Historic Odessa: A Setting Worthy of Great Beers

Beer festivals are known for craft brews, good music, delicious food and great company, but not necessarily beautiful venues. In fact, most beer festivals tend to be either inside generic convention halls or tent-and-asphalt affairs surrounded by chain link fence.

Not the Historic Odessa Brewfest. In Odessa, Del., you’ll feel like you’ve traveled 200 years back in time to a pastoral setting befitting a celebration of grain, hops, fruits, herbs and time-honored brewing methods.

The festival takes place on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark Corbit-Sharp and Wilson-Warner houses (both furnished in period style), among shade trees and blooming gardens. Looking down a gentle slope, visitors can see the Appoquinimink River, which once carried grain boats to the bustling port known in the 1700s as Cantwell’s Bridge.

Beer and Delaware History

Today, Odessa contains some of the finest examples of 18th and 19th century architecture in the state, including the 1822 Cantwell’s Tavern. A tree-lined main street slopes down to the river through the village once called by the Washington Post "tiny in size, but big in history."

Money raised by the Odessa Brewfest goes towards preservation and upkeep of these beautiful surroundings. Come to the third-annual festival Sept. 10, 2016 and enjoy world-class beers, fine food, crafts and music while knowing you are helping preserve a piece of America’s heritage.

For more information about Odessa, check out the website of the Historic Odessa Foundation. Purchase tickets and get more information about the brewfest at OdessaBrewfest.Com.