MILTON, DE — To commemorate — and disintegrate — the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot, Dogfish Head Brewery is proud to release SeaQuench Ale, a session sour quencher made with lime peel, lime juice, black lime & sea salt. Clocking in at 4.9% ABV and 10 IBUs, SeaQuench Ale is a citrusy-tart union of three German styles of beer blissfully brewed into one highly quenchable ale. The beer will begin shipping nationwide on August 1st.
The Reinheitsgebot, or the German Beer Purity Law, was enacted by Bavarian dukes in 1516 and forbid brewing beer with any ingredients except barley, hops, yeast, and water. While the regulation may only apply within Germany today, the tradition has resulted in the largely homogenous, industrial light lagers that dominate the commercial beer landscape worldwide. SeaQuench Ale pointedly takes aim at this centuries-old form of art censorship by combining culinary-inspired ingredients with three traditional German beer styles. Calagione recently published an article on the history of the Reinheitsgebot in Harvard Business Review, which can be viewed here.
The innovative brewing process begins with a batch of traditional Kölsch with wheat and Munich malt. Next up is a batch of salt-forward gose using black limes and sea salts from the Maine and Chesapeake regions followed by a batch of tart Berliner Weisse brewed with lime juice and lime peel. The three beers are blended together in during fermentation to create a zesty quencher that’s perfect for the warmer months.
The release of SeaQuench Ale will also kick off a new partnership between Dogfish Head and the National Aquarium that will focus on inspiring conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. “Both of our organizations have a longstanding commitment to championing sustainability, and we believe our SeaQuench Ale is the perfect vessel to launch this union,” says Sam Calagione, founder and president of Dogfish Head Brewery. The National Aquarium logo can be found on the SeaQuench Ale label and Dogfish’s brewed ales and handcrafted spirits will be showcased in the Aquarium’s café year-round and offered at select Aquarium events.
Dogfish Head’s philanthropic contributions will help the Aquarium generate important conservation impact for a healthy Chesapeake Bay. Some highlighted initiatives will include: research on Northwest Atlantic populations of sand tiger and sandbar sharks and Seafood Smart, a program focused on connecting all facets of the seafood supply chain. Dogfish’s geographically enamored seafood restaurant, Chesapeake & Maine, which opened in March 2016, will serve as a key advocate for the initiative on the eastern shore. For more information, please visit www.dogfish.com.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Dogfish Head has proudly been focused on brewing beers with culinary ingredients outside the Reinheitsgebot since the day it opened as the smallest American brewery 21 years ago. Today Dogfish Head has grown into a top-20 craft brewery and has won numerous awards throughout the years including Wine Enthusiast’s 2015 Brewery of the Year. Today Dogfish Head is a 250+ person company based in Delaware with a brewpub/distillery in Rehoboth Beach, an innovative seafood restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, a beer-themed inn on the harbor in Lewes and a production brewery/distillery in Milton. Dogfish Head currently sells beer in 31 states.