Surprise! Wilmington's new beer garden opens
There will be beer.
The new Constitution Yards Beer Garden on Wilmington's Riverfront opened Friday at 4 p.m., but that doesn't mean craft brews will definitely flow through the taps all summer.
Delaware Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner John Cordrey has issued a daily liquor license to the beer garden, which took effect Thursday and runs through Monday.
The license was granted ahead of the already-scheduled July 7 public hearing before the Office of Delaware Alcoholic Beverage Control. The hearing will determine whether the beer garden will receive a biennial gathering license, which would be renewed every two years.
Cordrey says Constitution Yards' temporary Delaware Division of Public Health certificate expires Monday, so he could only approve a daily license through Monday. State health inspectors are expected to return to the beer garden Monday. If a new certificate is earned, Cordrey could approve of daily licenses through July 7.
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The 20,000-square-foot beer garden, which is believed to be the first proper beer garden in Delaware since Prohibition, will be open this weekend from 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. There is no admission. All ages are allowed, although you must be at least 21 to order alcohol.
The beer garden is managed by Connecticut-based Imian Partners. It has opened multiple beer gardens on the East Coast, including Manhattan's Local, located next to Madison Square Garden, and the Beer Garden at Shippan Landing in Stamford, Connecticut.
Constitution Yards will have 10 beer draft lines (Dogfish Head, Fordham & Dominion, Yards, Victory, etc.) with about 15 different varieties of canned beer also available. The waterfront, open-air spot will also offer four types of wine available on draft, along with spirits from Rehoboth Beach's Delaware Distilling Company.
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"Upscale barbecue" is the food theme for Constitution Yards with an on-site rotisserie for chicken. It's also serving ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage sandwiches and more.
The large-scale gathering space, which hosted Bromberg's Big Noise in the Neighborhood music festival in 2010, has backyard games like corn hole, Wiffle ball and bocce. The beer garden is expected to close after Oktoberfest with the Riverfront ice skating rink returning in the winter.
The dog- and children-friendly beer garden has faced a fight from nearby neighbors with concerns about noise, traffic and drunken behavior. The homeowner's association for the Condominiums at Justison Landing, which stands adjacent to the beer garden, officially opposes the location.
Amy Riley, 51, who lives in the condominiums, shares some of their concerns about parking and noise, but she is excited to check out the beer garden's opening this weekend.
"I like that this gives us three weeks to see what it's like," Riley says. "I tend to be fairly open-minded, so I'm not going to come out of the gate and be against something without having any negative experience with it."
The Atlanta native, who moved to the Riverfront in late 2013, says she's more interested in the barbecue than the beer: "I miss barbecue quite a bit. I saw the giant, open grill they used for their soft opening, so that looks really promising."
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).
IF YOU GO
What: Constitution Yards Beer Garden opening
When: Friday (4 p.m.-12 a.m.), Saturday (noon-midnight) and Sunday (12 p.m.-9 p.m.)
Where: 308 Justison St., Wilmington
Information: constitutionyards.com