If I asked you who Christian Krauch was, chances are few of you would identify him as a brewing pioneer known as Delaware's "Father of Lager Beer."
The recently opened Wilmington Brew Works brewery is trying to rectify that. It's teamed up with Krauch’s descendents and others to help $2,700 for a memorial to be placed on Krauch's unmarked grave in the Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery, and perhaps make more people aware of his contribution to the state’s rich brewing tradition - a tradition that is now enjoying a renaissance.
For this week’s Enlighten Me, we sat down with Delaware beer historian John Medkeff to discuss Krauch and this effort to recognize his legacy.
Anyone interested in donating to the Christian Krauch Memorial Fund can visit the online fundraising page here.
Wilmington Brew Works is helping raise money for the memorial through some of its beer sales and his crafted a brew that recalls Krauch and his lager beer, called Krauch's Creation.
We sat down with Craig Wensell, Wilmington Brew Works' CEO and head brewer, to discuss the brewery's involvement in this project and more.