California, Here We Come!

Smuttynose Brewing Company is delighted to announce their new California distribution partnerships with Craft Beer Guild Distributing of California (San Diego) and El Dorado Distributing (Signal Hill, CA, in the Los Angeles area) who will bring New Hampshire's leading craft brewer's beers to the West Coast starting in September, 2013.  Both distributorships are part of the L. Knife & Sons family of wholesalers.  The deal with these new L. Knife divisions makes California the 24th state where Smuttynose beers are available.

Smuttynose has successful, existing relationships with L. Knife family in Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Kentucky and Wisconsin, so the California deal includes a certain amount of
familiarity, but the newness of the situation creates an excellent opportunity for both brands brands to grow together.  "We've shown strong growth in other L. Knife markets and they certainly know our
beers," said Smuttynose Founder and President Peter Egelston, "I have faith that we will see similar results in the California market, even though it's a different landscape because we're both starting fresh."

The first Smuttynose shipment consists of bottled Big Beer Series releases; Homunculus and Rhye IPA, as well as three kegs of Cluster's Last Stand that are heading to Stone Brewing Co. Smuttynose's collaboration partner on the beer. Kegs of Finestkind IPA will also be heading to the Golden State.

Whether you're a New Englander who has moved to the West Coast or you just need a little taste of the 'Shire, please ask for Smuttynose beer wherever you shop.

We're Going To Michigan

Smuttynose Brewing Company is delighted to announce their new partnership with West Side Beer Distributing, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who will bring New Hampshire's leading craft brewer's beers to the Wolverine State starting in October, 2013. The deal with West Side makes Michigan the 23rd state (plus Washington DC) where Smuttynose beers are available. 

The relationship between West Side and Smuttynose didn't develop over night, but over several years of courtship by the largest beer distributor in Michigan. "Whether it was at big beer events like Craft Brewers Conference or just an email here and there, West Side politely and casually let us know they were interested whenever we were ready," said Peter Egelston, Smuttynose's President and Founder, "but being at capacity for the last four or five years meant entering a large, craft beer-loving state like Michigan was impossible. With our new brewery project almost ready to come online, I was excited to talk to West Side about moving forward."

Michiganders will see Smuttynose beer in four key markets; Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Romulus/Detroit. Initial shipments of Finestkind IPA and Big A IPA will be exclusively on draft for the on-premise trade, while shipments of bottle packages will begin in early 2014. Egelston cited West Side's plan for building the Smuttynose brand in Michigan as a key factor in making the decision. "We're really excited to add such a wonderful beer state to the list of places Smuttynose is sold and we can't wait to grow with West Side."

Initial roll-out events will take place October 9,10,11 when several key Smuttynose employees will make the rounds to introduce themselves and their beers to Michiganders. Details will be announced over Smuttynose social media.

Founded in 1994, Smuttynose is New Hampshire's leading craft brewery. In 2012, its 50 employees worked to brew, package and sell nearly 41,000 barrels of beer across 22 states and Washington DC.  After nearly 20 years in their original home in Portsmouth, the international award-winning brewery will move into its new, LEED Gold-registered brewery and visitors' center on the historic Towle Farm in Hampton, NH in 2014. 

Family-owned West Side Beer Distributors is the largest beer distributor in Michigan. The Klopcic Family's roots in the business began in Detroit when Don Klopcic, Sr. opened Don Lee Distributing in 1965. They expanded west to Grand Rapids in 1981, with the acquisition of West Side and have since added Romulus (2008), Kalamazoo (2009) and Lansing (2012). In addition to their beer distribution responsibilities, all branches of the business are very active in their communities and are proud to support responsible beer consumption and education efforts.

Straw Barb, Big A, Scotch Ale and Keg Socials

Big A IPA (9.8% abv), Our international award winning double IPA, begins shipping on September 16. It'll be available on draft and in four packs of 12 ounce bottles. If you want a preview of it, stop by Smuttynose for a little beer shopping or a brewery tour.

Straw-Barb Short Weisse (3.5% abv), our strawberry rhubarb Berliner Weiss, has made it through the TTB approval process! Bottles will be available starting at Smuttynose on September 20 and the rest of the batch will begin shipping on September 23. The bottle conditioned 750ml bottles will retail for $12 at Smuttynose. Still no word on how the Jamie Bissonette collaboration beer is working its way through the system; we'll share updates when we have them.

Smuttynose Scotch Ale (8.2% abv) begins shipping October 7. Rich, malty and slightly smoky, this year's batch has a percentage of red wine barrel-aged Scotch Ale blended in. Shipments begin October 7, but if you have trouble finding our Big Beers, you can always subscribe to the series.

Other news:  We've been hosting casual keg socials at our new home in Hampton. They're nothing fancy; have a beer, take a look around and enjoy a civilized transition into the weekend. We announce each social over Facebook and Twitter a day or two before they happen. In fact, there's one tomorrow (September 6) at 4pm.