Wilmington, DE

We spend a lot of time with my retired parents in Wilmington, NC so it was fun to check out the OTHER one on our ride home through Delaware. Iron Hill Brewery has 7 locations: Newark, West Chester, Wilmington, North Wales, Phoenixville, Lancaster and Maple Shade, with a Chestnut Hill site opening later this year.

I created a sampler of the Maibock, Vienna Red Lager, Saison Noir (the Seasonal Belgian Ale) and Bourbon Vanilla Porter. Kelly ordered glasses of the Dunkelweizen and Bourbon Vanilla Porter. The latter was our favorite - fantastic flavor! Our only complaint was the steep price tag on Iron Hill's bottled reserves, ranging from $16.50 to $24.50. Unusually high for a local craft brewery and a deal breaker for us.

I have to add that the food was stellar - some of the best on our trip in fact. I loved the Caribbean Spiced Chicken Breasts (especially that golden pineapple chutney) and Kelly chowed down on the Seafood Pot Pie, bursting with shrimp, scallops, jumbo lump crab and veggies. The riverfront deck was picture perfect so we're giving this spot the seal of approval for anyone passing through Wilmington and looking for well-made beer and food in a scenic setting.