Mark’s Score 8.8
Even though I had already eaten, I decided to cap my trip to Lewes by stopping at Lewes Brewing Company. There are so many craft brewers in our region, you cannot write about this region without writing about craft brewers. I was in town, so here was my opportunity to review Lewes Brewing Company.
The Lewes Brewing Company opened next to Lewes’ bike path on Savannah Road in September 2024. Lewes Brewing is owned by Dave and Christine Jones, who formerly owned a collision repair business. Dave enjoyed making beer at home and decided to open a brewing company after selling the collision repair shop. Though these two businesses sound very disjointed, both Dave and Christine claim that they are applying the lessons learned in their repair business to the brewery. According to them, a successful business, whether it is auto repair or brewing, is all about customer service and insuring that people have a good experience.
I ordered their beer sampler. I don’t often talk about architecture, but it is obvious that the building was built specifically for the purpose of a brewery. The front of the tasting room is framed with floor to ceiling windows. This combined with the pitched roof, gives the room a light and airy feel. There are also glass windows looking into the brewing area. I was impressed with their brewing area. It looked as pristine as a hospital surgery.
I sat at the bar and asked for a sampler. The bartender informed me that they give a 10% locals discount for pints. I asked him who qualified as a local and he replied, “anyone who can pronounce Lewes properly.” It is pronounced lew-ess not lews. It was tempting, but I stuck to my plan and ordered the four-beer sampler. Even though the sampler contained 20 ounces of beer, which is frankly more beer than I can handle. I wanted a nice mix so I ordered the Lewes Pale Ale, the Hefeweizen wheat beer, the on the trail sour, and the English Ale.
I tasted each in turn, and the bartender, with a smile on his face returned and asked, “so what flavor did you taste when you drank the Hefeweizen?” I wasn’t sure what he meant, it tasted like wheat beer, so I took another taste. I put the glass down and I asked, “did you add bananas to the wheat beer?” He laughed, and said, “no, when you brew Hefenweizen at a specific temperature it has a natural banana undertone.”
All four beers were excellent, but I especially liked the Hefenweizen and the English Ale. Their English Ale is some of the best I have ever had in this country. I stopped on a lark, but I rate Lewes Brewing as one of the best local brewers. If you like beer, you should put this brewer on your list, and remember to pronounce it lew-ess, if you want that discount.
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