Jimmy Valm named opening brewmaster at Thompson Island Brewing Company

SoDel Concepts hired experienced brewer Jimmy Valm to be the opening brewmaster at Thompson Island Brewing Co., the hospitality groups 12th restaurant.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, announced that Jimmy Valm will be the opening brewmaster at Thompson Island Brewing Co., the hospitality group’s 12th restaurant, currently under construction in Rehoboth Beach.

Valm, who grew up just outside of Seattle, received a degree in brewing and distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. He’s worked at Heineken UK in Manchester, England, and at Brooklyn Brewery’s Williamsburg facility. He most recently worked at Cape May Brewing Co. during a period of unprecedented growth for the New Jersey brewery, which expanded from 6,000 barrels of beer in 2016 to more than 18,000 in 2018.

Valm has handled production management and scheduling and has been responsible for standardizing procedures and building data-capture systems.

“At Thompson Island Brewing Co., I’m looking forward to getting back on the brewhouse floor as well as handling my administrative responsibilities,” said Valm. “I’m excited about building a brewing program from the ground up, from developing the philosophy to designing recipes.”

Valm will collaborate with John Troegner of Tröegs Independent Brewing, a longtime client of SoDel Concepts’ management consulting division.

Thompson Island Brewing Co., which is currently under construction in Rehoboth Beach, will feature the talent brewmaster Jimmy Valm, who will work in collaboration with consultant John Troegner of Troegs Independent Brewing.

Thompson Island will be a 250-seat brewpub next to Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar, another SoDel Concepts restaurant in the Rehoboth Gateway shopping center. Decor will salute longtime area attractions and activities, such as kayaking, paddle-boarding, fishing or relaxing on the sand or sitting around a bonfire. In addition to bays and beaches, local farms will play a prominent part in the theme. A beer garden will seat about 100 guests, who can play table tennis and bocce ball in the garden and check out the 1956 Apache truck outfitted with beer taps.

For more, visit sodelconcepts.com.