DAVIS, Calif. — Sudwerk Brewing Co. employees have always embodied a can-do spirit. For a limited time, their signature beer is taking that literally.
For the first time, the 25-year-old brewery is putting one of its beers in cans. The California Dry Hop Lager will be released in six packs starting Friday, July 18.
Sudwerk will celebrate its canned-beer debut at a free release party from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday at the brewery’s taproom, The Dock Store, 2001 Second St., in Davis. The event will include a dunk tank, where patrons will have the chance to dunk a brewer and win a Sudwerk tank top. Corn hole and other summer games will be available.
“Summer is the perfect time for cans,” Sudwerk co-owner Ryan Fry said. Cans are more portable and safer than bottles, making them more versatile for the pool, beach, hiking, camping and fishing. It’s also lighter to pack out. Another bonus? Canned beer cools more quickly.
According to a report last month on National Public Radio, the number of breweries putting their beer in cans has more than doubled since 2012. Canned beer is no longer limited to the cheap, mass produced brews. Demand is increasing as craft beer consumers become more educated about quality and taste. Cans prevent light exposure, which degrades the beer. They preserve the hop flavor and freshness longer than bottles, and cans also contain linings that protect against any metallic taste. (To appreciate the full flavor and aroma, brewers and beer aficionados always suggest pouring it into a glass).
To test the can market with this limited run, Sudwerk is using the services of the Can Van, a mobile canning system started in 2012 by two MBA students in San Francisco’s Presidio Graduate School Sustainable MBA program. For Friday’s event, California Dry Hop Lager will be for available for a special price: $6 for six, 12-ounce cans, with a free Sudwerk koozie to keep it cold. The cans will be available in stores in Northern and Southern California through 2014.
The popular lager, released in bottles and kegs in fall 2013, appeals to both “hop heads” and traditional lager drinkers. California Dry Hop Lager is a refinement of Sudwerk’s original Munich Helles Lager recipe, acquired two generations ago in Germany. Today, brewers add West Coast hops in the final stage of brewing, infusing it with the citrusy aroma of an India Pale Ale but leaving the clean, refreshing finish of a lager. At 5.0% Alcohol by Volume and 28 International Bittering Units, it’s a sessionable beer that won’t weigh down summer fun.
Building on 25 years of family legacy and brewing tradition, Sudwerk Brewing Co. specializes in artisanal craft brews, specifically West Coast craft lagers. Its taproom, The Dock Store, at 2001 Second St., Davis, Calif., is open from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, and 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. It offers a rotating menu of experimental and innovative beers, “honest pints” and growler fills, fresh White Labs brewers’ yeast, and good conversation. Learn more at http://sudwerkbrew.com.
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