In case you missed it, we teamed up with the NYC Gay Craft Beer Lovers Meetup Group to collaborate on a new beer, Pride 365 IPA, working together on everything from the can design, to recipe development, to brewing. The project, which began back in January, is finally coming to fruition this month. On July 7th the Group came out to Coney Island for a brew day, and on July 28th it will be ready and available for the public. While we wait in anticipation for the launch, here’s some backstory on what makes this beer truly unique.
The Art
The label art for the Pride 365 can was created in collaboration with NYC GCBL member and incredibly talented graphic designer, Michael Ardan.
“I wanted to design something that embodied the distinct Coney Island aesthetic while also reflecting the spirit of Pride. It was important to me that every element of the label — from the color palette to the typography — was bright and inviting and fun and different. Because that’s what Pride is about; embracing boldness and celebrating the things that make us unique.
It was a fun process. I love playing with color and texture so this was definitely in my wheelhouse. I knew I wanted to do something more than slap a rainbow flag on it, but I also really wanted to keep it visually bright and vibrant. Fortunately the team at Coney Island was really supportive of the direction I chose. I’m really happy with the end result.”
Check out Michael’s portfolio here!
The Beer
We checked in with our head brewer, Matt for his insight on the collaboration and the unique Super Pride hops used in the beer.
“To make a beer celebrating the LGBTQ community is very special and working with the NYC Gay Craft Beer Lovers club has been an awesome experience. For this beer, I wanted to somehow give a nod to the PRIDE theme through the ingredients we were using, so I decided to go with the Super Pride hop. It’s an Australian hop variety that is primarily used for bittering. It lends a nice resin character to the backend of the flavor and mouthfeel and also lends a bit of fruit characteristics to the aroma and flavor. It gets its name from being a “supped-up” version of the “Pride of Ringwood” hop. While its name doesn’t directly connect to the PRIDE that we are celebrating, we thought it was fitting to use it! It works well with the other hops in the beer (Loral, Galaxy, Mosaic) as they all have very fruit-forward flavors and aromas as well. I’m excited to enjoy a pint and continue to celebrate PRIDE together at the launch party! “
Release Day
The official Pride 365 Party & Can Release will take place at the Coney Island Brewery on July 28, and will be available on draft at select accounts throughout the city in early August.
