BOSTON, MA — Brides and grooms to-be are paying closer attention to their wedding menus, but it isn’t food that’s on their minds. Instead they’re drawing inspiration from the centuries-old tradition of brewing for weddings and focusing on craft beer as an important component of their big day, a trend wedding planning website Lover.ly confirms. Many couples are even homebrewing specialty batches for their weddings. In honor of this reinvigorated trend, the brewers at Samuel Adams are bringing back, for the third year, the one-day-only limited release of Samuel Adams Brewlywed Ale on June 18, 2014 at the Boston Brewery. The 2014 batch of Brewlywed Ale, a Belgian-style “bride ale,” is a distinct and complex brew with layers of flavor including tropical, floral aromas of Summer and Ella hops, and subtle hints of spice and clove from Belgian yeast.
And for those that can’t make it to Boston for this special sale, the brewers are bringing wedding beer to you. Samuel Adams is offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity guaranteed to blow all other wedding gifts out of the water. Samuel Adams brewer Bob Cannon (he of the famous beard) is going on the road to help one beer-loving couple homebrew their perfect wedding beer. Bob has a history of bridal brewing; he brewed what came to be Samuel Adams Irish Red for his own wedding.
Bob will work with the buyer prior to his visit to put together a one-of-a-kind recipe and then help brew the first batch of this special beer in-person. Also included are a homebrew kit, materials for three additional batches, personalized labels for the beer, a gift certificate to a homebrew store, and a beer dinner for up to six people at a local restaurant. A Samuel Adams representative will be on hand to help with bottling, with Bob serving as a personal mentor and coach throughout the entire homebrew process. This experience will be for sale one-day-only at 12:00pm ET on June 20th for $10,000 and all proceeds will go to Brides Across America, a nonprofit founded to provide military brides free wedding gowns. Be the first and only to purchase this once-in a lifetime experience! Details found here: www.samueladams.com/bob.
And for another way to experience Brewlywed Ale outside of Boston, Samuel Adams has teamed up with Ted’s Cigars to create limited-edition Samuel Adams Brewlywed Ale-seasoned cigars. The cigars, which showcase subtle spice notes and a floral sweetness from being seasoned by Brewlywed Ale, are the perfect wedding or groomsman gift. They will be available exclusively at TedsCigars.com/SamuelAdams throughout the summer (while supplies last).
What Founder and Brewer Jim Koch has to say about Brewlywed Ale: “This is our third release of Brewlywed Ale. Beer lovers start lining up before the sun even rises to get their hands on this brew, and that excitement never gets old. Craft beer is the ideal beverage for almost any occasion, and I’m thrilled to see beer drinkers across the country opting for craft beer over other wedding beverages. Brewlywed Ale has a floral, sweet and spicy character, and is the perfect brew to toast a new couple and pair with a wedding menu. Brides, grooms and craft beer drinkers alike have fallen in love with it and we’re excited to release the 2014 batch.”
Lover.ly, the new and popular all-in-one resource for wedding trends, inspiration, shopping and planning, has confirmed the spike in interest around featuring craft beers at weddings. As a real-time search engine with its finger-on-the-pulse of what’s trending in bridal, Lover.ly has seen a 14 percent uptick in beer related searches in the last four months from the brides, grooms and wedding attendees using the site. Lover.ly features over one million images and 400,000 products from every possible type of wedding allowing engaged couples and their family and friends to discover wedding ideas, receive tips, purchase wedding products, and share their wedding planning stories.
Kellee Khalil, Lover.ly Founder and CEO, recognizes craft beer’s growing popularity at weddings: “Lover.ly’s research shows more and more couples opting for craft beer over bubbly at their wedding receptions. Couples are always looking for ways to make their weddings one of a kind, and serving craft and homebrewed beer makes a huge impression on guests. Lover.ly has a ton of beer related inspiration and expert tips on our site and iPhone app that will no doubt help beer lovers integrate this trend into their wedding.”
