The Good Libations Tour in Kent County is cool. Four of its participating tour partners—Mispillion River Brewing, Painted Stave Distillery, Fordham & Dominion Brewing and Harvest Ridge Winery—have won big awards for their hand-crafted beers, wines and spirits. Painted Stave Distillery in Smyrna won a silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Candy Manor Gin. With its secret blend of botanicals, the gin derives its name from Smyrna town lore that during prohibition the local candy store doubled as a brothel. Mispillion River Brewing in Milford won a silver medal for Beach Bum Joe in the American-Belgian-Style Ale category at the World Beer Competition. Beach Bum Joe is a combination between an American pale ale and a Belgian golden ale with a fruity characteristic from the Belgian yeast. Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company in Dover won a gold medal at the World Beer Competition for Candi Belgian Tripel. Saaz and Hallertau hops provide a clean, floral aroma with minimal hop bitterness and the soft sweetness of apricot and pear lingers nicely against Candi’s dry finish. Harvest Ridge Winery in Marydel recently brought home five awards from the 14th annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. The event featured 75 judges with national and international credentials, evaluating 3,756 entries from 20 countries, 50 states and six Canadian provinces. Four wines—Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay, Peach and Apple—took bronze medals in the competition. What’s more, Painted Stave, Mispillion River Brewing and Harvest Ridge are in their first year of business. We say, Go gang. And congratulations. To learn more about what’s brewing in Kent, check out goodlibationstour.com.
