Burp Fest at Historic Odessa Brewfest 2026

The Historic Odessa Brewfest debuted on September 6, 2014, when the Historic Odessa Foundation decided to pair Delaware's deep colonial roots with the modern craft beer renaissance. The idea was inspired by the town's own history: Odessa, originally known as Cantwell's Bridge, flourished as an 18th-century shipping hub, and its Cantwell's Tavern — built in 1822 — once served as a respite for weary travelers. The Foundation saw a natural connection between that heritage of hospitality and today's enthusiasm for craft brewing, and the inaugural Brewfest drew over 1,400 visitors to sample ales, stouts, and lagers from 47 craft brewers on the grounds of the Wilson-Warner House, Delaware's first house museum, built in 1769.

What began as an ambitious first-year experiment quickly became one of the Mid-Atlantic's most distinctive beer festivals. The event now attracts more than 2,000 attendees and features 50-plus breweries, including at least 15 Delaware favorites. The annual #OdessaBrewbracket — a bracket-style voting competition tracked since the festival's founding — has become a signature tradition, crowning fan-favorite breweries each year, with JAKL Beer Works taking the title in 2025. All proceeds benefit the Historic Odessa Foundation and its work preserving a remarkable enclave of 18th- and 19th-century buildings, including the Corbit-Sharp House (c. 1774), the Collins-Sharp House (c. 1700), and the Odessa Bank (c. 1853). The town itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes a National Historic Landmark and two National Park Service Network to Freedom sites. It is this blend of living history and living culture — sipping a hazy IPA on grounds where colonists once conducted trade — that makes the Historic Odessa Brewfest unlike any other beer festival on the East Coast.