Beer is good. It's the consensus of generations and who am I to disagree? The delmarva peninsula has more than it's fair share of craft brewers and I'm happy to report that collectively they're kicking butt! It only seems fitting that on this holiday weekend we should pay our resects to the day of labor with the world's best mistake, beer! Do yourself a favor. Swing by your local beer shop and pick up a six pack of something local and support the home team!

TIP: Most of the local breweries offer tours & tastings. Check their respective websites for more details

Crisfield, Maryland is what it is: a watermen's world. We loved it for that! It's a no frills, down and dirty crab pickin' small town with a sea-faring history that dates back to 1850s with the discovery of oyster beds.

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Old Bay is a Chesapeake Bay tradition. Developed by a German immigrant named Gustav Brunn in the 1940's, the original idea was to pump local pub goers with free crabs (because they were so plentiful) covered in the delicious spicy salt to encourage them to buy more beverages. The seasoning is named after the Old Bay Line ferry that carried people from the Baltimore to Norfolk in the early 1900's. Half a century later the seasoning is synonymous with the region. Over the years people have gotten progressively more creative with its use. While you can still enjoy it at any crab shack on the Eastern Shore, we've photographed some of our favorite unconventional appearances of Old Bay over the last few months. From the steamed shrimp at Sneaky Pete's to Old Bay bagels from Uber Bagel, Herr's Old Bay potato chips (a staple at any respectable deli in the region), the Eastern Shore Martini ('Natty Bo' in an Old Bay rimmed martini glass) at Crabby Dick's, to the crab fondue from Pig and Fish we have indulged them all.

Your Host Our Coast hosts love beer... a lot. Red beer, blue beer, old beer, new beer, we're fans. (and so was Dr. Suess) One of the many perks of the coolest job on the coast and also the one that we are most often reminded of is this simple fact. It's our job to drink beer. We checked out three stops on the Delaware Wine and Ale Trail, sampled the goods and made this to share with you guys. Delaware has lots of excellent local libations so get yourself out on the trail as often and as soon as you can. Cheers!

Progress is creativity, ambition and drive boiled together, strained through trial and error then refined as it is reduced over low heat for many, many years. Actually, in the case of Nage and Dogfish Head, that reduction just keeps heating up.

Nage's Chef du Cuisine Hari Cameron is in love with food. Truly. A close friend of many local farmers and unique edible findings, the freshest vegetables light up his stories about experiments old and new. After even the shortest conversation it's obvious that his passion runs deep. How deep? He has some of his favorite produce tattooed in a sleeve of ink that starts at his wrist. If you follow the artichoke past the asparagus and over the tomato you will find the end over his heart where he has some lavender and a fennel bulb ("because it looks like a heart") to symbolize his marriage and wedding day at Lavender Fields in Milton.

Dogfish Head's National Sales Manager Claus Hagelman ditched his stiff title for something more suited to his personality, Chief Story Teller. Claus knows beer. Overflowing with exuberance he shares insights on beer that go back centuries in the history books while preaching the gospel of Dogfish Head, "Off-centered ales for off-centered people." An incredibly friendly guy he'll tell you how beer started off as a food substitute for factory workers and where it is now with Dogfish Head leading the charge as the largest craft brewery in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Claus came up with an idea to pair with Chef Hari, Sous Chef Ted Deptula and the rest of their crew at Nage for a culinary game. The concept: create a four course meal where each dish will be paired with one craft beer from the Dogfish Head quiver. The catch- those four extremely unique beers will not be shared with the chef until 12 noon, the day of the meal.

So you might be able to imagine what a meeting of these minds would taste like. Or maybe (if you're like me) you have no idea but you are giddy at just the prospect. Add the challenge of those complex beers and the abbreviated timeline and you have yourself an event that your taste buds won't soon forget. And we weren't alone. Patron's of Nage said "of our 50-60 dinners here, this one is among the best". Both sides pulled out all the stops. Chef Hari brought freshly foraged fiddle head ferns, Claus brought vintage 120 minute IPA...from 2007! And the surprises just kept coming course after course.

One pair of guests drove four hours from Massachusetts to celebrate the one year anniversary of their loves (each other and that of Dogfish beer) at the brewpub in Rehoboth. With a brief visit to the brewery to begin their fun that day, the brew specialist, Ben, served them beers and pushed them out the door to this "once in a lifetime opportunity." Ali and Chris left with the biggest smiles and shouting, "Delaware rocks!!"

Two individually spectacular institutions coming together to create one event to enlighten their guests with local food and exotic beer; now that's a recipe for greatness.

TIPS

Be sure to keep up with the off-centered events at Dogfish Head Brewery and brewpub (where they test beers on the public before putting them into production). They host everything from music to the Dogfish Dash.

Head to one of Nage's Farm-to-Table dinners where the ingredients are delivered the day of so that Chef Hari and his team whip up magic! The farmers are often there for you to meet as well. You can also keep an eye on Chef Hari on his blog, The Comb and Wattle.