Brewer Mark Fesche says that "the boiler guys have finished and we'll be ready to brew soon." The first offering will be a "traditional ale," with a seasonal brew to follow. Fesche was hired after completing the diploma course at Siebel Institute in Chicago. Prior to that, he did a three-year brewing stint at Deschutes Brewery in Oregon. He also currently practices law in Maryland, specializing in small business start-ups.

The 220-plus acre Twin Lakes property is the watershed for both the Brandywine River and White Clay Creek. Owner Sam Hobbs, whose family has resided on the site for six generations, wanted to preserve its legacy, which includes a legend that the apple tree that sits at the end of the driveway was where George Washington planned the Battle of the Brandywine during the Revolutionary War. Childhood pals Matt Day and Jack Wick approached him with the idea of building a brewery there in 2001 and "I just thought it was a great idea,” said Hobbs.

After a successful two-year campaign to change local zoning to protect the farm from development, they renovated one of the farm’s horse stables and purchased used brewery equipment at auctions, working with a $600,000 budget. The business plan is to concentrate on the local market and "have Twin Lakes beer available at every tavern in New Castle County by next spring," Hobbs said.

Fesche noted that a primary concern for the owners is that the brewery be integrated into its surroundings and be environmentally conscientious. Twin Lakes will brew with fresh water from the farm’s 135-year-old water well, he pointed out, "and our goal is to have a zero (or close) emissions. We plan on growing mushrooms in our spent grains, allowing worms to decompose the waste into soil where we will grow roses in a greenhouse that has our waste CO2 pumped in. All of this will take time and will not be in place at start-up, but that is our plan."

Twin Lakes will also conduct educational tours to teach local students about the fermentation process and plans to develop collaborative programs with the University of Delaware’s engineering program.

Ironically, Greenville's existing brewery, Brandywine Brewing Company, revealed recently that they will be closing their doors on New Year's Eve, apparently due to an overhaul of the retail complex housing their site. Indications are that the closing may be more a "hiatus" than a permanent move and rumors have Brandywine resurfacing in a new location in a year or so.