ALTOONA, Pa. — Convenience-store retailer Sheetz has partnered with brewer Rusty Rail Brewing Co. to create the retailer's first-ever craft beer, Project Coffee Hopz. The beer is a coffee bean IPA that will be available for a limited time in 55 Sheetz stores across Pennsylvania.
Brewed with Sheetz Bros. Sumatra coffee beans, the new IPA blend features light and floral taste notes with a subtle coffee presence, the companies said.
The beer will first be available to the public at a launch party May 16 at the Sheetz in Bethel Park, Pa. From 4 to 7 p.m., customers will have the opportunity to try and buy the limited-edition beer. In addition to beer tastings, customers attending the launch party will enjoy giveaways such as limited-edition Sheetz and Rusty Rail Brewing Co. swag, including pint glasses, koozies and more.
Four-packs of Project Coffee Hopz 16-ounce cans will be officially available at select Sheetz locations across Pennsylvania starting May 21 and retail for $7.99. A small-batch craft beer, Project Coffee Hopz will be available while supplies last and will not be restocked once sold out.
“We are lucky to collaborate with Rusty Rail Brewing Co., a well-known brewery born in central Pennsylvania, to create this limited-edition craft beer,” said Ryan Sheetz, associate vice president of brand for Sheetz. “We have worked for years to make beer available in our store locations across Pennsylvania and now, with beer in more than 140 stores across the state, we are excited to take the next step in this journey.”
Sheetz is committed to responsibly complying with all current laws and regulations, including the enforcement of a 100% proof-of-age policy, the company said. Employees will ask for proper identification, a valid driver’s license, passport or military identification card from any customers wanting to purchase alcohol, regardless of age. Each location also abides by time-of-day sales restrictions on alcohol.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pa., Sheetz Inc. operates 585 c-stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. It ranks No. 14 on a 2019 update of its Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
Rusty Rail Brewing Co. is based in Mifflinburg, Pa.
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