Daily Archives: May 9, 2011

Volume 4: Delaware

Meet Big Tree, a quintet out of Brooklyn, New York with high hopes and empty pockets.  Three dashing young men and two friendly ladies make up this indie pop band.  We are the luckiest people on the planet.  Our job is to drive from one amazing place to the next, play a show, make new friends, and explore new cities. While we’re on the road, FlipKey invited us to share our experiences living like locals everywhere we go.

After giving a “grease talk” about our vegetable oil-powered tour van, we played an awesome show at Wilmington University in Delaware. The show, our drummer’s birthday and the last leg of the tour before a few weeks off gave us three excellent excuses to go all out and splurge.

Now, you might think, “why on Earth would you splurge in Delaware!?” Well, the folks of Big Tree can have fun just about anywhere, so we drove towards the coast to make the most of the one-square-mile town of Rehoboth Beach. We surprised our drummer by getting a place to sleep with enough beds for everyone! We even had a balcony.

We had planned on taking a tour of the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, but our afternoon show went a little longer than expected and we missed the tour. Luckily, the Dogfish Brewpub right down the street also gave tours of their craft beer-making facilities. We walked down to the pub, taking note of the adorable ice cream, candy, and surf shops that line the sidewalks. The end of March meant that this sleepy beach town was about to transform into a hoppin’ boardwalk! We imagined the quiet streets full of sandy kids eating cotton candy and ladies shopping at the boutiques.

The Brewpub was packed even on this chilly almost-spring evening. Our friendly hostess pointed us to the back of the room where several people were waiting for the tour to start, and the woman in charge of distilling Dogfish Head gin and vodka came over and casually led us behind the scenes, where a couple of huge metal tanks sat, brewing up a storm. She explained to us how it all works (I honestly stopped listening and started waiting to get a pint of the “Aprihop”). Next, she took us upstairs to show off her “Frankenstillery,” where she makes the most delicious peanut butter infused vodka, along with other types of liquor.

Full of information, we sat down at a big table and ordered fried pickles, spicy buffalo wings, and a reasonably priced “beer tasting.” We got to try 6 different beers each, several of them brewed right on the premises. They were all amazing, from the sweet fruity flavors to the heavier brews, with names like Namaste, Pangea, and Chicory Stout.

Full of beer and yummy burgers, we decided we needed a walk. In just a few blocks we reached the Atlantic, where the peaceful, sandy shore stretched for what seemed like miles, and small waves lapped at the beach. We walked along the water, singing happy birthday and watching the sunset.