Get excited as New Belgium Brewing Company is weaving its long awaited craft brews into Wild and Wonderful West Virginia! To celebrate the event, local distributor The American Beer Company is partnering with local retailers for a “New Belgium Beer Launch Week” beginning with an inaugural beer delivery Monday, February 22nd to Del Sol Cantina in downtown Lewisburg, West Virginia just in time for lunch. Mid-week, the launch will travel to Maloney’s Sports Pub & Grille in Summersville and will then return back to downtown Lewisburg. The company will introduce its flagship Fat Tire, Ranger IPA, Slow Ride Session IPA, the new Citradelic and Hoppy Blonde spring seasonal, to be available on draft and in bottles. The timing of this launch corresponds with the opening of their second production facility in Asheville, North Carolina.
While the launch starts at Del Sol (206 W. Washington Street), join the American Beer Company later on that same day at the Asylum on 114 E Randolph Street in downtown Lewisburg. The downtown tap takeover will continue Wednesday, February 24th at the Irish Pub.
If you are looking for a sample of New Belgium, check out the Loft Liquor Store in Fairlea on Thursday, February 25th from 4-6pm.
Do you prefer a happy hour? The flagship Fat Tire Amber Ale will be featured at Spare Time’s Happy Hour on Thursday, the 25th. Spare Time is located on Rt 219 N (about 3 minutes from Walmart)
Another fun activity during New Belgium Launch Week is the Pub Crawl! Join them on Thursday the 25th at Del Sol Cantina and Grill at 7pm and then the Asylum at 9pm.
If you are unable to attend launch week activities, you can find New Belgium beers available all launch week at the Asylum and Del Sol Cantina and Grille.
RANGER IPA: At 6.5% ABV and 70 IBUs, Ranger is the perfect IPA for your nightly plans. Grab a sixer, kick back and enjoy the evening.
FAT TIRE: Their bestselling brew is the Fat Tire. This amber ale is the company’s flagship beer. Its recipe originates from the co-founder’s bicycle trip through Belgium from brewery to brewery. The company promotes its Fat Tire ale locally by the public placement of colorful vintage bicycles outside its brewery. To celebrate Fat Tire, we replaced the cars with Fat Tire bicycles on the Lewisburg town map. Pick up LBSPY this month to see!
The nation’s fourth largest craft brewery by volume, New Belgium sold 945,367 barrels in 2014, representative of 19 percent growth over the year prior, per the Brewers Association. In 2011, they produced 712,800 barrels of its various labels and as of 2012, they have been the third-largest craft brewery and eighth-largest overall brewery in the United States.
“We’ve spent a lot of time in West Virginia this past year and there is definitely a strong, emerging craft scene there,” – Rich Rush
CITRADELIC: The Citradelic IPA is their newest year-round brew. It’s a kaleidoscope of citra hops and tangerine rounded with malty sweetness. Citradelic officially hits shelves today. Find a sixer, crack one open and let us know what you think.
HOPPY BLONDE: Hoppy Blonde showcases all of the subtle nuances of the Mosaic hop; a beautiful blonde color to evoke the coming summer and build, of Centennial, UK Admiral and Simcoe round out Hoppy Blonde’s hop profile for a colorful mix of mango, the tongue.
West Virginia is the company’s 41st state, leaving it just nine shy of filling out the entire U.S. map. “We’ve spent a lot of time in West Virginia this past year and there is definitely a strong, emerging craft scene there,” said Rich Rush, the company’s divisional sales director, in a press statement. “We’re excited to get to work and to begin a great and long-lasting relationship with the beer drinkers, retailers, and our distributor partners in West Virginia.” In the past, New Belgium has stated its intention to have its craft beer available in all 50 states by 2018. With the completion of their secondary production facility in Asheville the growth timeline should be full proof.
“We look forward to bringing all your favorite New Belgium beers to South East West Virginia!” – Jennifer Runyon, VP, The American Beer Company
To learn more about New Belgium, visit them at NewBelgium.com or follow @NewBelgium. Photos courtesy of New Belgium.
HASHTAGWV ART & ENTERTAINMENT Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Christina Entenmann-Edwards has been a WV resident since September 2008. She was born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and is no stranger to hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit. In 2006, she graduated from Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut), Cum Laude, with a B.A. in History. In 2010, she graduated with an M.B.A. from Liberty University (Lynchburg, Virginia). In February 2012, Christina launched HashtagWV as the area’s first full-color, free arts and entertainment tabloid + online platform. Christina completed the Leadership West Virginia class of 2021, which is an innovative program that grows, engages, and mobilizes leaders to ignite a life passion to move West Virginia forward.