
VIRGINIA BEACH — Smartmouth Brewing Company will release a “uniquely-branded” beer for the ‘Something In the Water’ Festival, available only within the festival footprint.
Chris Neikirk, director of community engagement at Smartmouth, said festival organizers wanted to partner with a local brewery to offer a unique, locally-made craft beer to their guests and Smartmouth fit the bill.
The seasonal Summer Fling Hefeweizen is Smartmouth’s core seasonal beer and it’s the region’s No. 1 craft selling brand in the summer time, Neikirk said.
While the beer itself won’t change, the can design and branding was made specifically for the festival, she said.
“This came together somewhat at the last minute and we wanted to make sure that we got it right,” Neikirk said.
So, instead of trying to modify their hefeweizen, Smartmouth decided to keep the brew the same this year and try developing more unique brews for next year’s festival.
The design on the cans was created by the festival team and is based on the logo but has a timeless feel with a matte-silver finish, Neikirk said.
Smartmouth will provide 7,700 cans which equals out to roughly 300 cases of the beer at the festival.
“If you want to get a can of this beer you’ll need to be quick,” she said.
With a bit more lead time before next year’s festival, Smartmouth will have two or three beers brewed specially for the festival’s 2020 weekend.
Neikirk said Smartmouth is looking forward to seeing how this year’s festival goes.
“We knew it [the hefeweizen] was something that was going to work, it’s not too out-there of a craft beer flavor-wise,” she said.
Find the “Something In the Water” brew anywhere where alcohol will be sold within the festival footprint.