Matt Lincecum has never measured the value of Fremont Brewing’s Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb Strong Ale in dollars. He doesn’t need to. The annual release, known internally as Coffee Cinna-Bomb, has become one of the Seattle brewery’s most recognizable beers, even if its financial impact barely registers on the balance sheet.
“The barrel-aged beers are not really a revenue contributor nor do I need them to be,” said Fremont’s CEO. “Our barrel-aged beers are what we get to do if the other beers sell along the West Coast.
”The barrel-aged program is free to operate solely in the world of craft. If we’re successful with the rest of the brewery, we can run amok in the world of barrels.”
Flagship beers doing the financial heavy lifting while prestige projects build cultural capital is familiar territory for breweries looking to stay relevant in a tightening market. For Fremont, Cinna-Bomb has become a seasonal signal flare, reminding consumers of the brewery’s craftsmanship and helping introduce drinkers to the brand’s more widely distributed offerings.
Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb is the barrel-aged incarnation of Fremont’s Winter Strong Ale as a blend of 9-, 12-, and 24-month-old Winter Ale matured in 8- to 12-year-old American oak bourbon barrels to build deep bourbon, oak, cacao, leather and toffee character.
To that barrel foundation they add cold brew coffee and cinnamon bark, layering in dark-roast, coffee-chocolate richness and warm spice over a full, smooth body with moderate bitterness. The result pours opaque black with aromas of cinnamon and coffee preceding notes of toffee, chocolate, vanilla, graham cracker, and dried fruit.
On the palate it delivers balanced sweetness, warm alcohol, just enough bitterness, and a lingering finish. The beer wasn’t designed with that bigger-picture impact in mind. It began simply, rooted in the comfort of winter rituals.
“Our love of warm cinnamon and hot coffee on winter days inspired Coffee Cinna-Bomb,” Lincecum said. Popularity never entered the equation.
“I never think about the popularity of the barrel-aged beers, only the quality and aging potential.”
Quality, for him, is the sole internal benchmark.
“The measure of this beer’s success is if I’m happy with it three years after the release,” he explained.
Sales make up a sliver of total volume, but they don’t define the beer’s purpose. Even so, Cinna-Bomb caught on instantly.
“The day we released the first bottle,” he said of when the brand took off for them, “people immediately responded to the beer and that has not stopped in the intervening years.”
The connection seems rooted in its unapologetic profile.
“It’s big, balanced, dark and boozy all while being a world-class craft beer,” Lincecum said. “What’s not to like?”
Consistency has helped the beer outlast trend cycles. Lincecum doesn’t tweak it to chase shifting tastes.
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“You have to stand firm in your belief in a particular beer,” he said. “I’ve seen many trends come and go and that’s great, but Cinna-Bomb is what it is regardless of the trend. It will be the same beer next year, and the next year…”
The presentation reinforces that sense of tradition. Fremont has invested in thick, textured label stock, hand-drawn artwork and a detailed narrative on the side of each bottle.
“I hope they have all contributed but who knows,” Lincecum said of the impact to the consumer.
Whether or not packaging is the driver, it has become part of the annual ritual customers can look for. For breweries weighing whether prestige projects are worth the investment, Fremont’s approach offers a reminder that some beers deliver value beyond margins. A beer like Cinna-Bomb may not build the business directly, but it can widen the brewery’s halo, reinforce brand identity and create entry points for consumers discovering the lineup for the first time.
Beers that build loyalty rather than revenue may carry more strategic weight than they appear. Fremont’s annual winter release shows how a specialty brand can become both a celebration of craftsmanship and a subtle engine for long-term relevance, even if the P&L ledger never notices it.
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