA debuts with an all new recipe, artwork and package, 6pk/12oz cans.

To learn more about Dogfish Head Craft Brewery or to find American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA near you, visit www.dogfish.com.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery proudly announces the publication of The Dogfish Head Book: 26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures, a celebratory chronology of the offbeat escapades that propelled Dogfish Head to become the beloved craft brewery, distillery, hotel and culinary hub it is today. Written by Dogfish Head Founder & Brewer, Sam Calagione; Dogfish Head Co-Founder & Communitarian, Mariah Calagione; and longtime co-worker and Dogfish INNkeeper, Andrew C. Greeley, this heavily-illustrated, lovingly-told page-turner provides a detailed account of the brand’s history told through heartfelt stories from the authors, a timetable of Dogfish Head’s off-centered beverage releases AND a plethora of co-worker-told tales. The Dogfish Head Book: 26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures hits shelves and web stores nationwide on Tuesday, October 19.

“As our friends the Grateful Dead, whom we have had the pleasure of collaborating with throughout the years, once sang: ‘what a long, strange trip it’s been.’ There’s no better way to describe the awesome voyage Mariah, Andrew and I embarked on to write and publish this book,” said Sam. “As the Official Beer of Record Store Day, Dogfish Head has always been inspired by music and in fact, when writing and designing The Dogfish Head Book, we were largely inspired by The Beastie Boys Book, adopting its fun, design-rich structure to bring our brand to life through both words and images. Most of the words are from Mariah, Andrew and I, but we were also excited to include stories from fellow co-workers who have contributed to the brand’s communal journey.”

The recipe for The Dogfish Head Book: 26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures is as unique and refreshing as the recipes for the brewery’s off-centered ales. Much like barley is to beer, the foundation of the book is the chronological exposition of Dogfish Head’s iconic beverages, locations and events – from Sam’s first homebrew experience in 1993 to the opening of the brand’s newest taproom, Dogfish Head Miami, in 2021 and everything in between. Other key ingredients that complete this art-first, business-second book include hundreds of full-color images, renderings of product artwork, quotes from the authors’ favorite musicians, artists and writers, and so much more. From the metaphorical beer that is The Dogfish Head Book: 26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures, readers will drink in an understanding of the “How & Why” behind Dogfish Head’s growth and success while enjoying insightfully humorous and inspirational stories intended to encourage them to pursue their own creative journeys, regardless of how off-centered or out-of-reach they may seem.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to be an author and having the chance to co-write this particular book was so much fun,” said Andrew. “Together, Sam, Mariah and I thoughtfully planned each chapter, designing the pages to be an informal interaction with the reader, almost like we were sharing our stories with them over a couple of beers while sitting around the fire pit at the Dogfish INN. And something I’m really looking forward to is including the book in our INN-house library, sitting it alongside the other books curated by our friends at City Lights Bookstore. I already can’t wait to ‘dust-it-off’ for discussions with guests as we collectively write its next ‘chapters’ in real time.”

Dogfish Head’s unique, off-centered ethos, against-the-grain approach to traditional brewing practices and expansion into spirits, restaurants and lodging, are what has allowed it to remain buoyant in a crowed sea of beverage brands. In 1995, Dogfish Head opened its doors in Rehoboth, Delaware, as the first brewpub in the First State and one of the smallest commercial breweries in America. Over the following 26 years, Dogfish Head experienced exponential growth, blossoming into one of the country’s largest and most well-known independent craft breweries. Dogfish Head’s transformation from a small, homespun brewery into an east coast haven for beer lovers and adventure-seekers alike – with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Dogfish Head Distilling Co. and the Tasting Room & Kitchen in Milton, Delaware; an off-centered brewpub, Brewings & Eats, and seafood restaurant and cocktail bar, Chesapeake & Maine, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; the Dogfish INN in Lewes, Delaware; and the new, Florida-based taproom and brewery, Dogfish Head Miami – is truly one for the history books … so, that is exactly what Sam, Mariah and Andrew created with The Dogfish Head Book: 26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures.

“Thinking back to the day we opened Dogfish Head, I would never have imagined we would end up where we are today. As all journeys, ours has had its fair share of ups and downs, and a whole lot of learning and laughter along the way. It truly has been, as the book’s title says, ‘26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures,’ and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said Mariah. “Throughout the process of writing The Dogfish Head Book, one question I’ve been asked countless times – and I’ve asked myself this too – is, ‘what will the next 26 years bring?’ Honestly, I don’t know … I’m not sure any of us do, but I’m sure excited to find out!”

While The Dogfish Head Book: 26 Years of Off-Centered Adventures hits shelves on Tuesday, October 19, it is available for pre-order NOW at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Porchlight and Wiley. For more about Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, please visit www.dogfish.com.