• by Erik Oster , March 27, 2024

Customers browsing indie record stores across the country next month may find a pleasant surprise -- in the form of a gold record -- courtesy of Milton, Delaware-based brewery Dogfish Head.

The Boston Beer Co.-owned brand is launching a “Sippin’ & Flippin’” campaign in collaboration with Record Store Day (an organization dedicated to supporting independent record stores), hiding metallic-gold records at independent record stores across the country.

Beginning April 1, record store shoppers who stumble upon the prized platters will receive a host of Record Store Day goodies along with the find, as well as being entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win the grand prize: a trip for two to a concert event of their choosing, all expenses paid.

“Throughout our nine years as the Official Beer of Record Store Day, Dogfish Head has always looked for new fun ways to highlight the beauty and diversity of music, while celebrating the fact that great beer is the perfect accompaniment while listening to great music,” Dogfish Head founder and brewer Sam Calagione told Marketing Daily.

Past activations have included everything from concert series and exclusive records, to music-themed beers crafted for Record Store Day.

In addition to “Sippin’ & Flippin," Dogfish Head is also hosting a series of events and concerts that Calagione said were aimed at “showing folks across the country the exponential awesomeness that can be found when beer and music intersect,” including a series of concerts at  Brooklyn Bowl locations in Nashville, New York City, and Philadelphia.

There’s also a special album release for the Record Store Day holiday on April 20, in collaboraton with guitarist Lenny Kaye, probably best known for his work as a member of the Patti Smith Group ( a partnership which reportedly developed after Smith began visiting Kaye at the New York record store where he then worked).

“I’ve always had an infatuation with music culture, so when we founded Dogfish Head, we wanted to ensure original music was a key piece of our ethos,” said Calagione. "From collaborations with musical artists to hosting shows on the world-class stage at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub, we’ve always considered ourselves a bunch of ‘beer geeks with a music problem.'"