Last
the
Drop
By Chloe Alverson | Associate Editor
Bell’s Brewery celebrates arrival of Oberon Ale
Day-long festivities transpired at ‘Camp Oberon’
In Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Oberon is king of the fairies. While it certainly tastes like magic, the Oberon Ale from Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Bell’s Brewery signals the start of spring.
Bell’s Brewery, now owned by Australian beverage company Lion, was started by Larry Bell in 1983. One of Bell’s most beloved brews is the Oberon Ale, an American wheat ale.
First brewed in 1992 and sold under the name SolSun, the release of the seasonal beer has turned into an all-out holiday, especially in Michigan. Last year, the 30-year anniversary of the beer, Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed March 21 as Oberon Day.
This year, Bell’s hosted a group of media members for an in-depth tour of the Comstock brewery on Sunday, a day ahead of Oberon Day. As a Michigan girl, I fan-girled when I was invited to tag along for all the Oberon Day festivities.
The tour was led by Bell’s Senior Brewer, Kevin Stuchell, who has been with the company for more than 20 years. And of course, the tour started off with a tasting of Bell’s Amber Ale, a beer that helped build the brewery and is considered their “gateway to craft beer.”
The Comstock brewery — a 32-acre site — is the company’s main brewing location, while the downtown Kalamazoo location brews experimental and exclusive beers for the Eccentric Café.
The bottling system at Bell’s does 750 bottles a minute, and is complete with a camera inspection unit that kicks bottles off of the line if there are any flaws. The company’s canning system fills 500 12-ounce cans a minute, and this output was doubled with the installation of a second canning system. This is where many of the year-round available beers are brewed, such as the Amber Ale and Two Hearted IPA.
At the conclusion of the tour, we were given samples of Hop Grandslam, a variation the double IPA, Hopslam Ale, straight from the tank.
Following the tour, there was a beer pairing dinner at the Eccentric Café. The five-course meal was specially curated by the chef so that each dish highlighted the taste of Oberon. The courses were also inspired by this year’s Oberon Day theme, Camp Oberon. Dinner included dishes such as the Campfire Salad and Grown-up Silver Turtles, and, obviously, the first pints of Oberon Ale, complete with an orange slice garnish.
Monday was the big day.
The morning kicked off around 10 a.m. at the Bell’s downtown Kalamazoo location, where fans were lined up around the block, eager for the first taste of spring and summer. Great Lakes Brass, a brass musical group, played “You Are My Sunshine” while an Oberon Ale flag was raised and the festivities began.
Inside the Eccentric Café, fans immediately lined up for their Oberon. A record-breaking 5,000 guests were in attendance of the event, which went until 10 p.m.
Aside from traditional Oberon, Bell’s offered eight varietals of the wheat ale: Creamsicle, Chipotle Lime, Watermelon Basil, Raspberry Hibiscus, Pineapple Jalapeno, Fruit Punch, Peach and Blood Orange. Many of these varietals are only available at the Café and might not return. For Oberon Day alone, staff at the Café, who were “camp counselors” for the day, prepared around 7,000 oranges to use as garnishes.
Andy Farrell, brew master at Bell’s, has been with the company for 23 years. When it comes to creating the latest varietal of Oberon, he says he works closely with the innovation brewers and marketing team to find what works well together.
A variety pack of Oberon is slated to hit stores mid-May. Fans can expect to see previous varietals and at least one new flavor in the pack. BI
In honor of Angry Orchard’s Hardcore Dark Cherry Apple Imperial Hard Cider, the brand set out to reward fans who competed in the Hardcore Cherry Challenge. The challenge, which took place March 13-27, required fans to show off their cherry stem tying skills using only their tongues — a classic, but definitely difficult, bar trick. The brand notes that only 15% of people possess this talent. To enter the challenge, consumers had to share a video of themselves on social media tying a cherry stem into a knot with their tongue and use the hashtag “Hardcore Cherry Challenge,” as well as tag Angry Orchard in the post. Random winners were selected to receive eight six-packs of the 8% ABV Angry Orchard Hardcore. One winner who could complete a cherry stem knot in under eight seconds received $8,000 cash and a year’s supply of Hardcore. The money from Angry Orchard is to “pick up the tab for drinkers who can complete the task,” it says. Angry Orchard Hardcore is the brand’s first nationally available 8% ABV cider, it notes.
