making HEADlines: Indiana Brewery Sun King Brewing Launches in Florida with Jacksonville Events

making HEADlines:

SUN KING BREWING LAUNCHES IN FLORIDA; LAUNCH EVENTS BEGIN MID-JULY IN JACKSONVILLE

July 2, 2018, 

Jacksonville, FL:  


Indianapolis brewery Sun King Brewing Company is bringing its beers to the Florida market beginning this month through distribution with Cavalier Distributing.



According to Carolyn Lowrey Graham, Florida Sales Development Manager for Cavalier Distributing, the brewery's core beers will start hitting the Florida market this week. A series of launch events is scheduled for the week of July 16 around Jacksonville, which is the first Florida area to host events welcoming the brewery to the Sunshine state. 

Sun King Brewing was founded in 2009, and it began canning its beers in 2010. It has earned multiple medals at major beer competitions, including Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and the World Beer Cup, from 2011 through 2017.

Its core beer lineup includes: Sunlight Cream Ale (Gold Medal Winner at 2015 GABF; Silver Medalist at 2010 World Beer Cup); Wee-Mac Scottish Style Ale; Osiris Pale Ale; SKB IPA; and Pachanga Mexican Style Lager (which was available at Engine 15 Brewing, Jax Beach, for Cinco de Mayo). 

The Jacksonville-area launch events include:

July 17: Alewife Craft Beer Bottle Shop and Tasting Room, Five Points, Jax, 6-8pm;

July 18: Engine 15 Brewing, Jax Beach, 4-7pm (Weekly Pint Night)
July 18: Really Good Beer Stop, Jax Beach, 7-9pm;

July 19: V Pizza Tap Garden, Mandarin, 6-9pm;
July 19: V Pizza Tap Garden, Fleming Island, 6-9pm;

July 20: Beer:30 San Marco, Jax 5-7pm.

Look for a few specialty/seasonal kegs to also be on tap during the launch events, added Carolyn Graham. 

Welcome Sun King Brewing to Florida!

On a personal note, this writer is no stranger to Sun King beers (and, yes, I'm originally from Indiana). The inaugural taste of the flagship Sunlight Cream Ale came at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, where the beer won a Gold Medal. The beers have also regularly found their way into suitcases on Indiana trips, most recently last month.  Sun King Brewing also attended the 2018 Hunahpu's Day Beer Festival in Tampa in March, where this writer's last beer of the day was Sun King Brewing's SKB IPA. 



Enjoying some Sun King Brewing beer with the Indiana crew ... at Beer Bloggers and Writers Conference, Tampa, 2016: 

Cheers to another great addition to the craft beer market in Florida!

Cheers,

Linda Johnson,
Certified Cicerone®

www.brewnymph.com

making HEADlines: Tampa Bay Brewing Co. Launches in Jax

making HEADlines:

TAMPA BAY BREWING CO. ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION IN JACKSONVILLE; LAUNCH EVENTS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 19

 February 16, 2018, Tampa, FL:  One of Florida's oldest independent craft breweries, Tampa Bay Brewing Company ("TBBC"), has announced expanded distribution plans as it heads into the greater Jacksonville market beginning the week of February 19. TBBC has partnered with Champion Brands to bring its beers to Northeast Florida, and introduction of the TBBC beers will take place at launch events around the area. 

TBBC was established in Tampa in 1995. Its original brewery and brewpub is located in the heart of Ybor City.  In 2015, TBBC opened a second production brewery and brewpub in Northwest Tampa, with a 30-barrel brewhouse and packaging line capable of producing nearly 20,000 barrels per year. It is on schedule to exceed 16,000 barrels in 2018. TBBC is a mainstay at beerfest events around the state. 

On-site photo at TBBC, Ybor City
(photo by Linda Johnson)

Its core brands, Reef Donkey American Pale Ale and Old Elephant Foot IPA, are available in draft and in cans in the Tampa area as well as other markets. These will now make their way into the on-premise and retail accounts throughout the Jacksonville market, along with seasonal releases, including Quat, a golden kumquat ale. TBBC earned a Bronze Medal at Great American Beer Festival in 2014 for its Reef Donkey Pale Ale, a citrus/tropical ale, which is named after a slang term for the amberjack fish. 


"We sold our first keg via distribution in November 2011," said David Doble, TBBC Managing Partner in a statement obtained by this site. "Since then, we have taken a steady, organically driven approach towards opening new markets throughout Florida." While TBBC saw "pent-up demand" for its products through Florida and even beyond, TBBC has been "careful not to rush, taking our time to find the right distribution partners, and most importantly, to ensure that the quality of our product and service we provide does not suffer at the hands of growth for growth's sake," Doble added. 

Members of the TBBC team, including David Doble, Head Brewer John Rankin and Director of Sales Nicole Calvin, will be in Jacksonville during the week of February 19 during the rollout events. 

On the partnership with Jacksonville-based Champion Brands, Doble expressed excitement to work with the distributor "due to the reputation, experience, and commitment to supporting independent craft breweries" that Champion brings. "They are continually innovating and have a culture that aligns with ours, casual but serious."

Launch events taking place around the Jacksonville area include:

February 19 at Beer:30 San Marco, 5pm; and Grape & Grain Exchange, 7pm;

February 20 at Mellow Mushroom Southside, 5pm; and 
Mellow Mushroom Jax Beach at 7pm

February 21 at Really Good Beer Stop, Jax Beach, at 6pm; and at an additional location to be announced. 

Welcome Tampa Bay Brewing to Jax!

Cheers!
Linda Johnson,
Certified Cicerone®
www.brewnymph.com

making HEADlines: Walking Tree Brewery Expands Distribution to Jax Area

making HEADlines:

WALKING TREE BREWERY, VERO BEACH, ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION TO METRO JACKSONVILLE AREA IN FEBRUARY

 January 26, 2018, 

Vero Beach, FL:  

Award-winning Florida brewery Walking Tree Brewery has announced that it will begin distribution in the greater Jacksonville area in February 2018. 

[Ed Note, 2/27/ 2018: The area Launch Events have been announced, beginning in St. Augustine on February 28, then in Jacksonville March 1, and Fernandina Beach March 2. See the "Tap This" page on this site for details.]

The brewery has partnered with Jacksonville-based Champion Brands to bring the Walking Tree Brewery beers to the markets of Duval, Nassau, Clay, Putnam, Baker and St. Johns counties. “Walking Tree has a reputation for making great beer that precedes their arrival to the Northeast Florida market.  We’re fortunate to partner with such an awesome group of people as we continue to grow craft beer in our area," said Earl Sutton, Champion Brands Off-Premise Craft Brands Manager in a statement released by the brewery.  "Between the shared values of our companies and the unique offerings for our market, we can’t wait to get these beers on tap around town.” 

making HEADlines:

LORD HOBO BREWING CO. ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION IN FLORIDA; LAUNCH EVENTS BEGIN IN FT. LAUDERDALE, TAMPA, ORLANDO AREAS