Bend brewery’s craft beers will be available for fans in The Hawkeye State starting this summer.
Deschutes Brewery announced this week that its craft beers will be available in Iowa starting in the summer of 2013. The Oregon-based brewery will be working with Johnson Brothers of Iowa, one of the largest alcoholic beverage distributors in the state. The company is known for its outstanding service, recognized in recent years as “Supplier of the Year” by the Iowa Restaurant Association and the Iowa Grocery Industry Association.
“We are thrilled to be bringing one of America’s great craft breweries into the State of Iowa,” said Lyle Stutzman, president of Johnson Brothers of Iowa. “We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Deschutes.”
Beer is slated to be available to Iowans in late July, with a formal launch planned for the fall that will include special tastings and other events in cities around the state. Initially, Deschutes Brewery will be offering Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, the nation’s number one selling craft porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, and its seasonal, Twilight Summer Ale. The beers will be available in six-packs and draft.
Early this year, Deschutes Brewery started distributing in the state of Illinois, and currently sells beer in Missouri and Minnesota. Iowa rounds out the region. Stacy Denbow, expansion manager for Deschutes Brewery, said, “After Iowa‘s revised state laws, we’ve seen an impressive craft beer scene emerge that we’re excited to soon be a part of. We also really appreciated seeing the level of excitement and execution displayed by Johnson Bros.”
Deschutes Brewery added five new 1,300 barrel fermentation tanks in 2012 to increase capacity at its Oregon brewing headquarters, and plans to add five more tanks this month. When all the new tanks are online, the brewery will have the capacity to brew more than 460,000 barrels annually to fill demand in its expanding distribution footprint.
About Deschutes Brewery
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Deschutes Brewery began as a brew pub in downtown Bend, Oregon and is known for such brands as Black Butte Porter, its flagship brew and the nation’s number one selling craft porter, and the popular Mirror Pond Pale Ale. In addition to its original Bend pub, this family and employee-owned brewery opened a second pub in Portland’s Pearl District in 2008. The company’s main brewing facility is located on the banks of the Deschutes River and produces over 250,000 barrels of beer annually for distribution in 20 states and two provinces. To find out more, visitwww.DeschutesBrewery.com.
About Johnson Brothers
Starting in 1985 in the state of Iowa, Johnson Brothers is a family-owned wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages distributor with headquarters in St Paul, Minnesota. Johnson Brothers has been providing world class service to customers throughout the United States since 1953.
