California Wild Ales, San Diego’s only all-sour brewery recently expanded its distribution outside of California and is shipping its beer to states on the East Coast.
“We started by taking a look around and seeing what other local breweries were doing to increase their footprint in the to-go market,” said Bill DeWitt, co-owner of California Wild Ales.
“We found that some small breweries were beginning to ship their beers directly to consumers in other states. Upon further research, we found and partnered with a company called Bevv. They made a lot of the paperwork and ‘red-tape’ easier for us to cut through.”
California Wild Ales is now shipping its barrel-aged Wild Ale to eight states, including Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia.
With the West Coast IPA already in the hearts of many consumers, DeWitt said that people are looking for something new.
“We hear from people every day, ‘Wow… I just discovered sours…and I am in love’” DeWitt said. “With changing trends in the beer industry people are looking for new flavors and styles.”
Shifting the website to include bottle sales was an imperative move that put California Wild Ales in a good position to keep selling. Curbside pickup and online ordering, as well as creating new themed beers has helped to keep the brewery’s customers excited and happy during the pandemic.
“Wild Ales and Sour Beers are so far from an IPA, it’s like the opposite side of your palate,” DeWitt added. “It gives us an opportunity to create some really amazing flavors using locally sourced fruits and ingredients.”
Similarly, Short’s Brewing in Bellaire, Michigan, along with its sister brands Starcut Ciders and Beaches Hard Seltzer announced distribution in an additional five states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Tennessee, with the hope of bringing more states online this fall.
“We’ve had a ton of demand from these regions, and we’ve been working on this increased footprint for a while,” said CSO Pauline Knighton-Prueter in a press release. “With on- and off-prem accounts opening back up, it’s a perfect time to share our brands with a larger audience and our distributor partners are awesome and ready to rock.”
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