Well It’s been said before…but really it couldn’t happen to a nicer or more deserving guy.
Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione, a long time champion of food-centric brewing, has been named the 2017 Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional at James Beard Awards.
Considered by many to be the Oscars of the culinary world, the James Beard Foundation Awards carry enormous international heft, so this is a huge win for the brewery’s CEO and founder.
Calagione who, along with his wife Mariah, has built a craft beer empire while staying true to Dogfish Head’s “oft-centered ethos.” And he’s done it with an easy-going grace, a profound love of beer and of music, and an ingratiating sense of humor.
Good things happening to deserving people is always a great way to start the day.
Additional information is included in the press release, below….
For Immediate Release:
Sam Calagione Named 2017 Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional at James Beard Awards
Off-centered Dogfish Head craft brewer honored by the Oscars of the culinary world
Milton, Del., May 2, 2017 – The prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards, often referred to as the Oscars of the culinary world, named Sam Calagione, CEO and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, the 2017 Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional award. Calagione has received seven consecutive nominations for this award and Dogfish’s new restaurant, Chesapeake & Maine, was also nominated as a semi-finalist for 2017 Outstanding Bar Program. Nominees and guests gathered at an exclusive celebration dinner for the James Beard awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 1, 2017.
“It’s a tremendous honor to receive this nod from our peers as we celebrate our 22nd year in business at Dogfish Head,” says Calagione. “I celebrate this award with my wife and business partner, Mariah, and our 200-plus co-workers who work hard to make our off-centered brewery tick. We’re also humbled and excited that James Beard recognized our innovative, culinary inspired bar program as it combines our love for our two favorite maritime regions into one delicious restaurant concept.”
In 1995, Dogfish Head began as the smallest commercial brewery in America and is now one of the fastest growing breweries in the country distributing off-centered brews to 34 states + D.C., operating a production facility in Milton, a brewpub and seafood-centric restaurant in Rehoboth Beach and a beer-themed inn in Lewes. The first American craft brewer focused on culinary inspired ingredients, Calagione’s innovative style has earned him a reputation as one of the industry’s most adventurous entrepreneurs and brewers.
Calagione is the author of Brewing Up A Business, Extreme Brewing, Off-Centered Leadership and coauthored He Said Beer, She Said Wine. Named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2011 by Fast Magazine and ‘pioneer of bizarre brews’ by The Wall Street Journal, Calagione resides in coastal Lewes, Del., with his wife and two children, and continues to deliver passion, collaborative spirit and innovation to the brewing community. For more information about Dogfish Head, visit www.dogfish.com.
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About Dogfish Head:
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 34 states and Washington D.C. and will expand into additional states in 2017. For more information, visit www.dogfish.com, Facebook: @dogfishheadbeer, Twitter: @dogfishbeer, and Instagram: dogfishhead.