Chicago, IL – Chicago’s Whiner Beer Co. will expand its distribution into key Ohio cities in early September. The initial launch markets will include Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, and will feature Whiner’s core brands in cans and on draft, along with limited releases.
Whiner’s core brands are Le Tub, a blended barrel-aged wild saison, Miaou, a blended barrel-aged dry-hopped Belgian wheat, and Rubrique-a-Brac, a dry-hopped wild Biere de Garde. Limited releases will include Woolly, a barrel-aged Belgian sour brown with cherries, Soupe Du Jour, a barrel aged sour saison, Fur Coat, a Belgian dark, Bubble Tub a sour saison with watermelon and Francine, a 100% barrel fermented wild ale with brett clauseneii. These beers will be available in select bars and restaurants in each city.
“We plan on bringing a bunch of our rare barrel-aged beers to a couple beer-focused bars and restaurants in each city,” says Whiner Beer co-founder Brian Taylor. “We hope to make a splash in the community with what’s possible when mixing wild cultures in beer. My partner Ria and I will be along for the ride, educating, sampling, and discussing our beers and what makes us different from every other craft brewery.”
Whiner will release more information regarding special launch events in the coming weeks.
Building off strong success in Chicago, Whiner’s move into Ohio aims to capitalize on each city’s similar market structure and strong craft beer base. It has chosen to work with Cavalier Distributing, a leading craft and import beer distributor in the country.
“We are doing awesome in Chicago but wanted to test an outside market,” Taylor continues. “Strategically, Ohio is a great craft beer market and since it’s still in the upper Midwest, it replicates the Chicago market in many ways. Many craft beer drinkers there are willing to explore something other than IPAs. Cavalier Distributing was visiting the Chicago market and stopped in Whiner Beer for a tour. We absolutely loved their entire team. It made for an easy decision.”
Aaron Spoores, State Sales Manager at Cavalier Distributing – Ohio, adds: “We at Cavalier are committed to education and quality, but also ‘culture’. We’re excited to share those core values with Whiner Brewing Co., and we look forward to sharing their vision and products with the great Buckeye State. Join us as we jump in ‘Le Tub.’”
Along with Whiner’s strong distributor relationship, Taylor also recognizes a place in the Ohio market for a brewery that thinks outside of the box.
“We are a unique brewery in that we offer several mixed fermentation beers, without making a single IPA. Ohio has a few mixed fermentation breweries, but it’s certainly not a crowded market. That makes it a great opportunity for us to educate consumers and show the state what we can do with alternative yeast cultures and barrel-aging.”
Whiner’s brewery is as unique as its beers. The company operates out of “The Plant”, a fully-sustainable green building designed to convert 100 percent of the brewery’s organic waste either into energy or recycle it for the creation of another product within the building.
Whiner Beer Co.’s Core Lineup
Le Tub – A Blended Barrel-Aged Wild Saison.
Hops: Centennial, Amarillo
Yeast/Bacteria: Saison / Lactobacillus
Barrel-Aged Percentage: 10% Total Volume
ABV: 6.6%
IBU: 23
Rubrique a Brac – A Dry-Hopped Wild Biere de Garde.
Malt: Munich, Vienna
Hops: Fuggles, Hull Melon
Yeast: Brettanomyces Bruxellensis
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 26
Miaou – A Blended Barrel-Aged Dry-Hopped Belgian Wheat
Malt: Wheat
Hops: Hallertau Blanc
Yeast: Belgian Wheat
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 26
About Cavalier Distributing
Since its inception 25 years ago, Cavalier Distributing has been dedicated to bringing great beer, spirits, wine, and other craft beverages to the increasingly discerning, appreciative, and educated consumers in Florida, Indiana, and Ohio. Founded by President George Fisher in 1992, Cavalier is one of the only distributors in the country with a portfolio that is exclusively American craft and imports. Cavalier employs nearly 400 employees throughout the three states and is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Learn more at www.cavbeer.com.
ABOUT ARTISANAL IMPORTS
Artisanal Imports is an importer of specialty beers from England, Germany, Belgium and beyond. Our portfolio of fine ales and lagers is broad and represents a wide range of beer styles, but it is not our mission to collect every small brewery across Europe. We believe in working in full partnership with our breweries and are careful to select beers that are high quality and interesting but that do not overlap one to the next.
The company also represents a growing portfolio of U.S. based breweries and cideries to assist with national sales growth.
For more information on Artisanal Imports, please visit artisanalimports.com, or the company’s social media sites: Facebook and Twitter.