(Milton, DE) – It was reported earlier this year that Dogfish Head was planning to invest major money into an expansion that would bring annual capacity to over 500,000 barrels.

Dogfish has been surprisingly mum about the whole thing ever since…in stark contrast to the vast amount of coverage we have seen around the brewery’s new releases and collaborations. Not to mention, the coverage that we have seen around the expansions of other less media-savvy regional breweries.

And now we know why.

The first phase of expansion came late this past summer when Dogfish bought some land adjacent to the current brewery in Milton.

That set off some in the neighborhood that wanted the land to be used for new residences. Since then, it’s been a battle with locals as the brewery hopes to get the land approved for industrial use.

Town planners have postponed a vote that could lead to the rezoning of a 39.7-acre parcel of land in Cannery Village and pave the way for Dogfish Head Brewery to expand.

After accepting public comment, members of the Planning and Zoning Commission said they needed time to digest the information. They could vote to recommend or reject the request as early as Oct. 18.

Dogfish Head COO, Nick Benz, noted that the company is currently on pace to hit 145,000 barrels this year, a 20% increase from 2010.

A Dogfish spokesman did not return a request for comment last month while investigating this story.

via Dogfish Head rezoning vote put off in Milton | The News Journal.