ORLANDO — Orange Blossom Brewing Co. (OBBC) fans rejoice: Orlando’s OG craft brewery is releasing a brand new beer to honor its birth city. Aptly named City Beautiful IPA, the beer will make its debut on April 7 (aka “407 Day”) and will be available on draft only at select bar taps and restaurants around Orlando to show support to local on-premise businesses, many of which have suffered during the last year. The release of custom-designed cans will follow.
OBBC founder Tom Moench — who has been perfecting his craft for decades — has become widely known for his award-winning Orange Blossom Pilsner (OBP). The brand has dabbled in hoppy beers in the past; City Beautiful IPA is one Tom formulated 25 years ago. And now seems like the perfect time to release it.
Over the decades, IPAs have continued to increase in popularity; quickly becoming known as the go-to choice of beer geeks (and the people who hope to become them).
While IPAs can be intimidating to some, Tom’s classic recipe features the four C’s of American hops: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus, making his IPA approachable and most definitely crushable.
“City Beautiful IPA leads with a bright hoppy aroma and includes pine and floral notes. Pair that with its soft malty backbone, and the result is a beer that finishes with a refined bitterness that urges the drinker to take another sip,” explains Tom. “That’s why we call it a ‘crushable’ IPA (anyone who drinks IPA knows that’s not usually a thing).”
Labels aside, at the heart of this beer is the city of Orlando — a city known worldwide for its hospitality and tourism. In today’s current COVID climate, Orlando has undergone a whopping 73% unemployment rate from the hospitality trade alone. OBBC is putting the community front and center, which is the reason for releasing the first phase of this beer exclusively in kegs. Cans are on the horizon, but the first priority is to support local businesses; this is also the significance of releasing City Beautiful IPA on “407 Day.”
“City Beautiful IPA was crafted for the city we love — this is Orlando’s IPA. And we want to celebrate that.”
About OBBC
OBP, one of Florida’s first craft beers, was first brewed in 1988 in Tom Moench’s Orlando garage. Before Tom was even legally old enough to drink beer, he was buying the ingredients to craft his own; what started as a way to subvert the system, became a lifelong passion. From being awarded a patent on a draft-to-go device to judging at the Great American Beer Festival, Tom built a foundation that allowed him to take his acclaimed honey beer pro. In 2014, OBBC partnered with Brew Hub in Lakeland to expand production. Along with the pilsner and the City Beautiful IPA, offerings include OBP Squared and a seasonal Toasted Coconut Porter. The beer is available in 1,800 locations across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information visit OrangeBlossomBrewing.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.