Royal Docks Brewing Co. Appoints Heidelberg, Expands Distribution and Releases Canned Products
Canton, OHIO (PRWEB) April 29, 2017 -- The Royal Docks Brewing Company is set to launch distribution of its portfolio of core and seasonal products on draught and packaged in 12 oz. cans throughout Northeast and Central Ohio starting the week of May 8 through Heidelberg Distributing Company. This is the first time that a lineup of Royal Docks’ products will be available in single-serve packages and widely available throughout the regions in kegs. This is also the first time ever – pre or post-prohibition – that a Stark County brewery has released beer in can.
Royal Docks brand ambassadors along with proprietors John and Adriana Bikis and brewmaster Dave Sutula will be present at launch events throughout the regions including the semi-private pre-release on May 4 at their original Jackson Township taproom located at 7162 Fulton Dr. NE in Canton, Ohio and at the official ‘PUTTING THE CAN IN CANTON’ release at Buzzbin Arcade at 331 Cleveland Ave, Canton during the monthly Canton First Friday celebration.
“This is a important step for us; putting beer in cans and sending it out into the market is scary for us because its nearly impossible to know how the product is going to be treated once it leaves our dock,” Sutula said. “That’s why the selection of a distributor is so critical. Heidelberg came highly recommended from our brewer friends at Brooklyn Brewery and Uinta and after long talks with several distributors about beer quality and strategy, I’m confident that we’ve found the right partner to take us to the next level.”
“We’re proud and excited to be appointed as the wholesale partner for Royal Docks,” said Derek Kirschner, General Sales Manager of Beer at Heidelberg. “It’s hard to overstate the importance of having great local beers available to our customers. When someone like Royal Docks shows up, you know it’s a winner. It will be a pleasure to have this addition to our craft portfolio”
At launch, craft beer fans in 23 Ohio counties can expect to find Royal Docks’ flagship Tanglefoot IPA and two summer seasonal beers; Pendragon Welsh Rarewit and Yardarm IPA in 12 oz. cans. Additionally, 67 Alaska, their light, Kölsch-style flagship product and limited quantities of Crime of Passionfruit, Vlad the Impaler and Savoir Faire Framboise from the brewery’s ongoing line of limited release ‘Royal Rarities” will be available in kegs.
Royal Docks is the latest of a number of Ohio breweries to announce big distribution and packaging moves. Even with over 200 breweries statewide, craft beer still only accounts for less than 8% of alcohol sales in the state while the national figure is over 12%.
As Ohio breweries seek to close that gap, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio’s oldest Craft brewer, announced in March that they would be partnering with Harpoon Brewery of Boston, Mass to offer three canned products beginning in May. In April, Kindred Beer (formerly Kindred Artisan Ales) announced a new name and logo along with the fact that it would be distributing statewide for the first time later in 2017.
“We’re proud to be able to make this huge step to packaging and distribution after less than two years in business; it’s humbling,” John Bikis said. “Ohioans are fast becoming the most craft-savvy people in the country and while it was a lot of hard work for us at the brewery, it says way more about how supportive and passionate our community and the communities around greater Cleveland and Columbus are of small, independent brewers.”
For updates about launch events and beer releases, follow @royaldocksbrewing and @royaldocksbrew on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
ABOUT ROYAL DOCKS BREWING COMPANY
Founded in 2015, Royal Docks is a brewery and taproom that fuses the craft beer renaissance with old-world pub culture in a contemporary, American style. We produce big beer in small batches and offer them on draught and in cans all around Northeast and Central Ohio.
All of our beers can be sampled at our taproom in Jackson Township, Canton, Ohio featuring our critically-acclaimed kitchen, regular live entertainment and growler fills (32oz & 64oz) of most of our beers.
ABOUT HEIDELBERG DISTRIBUTING COMPANY
From “one man, one truck” when the company began in 1938, Heidelberg Distributing has grown to nine office and warehouse facilities in Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Evendale, Lorain, Toledo and Youngstown, OH and Hebron, KY. Its 1,600 associates distribute over 18,000 different beverages to more than 26,000 retailers throughout Ohio and Kentucky.
John Bikis, Royal Docks Brewing Co., http://www.docks.beer, +1 330-754-7939, [email protected]
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