The Reset Beale’s Said Needed to Happen

Beale’s Beer says they have always been focused on straightforward beers, both in name and in style, but as the brand grew and new brands were introduced, VP of Operations Emily Sanfratella said they started to get away from that foundational simplicity.

“In the taproom, there’s lots of opportunity for experimentation – you can come up with the craziest names, and the beer sells because you have customers’ full attention,” she told Brewer as the Bedford, Virginia brewery recently announced the release of a new New England IPA brand called, well, simply, Hazy.

The new Hazy is tropically inspired; it’s a 6.2% ABV brand that’s “juice packed, fruit-forward and pillowy soft,” as stated in a recent press release.

Hazy will be distributed year-round alongside Beale’s Gold (a Helles), Silver (a Hefe), and Peach Tea Blonde Ale.

A seasonal offering, “Session,” also hits shelves this month. It’s a Session IPA (4.3% ABV)and throughout the year, Beale’s will release additional seasonals such as Pale Ale, Oktoberfest, and Stout, named accordingly.

“It’s a totally different story in distribution,” Sanfratella said. “I feel overwhelmed standing in front of the craft beer section in the grocery store, and I’m in the industry.

“You see a sea of labels, and it’s hard to distinguish what the style or flavor profile is. We want to break through the noise and make it easy for consumers to understand what we’re selling.”

Hazy is on the lower end of the ABV spectrum for a NEIPA and Sanfratella said it’s about as crushable as the style gets.

“Our goal was to strike that delicate balance of keeping cost of goods in check without dialing back on the hops and losing any of the juiciness,” she said, adding they are aiming for four packs to be between $10.49 and $11.99 on the shelf.

“[It] feels like a good value for a hop-heavy craft product,” she said.

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