Sam Calagione

Sam Calagione is the founder and President of Dogfish Head, a Delaware craft brewery producing “off-centered ales for off- centered people.” When Sam opened Dogfish Head in 1995, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America, brewing batches of ten gallons at a time. Today, Dogfish Head is among the fastest growing breweries in the country, selling beer in thirty states and three countries. Sam is the maverick behind all of the “off-centered” things that happen at Dogfish Head, his passion and brainchild. He creates brews with unconventional ingredients: herbs and spices, raisins, wood, corn, and Aztec cocoa powder.

Sam’s innovative style has earned him a reputation as one of America’s most adventurous entrepreneurs. Ranked amongFast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2011, he’s been named Businessman of the Year by The Small Business Association, and a Game Changer for 2010 by the Huffington Post.

He’s been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek,Playboy, People, and Bon Appetit and was a finalist for the 2011 James Beard Awards (only the second beverage producer to ever be nominated). His books include Brewing Up a Business; Extreme Brewing, and He Said Beer, She Said Wine. Sam was the host of Brew Masters on the Discovery Channel, and he serves as Chairman of the Brewers Association, an articulate ambassador for the craft-brewing world. He’s often on the road promoting Dogfish Head and the spirit of small business, expressed in verbal and liquid form. He has spoken for Fast Company, Inc. magazine, corporations, and associations around the country.