Ryan Cormier

The News Journal

Like peanut butter and jelly or bacon and eggs, live music and beer are a perfect pairing for some.

It's been 21 years since Dogfish Head opened its Rehoboth Beach brewpub, matching freshly brewed beers with bands in Delaware and laying the groundwork for what is now commonplace.

Over the years, Dogfish has grown from hosting local acts to also booking national performers like last week's show by Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N' Roses) and Friday's scheduled concert by Rhett Miller of the Old 97's.

During that time, the state's craft brewery boom has been well-documented. But the influx of breweries outfitted with their own pubs and tasting rooms has had a rockin' side effect: more stages for Delaware acts to strut across.

Many of Delaware's newest music venues can be found inside breweries with a few embracing music and live entertainment as strongly as Dogfish, making it a key part of their business plan.

Take a look at Smyrna's Blue Earl Brewing Co. owned by Ronnie Price, a longtime Delaware musician. The spot has live music every weekend in its tasting room, dubbed The Juke.

The brewery boasts the largest stage in a Delaware brewery, which is just a few steps from its bar where guitars hang above and musically-themed beers like Blue Power and You Shook Me flow freely. The brewery's logo combines a hop and a bass to drive the point home.

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Price, a Wilmington native, has been playing bass in bar bands across the state ever since his teenage years -- even before he could legally drink. So when his passion for brewing beer led to him opening his own brewery, there was little doubt that music would be just as important an ingredient as hops or malt.

"It's sort of become an American tradition to bring those two things together. Having music here has really grown the brand and made the experience of coming here more attractive. I mean, you can drink beer anywhere. It's all about the experience," says Price, 50, who has played with Delaware bands like Dr. Harmonica and Rockett 88 and Mr. Blue over the years, even opening for Buddy Guy at the old Stone Balloon Tavern and Concert Hall in Newark in 1996.

Often times, bands invite Price to hop (no pun intended) on stage and jam with them, and that's when Price's two loves really come together.

"It's a surreal experience," says Price, who is currently preparing his brewery's biggest musical event yet. On Oct. 15, he will host the second annual Blue Soul Fest headlined by Grammy-nominated blues guitarist Duke Robillard.

But you don't have to be a musician-turned-brewer to jump on the beer-and-music theme.

Breweries that have opened in recent years like Smyrna's Brick Works Brewing and Eats, Milford's Mispillion River Brewing and the Lewes-area Crooked Hammock Brewery have all hosted live music. And the newly revived Twin Lakes Brewing Co. in Newport is planning on having music when they open to the public later this fall.

At Crooked Hammock, which opened last year, live music is one of the brewery/restaurant's centerpieces. They even built a temporary stage big enough to contain the 7-piece Newark act Universal Funk Order for their first New Year's Eve.

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And this summer, the fun-filled, beer-themed playhouse off Del. 1 is pushing its bustling, 7-day-a-week live music schedule with the #livemusiceveryday hashtag. The brewery even snagged Rehoboth Beach-based Lower Case Blues for a show the night before the Firefly Music Festival alum opened for Blues Traveler at the Delaware State Fair.

For bands like Lower Case Blues, new breweries and distilleries in the state mean more gigs. They play every Thursday night at Delaware Distilling Company on Del. 1 near Rehoboth Beach and have played everywhere from Blue Earl and Crooked Hammock to Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro's Pizza and Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company.

"To be honest, my favorite thing about them is that the clientele comes in there to drink and have a good time. It just goes hand and hand with music," says Lower Case Blues' hotshot guitarist Jake Banaszak.

Over at Argilla in Milltown, music was introduced shortly after opening in 2012, spurred by current general manager Pete DiSabatino. DiSabatino, also a musician with Wilmington rock band Daimonic Grey, had previously worked at the old Mojo Main on Main Street in Newark where music was always front and center, helping draw crowds on traditionally slow nights.

After Mojo closed, Argilla picked up the Monday night residency of longtime Newark-area act The Sin City Band and began booking other acts on weekend nights. Located on Kirkwood Highway in an area underserved by live music venues, the tunes have proved to be a magnet, drawing in first-time customers, some of which have become regulars at the restaurant.

Not only have Monday nights since become one of the Argilla's best beer-selling nights thanks to Sin City's loyal fans, but they keep returning even when the honky-tonkers aren't playing.

"Just last night, we had a birthday party for about 30 people that was booked by a Sin City fan," Powell says. "We've had a few of those."

And it's not just about business. Music can help build a community within a bar, bringing people together instead of having isolated clusters of patrons with little interaction between groups. It can help create a scene, a place where returning customers know they will see familiar faces.

"One of my favorite things is Christmastime. One of the regulars who comes for Sin City has a white beard and he dresses as Santa Claus, they play Christmas songs and everyone brings their families," Powell adds. "It's such a nice feeling,"

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AT DELAWARE BREWERIES THIS WEEKEND

16 Mile Brewery, 413 S. Bedford St., Georgetown. Bocce Fest with bands Black Dog Alley, Movin' and Groovin' and more (Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Argilla Brewing Company at Pietro's Pizza, 2667 Kirkwood Highway, Milltown. Fenris (Friday, 9 p.m.)

Blue Earl Brewing Co., 210 Artisan Dr., Smyrna. Nik Everett (Friday, 7 p.m.) and The Teletones (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

Crooked Hammock Brewery, 36707 Crooked Hammock Way, near Lewes. Matthew Street Band (Friday, 9 p.m.), Bryan Scar (Saturday, 4 p.m.) and Sunday (The Pros, 4 p.m.)

Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach. Rhett Miller of the Old 97's with Rehoboth Beach native Cliff Hillis (Friday, 10 p.m.), Nothin But Trouble (Saturday, 10 p.m.)

Fordham and Dominion Brewing Company, 1284 McD Dr., Dover. Spiced Harvest release party with Deejay Sticks (Friday, 5 p.m.)

Frozen Toes Brewing at Pizza By Elizabeth’s, 3801 Kennett Pike, Greenville. Mama Gold (Friday, 8 p.m.)