Iconic Philly microbrewery bringing its beer to LBI at Delaware Avenue Oyster House

Dock Street Brewery — Philadelphia's oldest micro-brewery— has come to the Jersey Shore.

In early April, Cape Beverage Distributing in Egg Harbor Township began circulating the long-awaited brew throughout the Garden State, making it available in most major retailers.

On Thursday, April 20, Delaware Avenue Oyster House in Beach Haven will give the brewery a sort of homecoming from 6 to 8 p.m., with plenty of giveaways, as well as specials on Dock Street beer.

Dock Street was founded by Sicilian immigrant Rosemarie Certo in 1985. Renata Vesey (Certo-Ware), Dock Street's marketing director and Certo's daughter, said she spent childhood summers vacationing in Margate.

“Everyone in Philadelphia goes down the Shore … it’s the Jersey/Philly pipeline,” she said. "[New Jerseyans] already feel like family."

Toby Sweeney, co-owner of Delaware Avenue Oyster House, said her father grew up in Philadelphia; her twin sister —comedian Betty J. Smithsonian — still lives there. The Sweeneys are family friends, Vesey said.

“Not only are we all women business owners, we’re also family-owned,” Vesey added. “People who work with their families just have this understanding."

The restaurant feels the same way.

"I grew up outside of Philadelphia, on the Jersey side, so this alliance resonates deeply with me,” said Sweeney, who met Vesey through a close friendship with Smithsonian. “It’s where all my favorite sports teams play, where many of my favorite restaurants are. It’s truly a treasured place to be.”

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For years, Sweeney begged Vesey to bring the family's beer to New Jersey, so she could tap it at her restaurant.

“We haven’t had any tap takeovers or parties, or any physical presence where we’ve gotten to get out and meet people,” Vesey said. “The minute we announced we were coming to New Jersey, [Toby] was the first person [who called].”

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Dock Street Brewery, which has two locations in Philadelphia, plans to tap two or three beers at a time with Delaware Avenue Oyster House. Some favorites to be expected are the King Juice DIPA (8.5% ABV) – a hazy, sticky, double dry hopped and perfectly balanced double IPA – as well as the more mild, award-winning Rye IPA (6.8% ABV), a Philly-staple which is uniquely dry and aggressively hopped.

Others include the Bohemian Pilsner (6.5% ABV), with a nutty, malty taste and gentle finish — one of the very first beers the Certo-Wares created in 1985.

“My parents were homebrewing … [when they] realized that nobody was creating high quality beer in America,” Vesey said. “If you went out to eat at a restaurant and wanted to drink anything besides wine with your dinner, it was an import.”

The Certo-Ware family likes giving back to the community that built them up, so they work with local artists for their beer labels, and donate to local charities. The beer Dock Street Found Friends, for instance, was a fundraiser for Philly PAWS, the city's largest animal rescuer.

Vesey, who studied anthropology at Boston University, said “we’re doing a lot of international styles,” including a Mexican lager being brewed with lime, as well as the Futuro Italian Pilsner (4.8% ABV) — a nod to the family’s Italian roots, with notes of soft melon and wildflowers.

“I have a fascination with other cultures, and [we] want to connect with them and honor them,” she said.

When asked which Dock Street beer is most suitable for summer days at the Jersey Shore, Vesey recommended the Barracuda (4% ABV). A Berlin Weisse, this sessionable ale is brewed with raspberry, hibiscus, and kettle-soured with lactobacillus cultures, leaving a tart taste that's crisp and refreshing on a warm beach day.

Go: For Delaware Ave. Oyster House: 13211 Long Beach Blvd., Beach Haven; 609-492-3352, delawareaveoysterhouse.com. For Dock Street Brewery Fishtown (new location opened April 4): 1229 North Front St., Philadelphia; 267-284 0345, dockstreetbeer.com/dock-street-fishtown. For Dock Street Brewery South: 2118 Washington Ave., Philadelphia; 215-337-3103, dockstreetbeer.com/dock-street-south-point-breeze.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Dock Street Brewery partners with LBI's Delaware Avenue Oyster House