WILMINGTON — The coworkers of 22 years bonded over a mutual love for craft beer a long time ago, but the obsession of creating began about eight years ago when the company they worked for merged offices and landed in Wilmington. “It started, you know, stirring on the stove,” reminisced de Jongh. “It got to where it was like, ‘Well how do we do this better? How can we do it better?’ And then it just got way out of control.”
And now they own a brewery near Bradley Creek, off where Oleander and Military Cutoff merge. Mad Mole is nestled in a strip on Boathouse Road—an intimate space, with ample natural light. It’s a great stop for a beer after work with a few buddies, with a list boasting styles like Raspberry Kölsch and Belgian Golden Strong. Plus they sell wine and cider, and sodas for the little ones.
They pride themselves on their Belgian focus, and they should. For sippers a little leery of the Belgian oeuvre, I recommend trying the Penitent Mole, Belgian Golden Strong. It’s 9.6 percent ABV, so I’d advise getting a half pour. The beer is a coy representation of tradition, presenting notes of banana and clove without being too aggressive or spice-driven, as I’ve heard Belgian skeptics talk of before.