For those headed to Boston to get their hands on the brew, the day will also feature beer-inspired food pairings, private brewery tours, and an on-site Justice of the Peace for romantic couples who want to marry or renew their vows in the Samuel Adams brewery hop garden. This year, only 200 cases of Brewlywed Ale have been brewed, so those looking for a unique wedding brew or a beyond-the-registry gift can line up for a chance to get their hands on a bottle or case. Sale starts at 9AM. For more information visit blog.samueladams.com.
Samuel Adams Brewlywed Ale, Brewers’ tasting notes:
- This traditional Belgian-style “bride ale” combines the tropical, floral aromas of Australian Summer and Ella hops with subtle hints of spice.
- Its light malt character and soft hop profile impart an upfront fruity taste followed by lingering notes of clove and honeysuckle from Belgian yeast.
- At 8% ABV, Samuel Adams Brewlywed Ale is a medium bodied brew, deep golden in color with a slight unfiltered haze.
- This special brew finishes a little crisp from the wheat, with a citrus and fruity note on the palate and lingering hop finish.
- We recommend serving this beer at a temperature of 40-45┬░ and enjoying it well before your one-year anniversary.
- Samuel Adams Brewlywed Ale will be packaged in decorated 750mL, cork-finished bottles (perfect to serve on the table at weddings); and available for $14.99 per bottle, or purchased by the case of 12 (maximum of 4 cases per purchase).
Learn more:
- Brewer Tasting Video
- Get hitched at the brewery! Interested? Email brewlywed@samueladams.com
- For additional information, visit blog.samueladams.com
- Check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/samueladams
- Follow Brewlywed tweets @SamuelAdamsBeer #Brewlywed
*A wedding license can be obtained in any Massachusetts City or Town Hall. There is a three (3) day waiting period after application before couples can pick up the license; it is valid for 60 days after it is picked up. A license must be present in order to be married.
ABOUT THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY: ÔÇ¿The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly named Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in recognition of one of our nation’s great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager would soon become a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.
Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 60 styles of beer. It relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients. Using the traditional four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. The Company has also pioneered another revolution, the ‘extreme beer’ movement, where it seeks to challenge drinker’s perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and is one of world’s most awarded breweries at international beer competitions. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its single focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America’s largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market. The Boston Beer Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.
ABOUT LOVER.LY ÔÇ¿Lover.ly – http://www.lover.ly – is the wedding planning one-stop-shop forever changing the way brides and grooms plan weddings. We’re the world’s first bridal search engine where couples discover the best wedding ideas, shop renowned designers, organize details, get expert advice and hire their wedding day dream team all in one place. 29 year old founder and CEO Kellee Khalil experienced the difficulties of planning a wedding first hand as her sister’s maid of honor. It seemed surreal that in 2010, there was no all-in-one resource where couples could easily plan their wedding. Today, Lover.ly reaches 10.5 million across site, mobile, social and network with users viewing approximately 40 million images a month. The e-commerce vertical SHOP features over 400,000 products from more than 3,000 brands, and Lover.ly’s iPhone app has garnered over 125,000 downloads since its launch in April.
ABOUT BRIDES ACROSS AMERICA ÔÇ¿Brides dream of having the perfect dress and a beautiful gown is an essential part of every bride’s special day. Brides Across America plays a role in making their dreams come true by giving a military bride a free wedding gown during a Brides Across America’s Nationwide Gown Giveaway. Events are held twice a year in partnership with bridal salons across the country. Deployments, financial hardships, and other challenges unique to servicemen and women can make it difficult to plan a wedding. We honor our military by relieving the burden of the cost of the most important dress worn, the Wedding Gown. For more information, please visit www.bridesacrossamerica.com.
ABOUT TED’S CIGARS ÔÇ¿Ted’s Cigars was formed in 1996 and has since become the preeminent producer and marketer of premium seasoned cigars. Ted Jackson himself, through countless hours of trial and error, developed the proprietary seasoning process that ultimately established the iconic brand and number one selling spirits-seasoned cigar in the world. Ted’s Cigars is revered within the cigar industry for developing the finest premium, handmade, branded cigars available today. The company takes great pride in its hands-on and labor intensive process, going to great lengths to produce a high end, quality cigar while not jeopardizing the integrity of the tobacco during the process. To learn more, please visit www.tedscigars.com.