From Brewery Vivant:
Covid-19 has not been easy on local breweries and restaurants. Brewery Vivant has taken this slow-down time to revamp its line up, create new brands, upgrade its capabilities and bolster its wholesale business. The company is launching its refreshed year-round brands in traditional 6-packs of 12-oz cans for the first time. This move has garnered the attention of Meijer which has granted state-wide placement of three brands in every store within Michigan.
“We are really humbled by the support we have received from people aware of the challenges small businesses are facing right now. Their willingness to choose local is the only reason we are still here,” says Kris Spaulding, Brewery Vivant President and founder. “Support from other Grand Rapids based companies like Meijer, Spartan-Nash and numerous independent grocers & retail stores have given us a reason to be optimistic. Meijer has been a great partner for us and their confidence in our brand to give us a shot state-wide with our new core packaging line-up is absolutely huge for us,” she adds.
New to the lineup is “Rapid IPA”, an extension beyond the brewery’s original Belgian-inspired style of beers. Rapid is an American-style IPA, bursting with a forward hop character and balanced with moderate bitterness & malt character that was made with the people of Grand Rapids in mind.
“Michiganders, and especially the citizens of Grand Rapids, love hops,” says Jon Ward, VP of Product & Design. “We developed this beer to be your everyday go-to IPA. When we thought about creating a new IPA it was clear that to represent Beer City, USA we needed to make something great. This beer excels in all of the areas that make people so crazy about IPAs: aromas of citrus and pine, wonderful crushability, and a soft bitterness. It’s an amazing beer and the name is a nod to the city we love.” says Ward. Rapid IPA makes its first public debut from the Brewery Vivant pub when it goes on draft on March 17, then will begin to appear on tap across the State in April. In addition to Rapid IPA, the brewery is offering its flagship beer Farm Hand along with Grand Lager in the new 12 oz package format. Grand Lager was set to launch last spring with a coveted spot at Comerica Park in Detroit until Covid-19 changed all of that.
“It was perfectly bad timing,” says owner & CEO Jason Spaulding. “Our brewers developed this amazing German-style lager that everyone loved. We got a commitment from Comerica Park which would have been our single largest draft account in our history. We ramped up production right before the world changed overnight,” Spaulding adds. “We are still sitting on 400 kegs from last year that are now too old to sell which is a real bummer.” The brewery is taking it in stride however and has taken this time to re-launch the beer in the new 12-ounce package. “We have been brewing fresh batches and are excited to get this beer across the state as we start to open up again.”
Vivant’s seasonal brands will continue to be offered in 16-ounce 4-pack cans. Fans can look forward to finding favorites in the market like Tropical Saison, Beach Patrol, Pumpkin Tart, Wizard Burial Ground and the Unapologetic Fruit series. Also new this year is a rotating IPA series which includes fan favorite Tree Bucket Double IPA that is out now, along with some yet-to-be announced IPA collaborations with other breweries from the region that will hit markets
throughout the year.
About Brewery Vivant
Brewery Vivant is the world’s first LEED® certified commercial microbrewery and a Certified B Corporation. We brew beer in the European tradition with the addition of American ingenuity. At our pub we strive to elevate the enjoyment of beer & food and the sense of community in everything we do. Brewery Vivant prides itself on being a destination brewery in the “Beer City” of Grand Rapids. We are in the list of top 30 largest brewpubs in the U.S. according to Brewer’s Association definitions and have distribution throughout the State of Michigan. For more information visit www.breweryvivant.com.
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