Harpoon Brewery and DraftKings released a limited edition Rec. League — the Get In The Game! 12-Pack — to celebrate the Celtic’s run in the NBA playoffs (uh-oh!) and DraftKings’ launch of mobile sports betting in Massachusetts.
Harpoon’s ties to the local Boston community have been strong since it was founded in 1986 and given brewing permit #001 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“We believe fans of our beer are tightly tied to the Boston sports community, which is why we’re excited to deliver this special edition packaging for our most athletic brew – Rec. League – ahead of what will hopefully be a long playoff season for the Celtics,” said Dan Kenary, Harpoon CEO and co-founder. “As another iconic Boston-based company, DraftKings was perfect for this special edition 12-pack and we believe they are well aligned with the occasions and sports moments this beer was brewed for.”
Harpoon Rec. League is made with unique ingredients like buckwheat kasha, which contains important minerals and B vitamins; chia seeds that are high in fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants; and Mediterranean sea salt that can act as a powerful source of electrolytes. It clocks in at 4.0% ABV and only 120 calories per 12 oz. serving.
For this playoff season, Harpoon had a pop-up Beer Garden on Canal Street that was open before every home Celtics playoff game. DraftKings joined Harpoon before the Celtics game on May 9 for some giveaways and a branded photobooth.
“Through our relationship with Harpoon Brewery, we were able to come to terms on a distinct marketing opportunity that will give DraftKings the ability to have our logo appear on one of Boston’s favorite beers,” said Jay Danahy, Head of Brand Partnerships and Ad Strategy, DraftKings. “As the leading operator in the state, we look forward to deepening our brand presence in the place we call home.”
Pure Project adds Diamond Dust to year-round lineup
San Diego-based craft brewery Pure Project is adding one of its original murky India pale ales to its year-round beer lineup. Diamond Dust features Cashmere hops from Michigan and hand-selected Mosaic hops from the Pacific Northwest.
“Diamond Dust was one of our first murky brews, which is our term for hazy IPAs,” says co-founder and brewer, Winslow Sawyer. “It debuted in 2017 as a specialty release and we brought it back year and year again due to its popularity.”
Tastefully developed using a combination of the aforementioned hop varietals, a four-grain blend, and Pure’s proprietary murky IPA yeast strain, Diamond Dust offers a lush sensory experience that is juicy and tropical. More distinctively, the beer’s aromas include peach, coconut, and tangerine, with flavors of mango, bright pineapple, and grapefruit zest. Diamond Dust is the newest to join Pure’s core beer lineup, which includes Tropical Mist (citrus blonde ale), Rain (pilsner), Pure West (West Coast IPA), and Rove Adventure Beer (light lager).
Meet Sierra Nevada’s summer lineup
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is introducing a fresh line-up of beers just in time for summer. The brand’s new releases include 2 all-new Little Things brand family varieties, the return of a limited-edition summer seasonal, and a nostalgic pack of returning beers back by the popular demand of fans sold collectively for the first time.
- NEW Crisp Little Thing: This easy-drinking lager is perfect for summer and is exclusively available in the Little Things Party Pack.
- NEW Tropical Little Thing: Earlier this year, Sierra Nevada’s Little Things collection announced the brand’s first limited edition rotating series of Hazy IPAs. The series promises a rotating range of unique and fresh Hazy IPA offerings to satisfy drinkers’ thirst for new, exciting flavor profiles in the category. Tropical Little Thing is the second release in the series, following Juicy Little Thing. Ripe aromas and flavors of mango, papaya, and passion fruit dominate this latest offering in the Limited Hazy IPA rotating series from Sierra Nevada’s Little Things family.
- Summerfest: Summerfest is a crisp pilsner with hints of lemon zest, and a clean, dry finish. It’s the sessionable taste of summer fans are delighted to see return to shelves for the season.
- Fan Favorites Pack: This special collection includes four of Sierra Nevada’s most requested “comeback” beers. The brewery collected info from fan inquiries over the last several years and determined that these four were the top, most-requested beers fans wanted to see be re-released, which are Hop Hunter IPA, Ruthless Rye IPA, Nooner Pilsner and Flipside Red IPA.
Sweetwater brews a Colorado exclusive
SweetWater Brewing Co. solidified its Colorado ties with the new Colorado ORANGE Citrus Ale, a wheat beer crafted for the high country. Brewed in Fort Collins with locally sourced and harvested ingredients, SweetWater ORANGE is available year-round exclusively in Colorado.
SweetWater ORANGE is brewed with Centennial hops and high-quality local wheat and craft malt from the Root Shoot Malting family farm in Loveland, Colorado. It is also infused with natural orange flavor for an especially easy-drinking experience. At 4.6 percent alcohol by volume, ORANGE is the perfect companion while floating local rivers, camping in the mountains, or enjoying an outdoor concert.
“We’re excited to introduce our latest craft beer innovation during American Craft Beer Week,” said Ty Gilmore, President, U.S. Beer at Tilray Brands. “Colorado ORANGE Citrus Ale is tailor-made for Colorado at our Fort Collins brewery and it’s the perfect companion for SweetWater fans this summer.”
