As Dogfish Head’s 30th anniversary approaches, co-founder Sam Calagione shared why he believes the Milton, Delaware-based craft brewery will return both its beer and canned cocktail brands to growth in 2025.
Part of that strategy is the launch of a new year-round beer, Dogfish Head and Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale, which Calagione shared with attendees of the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference earlier this month in Marina del Rey, California.
The beer is part of a five-year collaboration and a “big priority” for Dogfish and Boston Beer, and this is the first year since the 2019 merger that Dogfish Head’s forecast has gone up following annual planning meetings, Calagione said.
Dogfish Head has been working on the new beer with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux for more than a year, with both the brewery (30th anniversary) and the Dead (60th) celebrating anniversaries in 2025. The 5.3% ABV beer begins shipping in early February, with placements in Whole Foods stores nationwide, as well as plans for it to be available in the Las Vegas Sphere for the Dead and Company shows this spring.
“It’ll be like a Trojan horse; people going to the Sphere after having four edibles and all of a sudden they’ve got a beer in their hand,” he said. “Oh, shit. I remember beer. It’s pretty good.”
Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale will be available on draft with a unique tap handle, 6-pack 12 oz. cans and 19.2 oz. singles.
“It’s designed to appeal to a broad range of Deadheads more so than just hopheads,” Calagione said.
The new beer is also part of an overarching strategy built on commerce, creativity and community-building.
In the conversation, Calagione discusses the mixed emotions over the last three decades, vacillating between scary and exciting; being fearless with innovation and honing brand voice; how Dogfish Head’s off-centered ethos appeals to modern consumers; and how he views his and Dogfish Head’s legacies.
Watch other talks and presentations from Brewbound Live here.