Orion Township, Mich. – Brews from one of Southern California’s most awarded breweries will hit Oakland and Macomb counties’ store shelves just in time for the Fourth of July holiday. San Diego-based AleSmith Brewing Co. is partnering with Powers Distributing to bring its core brews to metro Detroit.
“AleSmith coming to the Mitten is a huge deal for Michigan beer drinkers,” said Bobby Vedder, certified cicerone, Powers Distributing. “The one thing to know is, this San Diego brewery makes incredible beer.”
AleSmith has won numerous awards, including Small Brewing Company of the Year in 2008 at the Great American Beer Festival, number-one Best Brewery in the World in 2014 and is rated the number one Brewery in California (and second-best in the world) on RateBeer.com.
“There are exciting things happening on the craft-beer front all throughout Michigan. We’ve known for a long time that it’s someplace our beers need to be and we are delighted to be able to make them a part of the equation for beer-enthusiasts throughout the state,” says AleSmith director of national sales James Valles. “We’re ecstatic over the new bonds we’ve formed with Imperial Beverage and Powers Distributing to cover the majority of this expansive state, and are certain they will uphold our principles of quality, freshness and customer-service.”
Among the brews headed to Michigan in six-packs, 750mL bottles and on draft are:
- IPA – Aromas of grapefruit and tangerine lead into an abundance of fresh pine and tropical fruit notes followed by a crisp, resinous bitterness. The complex hop profile is supported by a firm malt presence to create an incredibly flavorful and well-balanced IPA.
- Nut Brown – A tribute to British beers, this mahogany-colored beer’s rich, malt-forward flavor profile balances notes of biscuit, mild cocoa and earthy hops. A creamy mouthfeel and full body enhances its drinkability, making it an extremely sessionable ale.
- X – This refreshing, light-golden extra pale ale is a model of drinkability, pushing the limits by offering a level of flavor not often found in this classic style. Fresh American hops are abundant but carefully balanced by a light, crisp body and smooth bitterness.
- Lil Devil – This unfiltered, light and effervescent Belgian-style pale ale pours a hazy gold with a creamy white head. Ground coriander seeds and two kinds of orange peel added to the kettle contribute pleasant citrus notes to its Belgian fermentation character.
- Horny Devil – a Belgian-style Golden Ale brewed with authentic Belgian ingredients including candi sugar and a Trappist yeast strain, its fruity and spicy aromas include notes of orange, banana and peppercorns. The beer starts with big citrus notes and finishes with lively carbonation and a dry finish.
- Grand Cru – This dark, chestnut-colored, Belgian-style strong ale is rife with fruity esters and spice notes. Caramel, raisin and plum-like notes combine with the complex Belgian yeast esters and hints of bittersweet chocolate in this full-bodied, velvety, multi-layered beer.
- Old Numbskull – This high-gravity barley-wine takes the best aspects of this English-borne style—maltiness, dried-fruit and sherry-like character—and adds a New World twist courtesy of American hops, which add a floral, piney spike that balances the malt-sweetness while adding a delicious extra dimension.
- Wee Heavy – An award-winning interpretation of Scotland’s strongest beer-style, the “wee heavy”, this beer is a celebration of dark, bready malts. Coating and bittersweet, it tantalizes with light spice notes and a touch of smokiness in the finish.
- Speedway Stout – Notes of oak, vanilla, and bourbon add another level of complexity to this Russian imperial stout’s already massive flavor profile of chocolate, coffee and roasted barley. Though a hefty 12% alcohol-by-volume, this onyx-colored beer drinks smooth as silk.
“With so many great beers on the way to Michigan from AleSmith, craft beer lovers should be super excited to crush some hoppy IPAs this summer and have Speedway Stout at the local shop every day, not to mention all the world class crazy barrel aged stuff we will see throughout the year,” said Vedder.
About Powers Distributing
Powers Distributing was established in 1939 and is currently owned and operated by company co-presidents Robert and Gerald Powers. Powers Distributing has over 200 employees and 45 trucks managing 85 brands through 30 different supplier relationships across Oakland and Macomb Counties. Powers Distributing and its many suppliers strongly oppose illegal underage drinking, and for decades have played an active role by teaming with parents and educators to implement programs that help prevent underage access and illegal underage drinking. Powers Distributing is located at 3700 Giddings Road, Orion Township, Mich. 48359. For more information about Powers Distributing visit www.powersdistributing.com, and visit Powers on Facebook, Twitter @PowersDist, and Pinterest.
About AleSmith Brewing Company
Forged in 1995, AleSmith has been recognized by consumers and critics alike as one of the world’s foremost craft brewing companies behind accolades that include medals won at prestigious national and international beer competitions as well as being named Small Brewing Company of the Year at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival. AleSmith is on the verge of celebrating its 21st year in business and recently expanded, moving into a 105,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art brewery featuring a new 80-barrel brewing system that will allow the company to increase its production ten-fold. The expansion also included construction of the largest brewery tasting room on the West Coast (25,000 square feet) with an outdoor beer garden that will soon be joined by a second-story indoor-outdoor mezzanine, private rooms and a museum dedicated to San Diego Padres legend Tony Gwynn. AleSmith’s line of acclaimed beers, which includes Speedway Stout, IPA, Nut Brown Ale, X Extra Pale Ale and Wee Heavy Scotch-style Ale, is distributed in 23 U.S. states and five countries. The company’s social media channels include Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@AleSmithBrewing), and its official website URL is—http://www.alesmith.com.