Angry Orchard rewards ‘hardcore’ fans
Performance and energy drink company G FUEL launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with Mackenzie Mgbako, a consensus Top 5 basketball player in the 2023 class. The partnership is the company’s first NIL collaboration with a high school athlete. G FUEL and Mgbako have teamed up with New York lifestyle brand Grungy Gentleman to design and create an apparel sportswear collection. The collection will feature a limited-edition crewneck sweatshirt and sweatpants, adorned with the G FUEL logo. “G FUEL is a huge part of my life as both a student and an athlete, so I’m beyond grateful to be able to do something special through this partnership by bringing fashion to the forefront,” Mgbako said in a statement. “We’re helping to keep people energized and focused with G FUEL, and with the help of Grungy Gentleman, we’re leveling up their wardrobe, too.” The G FUEL x Grungy Gentleman x Mackenzie Mgbako apparel collection is available on G FUEL’s website for a limited time. “The overlap of fashion and sports is something G FUEL is proud to magnify with Mackenzie Mgbako, a standout in the class of 2023 who demonstrates leadership to have an impact on the next generation of athletes,” said Anthony Pugliese, talent management lead at G FUEL, in a statement. “This collaboration demonstrates how G FUEL recognizes the importance of promoting passion and individuality.”
G FUEL teams up with high school basketball star
Lone River saddles up with Miranda Lambert
Texas-based Lone River Beverage Co. announced a multi-year partnership with country superstar and fellow Texan Miranda Lambert. Lone River was founded by fourth generation Texan Katie Beal Brown, and acquired by Diageo in 2021. Products include the namesake Ranch Water hard seltzer and the Ranch Rita Margarita Style.
The campaign between Lambert and Lone River “highlights the entrepreneurial ‘do-it-your-own-way’ ethos on which Lone River and Lambert both got their humble starts,” the company says.
The pair will empower entrepreneurial women at a series of luncheons, networking events and more throughout the duration of the partnership. “Miranda Lambert is the kind of person that makes me proud to be a Texan and I am so honored to have her as a partner on this journey as we continue to grow Lone River,” Brown said in a statement. “She is the embodiment of the trailblazing spirit that built our business, and it is a dream to have the opportunity to see our brand through her eyes. Through her iconic career in country music and beyond, she’s played such an important part in modernizing the ideals of the American West. I am so grateful to be a small part of this through Lone River.”
PepsiCo recently partnered with Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in Detroit. The three-year partnership is aimed to “develop Black designers and increase representation in the design industry.” Pepsi’s inaugural program at the college is the first and only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) dedicated to design, challenging students to create a new student lounge for the campus. Designers from PepsiCo’s Design and Innovation team and MillerKnoll mentored students throughout the design process. NBA star Russell Westbrook also was involved in this program and process. Pepsi says this partnership with Pensole Lewis aims to address the diversity gap by providing students access to invaluable resources. Students Rodney Banks and Angel Buckens were selected for their design for the Pepsi Stronger Together Relax and Refresh Lounge. “Our partnership with Pensole Lewis is about providing resources to help address the barriers that specifically hinder Black talent from entering a career in design. By giving students access to some of the industry’s best designers at PepsiCo, we can offer valuable resources and mentorship for the next generation of creatives” said Mauro Porcini, senior vice president and chief design officer at PepsiCo, in a statement. “To drive innovation, we must create a pipeline for more diverse perspectives and backgrounds to enter the design field. Our hope is that through education, inspiration and recruitment, PepsiCo’s program with Pensole Lewis will champion that.”
Pepsi partners with Detroit college to encourage diversity
May 2023 | bevindustry.com