It doesn’t feel right to talk about some of the amazing things we have planned for 2020 until we look back on our favorite moments from 2019. But narrowing down all the amazing moments was just about damn near impossible. With input from staff and the rest of the Phoenix family, we present the top Phoenix moments from 2019.
Phoenix. Fire. Whiskey. Notes of caramel and vanilla abound amongst a sweet boozy deliciousness in our first collaboration with the Iron Vault Distillery in Galion, Ohio. It sold out at the distillery and in our taprooms in just a few short weeks.
Ain’t no party like a Phoenix Party. We had some pretty big celebrations in 2019. A week-long celebration for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas in July, Oktoberfest, but our staff favorite, was our 5-year anniversary with over 30 beers on tap, food trucks, live music, cake from the Black Bird Bakery and 5 glorious barrel-aged beers to commemorate our wooden anniversary. But the best part, the sheer number of people who came out to say Happy Anniversary and celebrate with us.
There is a quote “Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.” That quote applies pretty well to how 2019 ended. Not only did we find ourselves with a packed taproom and a sudden power outage on Thanksgiving Eve, but we also found ourselves under a city-wide boil alert New Year’s Eve. With a little creative problem-solving, the Friendsgiving Blackout resulted in an intimate evening lit by loads of candles and a generator to help support the live music and food truck. New Year’s Eve was almost canceled after a city-wide boil alert was issued that morning. Culligan Water Supply of North Central, Ohio provided drinking water for those who wished to hydrate, and as a brewery, we have the capacity to boil over enough water to wash dishes for a week and freezer capacity to store a ton (not a literal ton) of ice.
Giving back together. Some of our proudest moments for 2019 was working with community members and making Mansfield and the lives of others better. We made specialty beers, hosted events, and you rallied with us helping in community outreach. Together we raised over $4600 to help in Bryan’s Fight for Sight. Many of you donated in time, efforts, or monetarily towards Bryan’s goal. Those efforts combined with his Go Fund Me helped to raise enough monies to cover the costs of both of Bryan’s much-needed eye surgeries. The Kiwanis Club of Mansfield hosted the Coolest Dog in Richland County competition with the goal to buy a mini-bus for the Friendly House. We partnered with them to host the winning dog event and to brew a beer in honor of the winning pup. Homer’s Big Head Odyssey, designed and brewed around the winning dog Homer, was one of our fastest selling and most popular summer beers. But the favorite charity beer for 2019 was the Stand Tall Ambrosia blond. Employees and board members from the Domestic Violence Shelter helped brew the purple beer which debuted at their annual Night at the Races Charity Fundraiser.
New Beer, who dis? While a few of our beers were laid to rest at the end of 2018, we had several new beers and variants rise up in 2019; Project Mercury Tangerine Berliner, Feral Beast American Pale Ale, Sweet Ida Raspberry Stout, RockHammer session IPA, and Dark Lylith with orange. We also had several beers receive recognition. Metamorphus received 1st place in the big beers category and Best of Show at Big Brews in Akron 2019. The Big Spring Saison earned a silver medal at the 2019 Ohio Craft Brewers Cup, and the Barrel-Aged Black Aggie received USA’s Best in the wood-aged beers at the World Beer Awards.
While most people try to avoid the Krampus, you embraced him. Krampus Kandy white stout has been a favorite ever since it was first tapped. This delicious golden ale is infused with highlander grog coffee from RELAX Coffeehouse for caramel and butterscotch notes amid coffee roast! And what started as a 5-barrel pilot batch has quickly evolved into our most requested seasonal eclipsing all others. 2019 Krampus production will finish at 45 barrels. That’s about 90 full-size kegs or 11,000 pints of Krampus. Which makes you wonder what is going to happen to Krampus in 2020.
Good things really do come in small packages. Our to-go beer options expanded in 2019. We added a crowler machine to package beer to-go in 32 oz cans instead of glass growlers or howlers in January. Crowlers are easier to transport, longer lasting than a traditional growler, and anything on tap can essentially be crowlered up. By fall, we added 4-packs of 16 oz cans of Danger City brown ale followed by the Ferryman oatmeal milk stout. Both beers are canned by the Iron Heart Mobile Canning company and our distribution has reached out farther in the Cleveland and Columbus markets.
What’s on tap for 2020? Over the next few weeks, we will be releasing bits and pieces on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. There are many changes to the beer portfolio with some new beers and some retiring beers. We CAN tell you more cans are coming. We will also be adding scheduled events to our calendars and updating the 2020 beer selections and updating the website. Thank you to everyone for making 2019 filled with memories, laughter, and shareable moments. We can’t wait to share 2020 with you.