Neshaminy Creek Brewing added another new flavor to its Rita’s Fruit Brews line of beers inspired by Rita’s Italian Ice – Watermelon Sour! This new brew joined the ranks of Mango, Peach Ring, and Cherry Lemonade and is available throughout the brewery’s distribution network in PA, NJ, MD, and now MA and RI thanks to their new partnership with Homegrown Distribution.
Neshaminy Creek and Rita’s first joined forces in the spring of 2023 to launch the Rita’s Fruit Brews line as a tribute to the Italian Ice brand’s iconic flavors. This partnership was built on local pride as Rita’s first location opened in 1984 just 10 minutes down the road from Neshaminy Creek’s production brewery while today, Rita’s is headquartered only a little further away from the brewery in the opposite direction. Both brands have become regional staples and synonymous with sweet relief from the summer heat.
Rita’s Fruit Brews Watermelon Sour keys off the latest flavor that recently debuted at Rita’s shops across the country, SOUR PATCH KIDS Watermelon Ice. First it’s sour. Then it’s sweet. Then it’s gone. The beer is refreshingly tart with a lactic sourness that adds a bright burst to the sweet watermelon candy flavor. With a light body, tingly carbonation, tangy finish, and a highly sessionable 5% ABV, Rita’s Fruit Brews Watermelon Sour is a fresh slice of summer in a can!
“I was so excited when Rita’s told us they were working on a Sour Patch Kids Watermelon ice because I knew that’d make for an awesome summer beer,” said Kyle Park, Director of Sales and Marketing at Neshaminy Creek. “The huge range of flavors that Rita’s has to offer is one of the things that has made this such a fun project to work on. When it comes to candy, sour gummies are my weakness so getting to experiment with our brewers and bring this watermelon flavor to life in a beer was a real treat. It’s also been great getting to know the crew at Homegrown Distribution and we can’t wait to have Neshaminy Creek available in their market.”
Von Ebert collaborates with Firestone Walker for 6th anniversary
Portland, Oregon’s Von Ebert Brewing is celebrating its 6th anniversary by releasing two special collaboration beers with Firestone Walker Brewing Co. from California.
“We wanted to celebrate this milestone with our friends at Firestone Walker Brewing Company, who are West Coast craft brewing pioneers and innovators, through collaborations that truly highlight our mutual drive to cultivate a brewery culture of continuous improvement to quench our beer drinkers,” said Sam Pecoraro, brewmaster of Von Ebert Brewing.
Known for their award-winning Pilsner Pils and Volatile Substance IPA, Von Ebert Brewing wanted to feature those styles in their collaborations. Using Yakima Chief Hops 702 extracts, Von Ebert and Firestone Walker developed the “6th Anniversary West Coast IPA” and “6th Anniversary German-style Pilsner,” which will be available at all four Von Ebert locations and Portland-area bottle shops.
“I was honored to get the call from Sam to come to Portland to brew with the Von Ebert team. We both have a deep love of Pilsner beer and West Coast IPA. Our brewing styles are very similar, so it just came down to a few process tweaks and picking a couple great hop combinations. It was an easy and natural fit,” said Matt Brynildson, brewmaster of Firestone Walker Brewing Company. “It was great to integrate some innovative hop products from Yakima Chief in this IPA and it was great to have the Yakima Chief Hops team come in and participate in the collaboration with us.”
With the purchase of the brewing facility on N. Cook Street in Portland, Von Ebert Brewing is expanding production and distribution from 4,000 barrels per year to as much as 20,000 barrels per year and has begun selling 12-ounce cans. Von Ebert Brewing plans to have the N. Cook Street taproom opened to the public later this spring and will grow its distribution throughout Oregon and Washington, and eventually Idaho and parts of California.
Pelican Brewing is ready for the beach
Pelican Brewing Company’s newest release, Pelican Beach Beer, is all about relaxed beach vibes from the Oregon Coast. The new packaging of Pelican Beach Beer steps away from the brewery’s traditional designs that feature their trademark pelican mascot. Instead, Pelican Beach Beer displays a new retro Beach Beer wordmark that plays to a sense of simplicity and a cresting wave badge that nods to everyday beach nostalgia. The color scheme reflects the ocean, sand, and sky.
“We wanted to create a tasty and flavorful beer that is true to our roots and celebrates our home here on the Oregon Coast,” states Pelican Brewing’s Brewmaster of 28 years, Darron Welch. “And after years of stepping out onto the sand from the back patio of our original location in Pacific City, it was clear that Beach Beer is the right beer to carry that feeling to wherever you happen to be.”
Pure Project debuts a West Coast pils and LIFE
San Diego’s stellar eco-focused brewery Pure Project just released a handful of great beers:
FOREST OF LIGHT, is their inaugural West Coast pilsner showcasing a blend of New Zealand Superdelic and hand-selected Oregon Cascade hops. With fruity aromas of raspberry, passion fruit, and sweet citrus, each whiff evokes the sensation of the sun’s warmth on your skin.
LIEF is batch #6 of its Méthode Traditionnelle (M.T. III). This blend of one-, two-, and three-year-old spontaneously fermented ales was produced in San Diego county and is inspired by the Belgian process of making traditional lambic. California-grown pilsner malt and raw, unmalted wheat create the foundation of this blend, which was inoculated solely by wild yeast and microorganisms indigenous to the Miramar area and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Warm-aged hops added to the boil provide aromas of barnyard up front, with red pomme fruit and grapefruit expression close to follow. Tastes of funk, bitter grapefruit, and toasted wheat bread practically dance on your tongue, followed by a smooth and refined finish that is both unique and refreshing.
10 Barrel Brewing adds to Hop Burst IPA family
10 Barrel Brewing just released a new flavor—Juicy Drama—adding a fourth member to its already stacked HopBurst Family of IPAs. It’s a zesty, fruit-forward spin on a Double IPA, brewed with ridiculous amount of Bravo and Simcoe hops, giving it a dramatic burst of citrus and pine hop flavor, but keeping bitterness to a minimum. To round out the theatrics, the brewers added Yuzu zest to the fermenter for an explosive aroma that makes this 9.6% ABV surprisingly easy-drinking and low-maintenance, so you can save the drama for your mama.
Tröegs repackages Field Study
Tröegs Independent Brewing announces the release of Field Study Summer IPA, the second beer in its rotating seasonal series. The bright, vibrant summer sky provided inspiration for the beer’s re-imagined label design.
With a fresh accent of blue, the updated look for Field Study matches one of the best times of the year to enjoy beer. For Field Study’s grain bill, Tröegs uses a portion of rustic pale malt grown and harvested in Pennsylvania and produced by Double Eagle Malt just outside Philadelphia, PA.
“We like to use local ingredients because we can easily get out and try them,” says Tröegs founding brother and brewmaster John Trogner. “We really do dig getting in the fields and tasting the ingredients and using them in beer.”
The hop combination of Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado coaxes summery notes of ripe grapefruit, juicy pear, and a hint of melon. With a bright flavor profile, low bitterness, and 6.2% ABV, Field Study appeals to both IPA fans and non-IPA drinkers alike.
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