Sycamore Brewing’s Southern Girl Strawberry has a new look
Sycamore Brewing, Charlotte’s largest independent brewer, announced the return of its summertime beer, Southern Girl Strawberry (5.2% ABV). The deep golden blonde ale with added strawberries is a fruit-forward spin on the brewery’s popular Southern Girl beer. It’s now available in stores with a fresh look to its can art and will soon be available on tap at Sycamore’s new South End taproom, slated to open at the end of the month.
“Our original Southern Girl beer was named after our first brewhouse; a 15-barrell American-made workhorse that served us well from the original taproom’s opening in 2014 until 2017 when we needed to expand our production capacity,” says Sycamore Brewing’s co-owner, Sarah Taylor Brigham. “As we transition from our old taproom to the new one, we felt that it was fitting to give Southern Girl and its strawberry variant a refresh as its popularity continues to grow.”
Described as “summer in a glass,” Southern Girl Strawberry boasts fresh strawberry flavor upfront followed by bready-biscuit notes and caramel-honey flavors. Every sip of Southern Girl Strawberry presents a dry finish with an added tartness for an easy-drinking beer. Its bright red can stands out with its simple yet impactful design featuring a couple of fresh unmissable strawberries and accenting strawberry blossoms that reference the light floral-hops.
Ska Brewing ups the ounces
Ska Brewing has even more beer for their customers— four ounces more to be exact. After twenty years of packaging its craft in aluminum, the brewery debuted 16oz. cans after implementing the CanCollar Corsair provided by WestRock. Skull Juice Juicy Double IPA and Prickly Pear Sour will be available in this new format in very limited quantities while supplies last, with more specialty releases to follow.
More surface area on these can means more room for creative design, so this new package format was a flex opportunity for Ska’s inspired Designer Cara Nosek. The new can artwork is a departure from Ska’s typical branding with the signature checkerboard stripe, while still including bold colors and comic book elements that the brewery is known for.
Skull Juice Juicy DIPA is a golden, tropical hazy hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 hops. It boasts aromas of pineapple, guava, and orange. The can captures its barbaric and tropical vibes with a multi-toned tiling of the iconic Ska skeleton chewing on hops.
Prickly Pear Sour Ale pours a beautiful reddish pink hue from the addition of real fruit added for fermentation. It’s a smooth-drinker with a noticeable tartness and a slightly melon sweetness. A bold, black and white graphic meets colorful cacti on this can’s groovy label.
Left Hand releases new year-rounder
Left Hand Brewing Co. unveiled its newest year-round brew, Breezy Does It, a passion fruit sour ale. Lively fruit notes, subtle malt and pleasantly floral Ella hops make Breezy Does It the ultimate companion for warm weather activities, patio parties or a staycation. Light and refreshing with a 4.8% ABV, Breezy Does It is made for repeat enjoyment.
“We wanted to create a beer that would evoke a feeling of being whisked away on an imaginary vacation, without a care in the world,” said Jill Preston, Director of Marketing at Left Hand Brewing. “With each sip, the tangy and refreshing flavors of passion fruit awaken your senses, reminiscent of exotic destinations and sun-soaked beaches. It’s an immersive escape from the everyday hustle and bustle.”
Devil’s Foot debuts non-alcoholic beverages
Devil’s Foot Beverage Company the Asheville-based maker of farm-to-can craft sodas and beverages, is announcing the launch of their Zero Proof Series: seven non-alcoholic beverages in collaboration with notable craft breweries in the South. Each of the craft brewer partners is also utilizing zest, pressed fruit, or ginger pulp sourced from the Devil’s Foot Full Fruit Life Program to brew one of their own upcoming alcoholic beverages.
Launching first and already on tap at The Mule is Tart Berry, a non-alcoholic craft soda, small-batched brewed in collaboration with Asheville’s Green Man Brewery. The non-alcoholic beverage pays homage to Green Man’s Tart Berry, a fruited Berliner-Weisse, and is being canned and sold by Devil’s Foot Beverages, both in their taproom at The Mule, online at Devil’s Foot Beverages, and via their state distributors in both Carolinas and Georgia. Devil’s Foot’s Tart Berry Sour Berry Soda is also part of The Mule’s spring cocktail and mocktail menu.
WeldWerks gets into hard teas
WeldWerks Brewing Co. will debut Giddy Up, a hard ice tea with lemon, this month. The hard tea will be available in 16-ounce cans at WeldWerks’ taproom on May 12 and at participating retailers within the brewery’s distribution footprint across Colorado in mid-May.
“Historically, we’ve always strived to craft a diverse and playful portfolio of beers, so adding a hard tea into the mix seemed like a great next step in continuing to push our own boundaries,” says WeldWerks Director of Brewing Operations Derek Gold.
WeldWerks has experimented with using tea in their with beers like Ain’t No Hurry, a sour ale brewed with black tea that’s reminiscent of an Arnold Palmer, and Morning Mojo Vanilla Porter, an English-Style porter brewed with a tea blend from The Tea Spot. The next iteration of the brewery’s use of tea will be brewed at a larger scale and accessible to more people.
Giddy Up comes at an approachable 5% ABV that’s perfect for the warmer months to come. WeldWerks is excited about their hard tea debut and hopes to release subsequent variants of Giddy Up in the future.
“From a creative and experimentation standpoint, we’d love to make additional variants using new ingredients.” says Gold. “We’re excited to listen to feedback about this first version and get suggestions from our fans on what they’d like to drink in the future!”
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