In a move that broadens its U.S. distribution footprint to 36 states and Washington, D.C., Dogfish Head Craft Brewery said Monday it would begin selling beer in West Virginia and Kansas later this month.
The Delaware-based brewery has signed agreements with three wholesalers in West Virginia: Mountain State Beverage, Northern Eagle Distributing and Mountain Eagle Inc.
The company will also add distribution in Kansas via Crown Distributors and Central States Beverage, for coverage in the northeastern part of the state, which includes Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan and Kansas City.
“We have our new canning line pumping out beer and enough brewing capacity to ensure we can keep retailers well stocked with our off-centered, well-differentiated family of beers,” Dogfish Head CEO and founder Sam Calagione said via a press release.
Both states will receive the brewery’s full lineup of beers, including 60 Minute IPA, 90 Minute IPA, Namaste White, Indian Brown, SeaQuench Ale, Flesh & Blood IPA, among other core beers as well as seasonal releases. Limited-release and other rare beers will filter into the states throughout the year.
Dogfish Head has made plenty of news in 2017: Already this year, the company has announced expansions into New Mexico, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Alabama.
And, after seven consecutive nominations, Calagione won the Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional award from the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
“In 1995, Dogfish opened as the smallest brewery in the country with a mission to be the first brewery focused on brewing the majority of our beers with culinary ingredients and there wasn’t a big appetite for that nationally,” Calagione said after receiving the honor earlier this month. “Now the high level of interest is heartwarming and it is especially heartwarming that the culinary community has shown strong support for Dogfish Head’s off-centered ales with this James Beard Award.”
Additionally, a pair of familiar faces — former brewmaster Bryan Selders and former projects engineer Brian Hollinger — recently said they would return to Dogfish after stints at other U.S. brewing companies.
The company is also planning to reopen a reimagined Rehoboth Beach brewpub on May 19.