ATLANTA, Ga. — For 2019, Wild Heaven Beer announces that along with the eagerly awaited rollouts of ATL Easy Ale and Standard Deluxe Lager, the flagship Emergency Drinking Beer brand is expanding to include a series of seasonal fruited versions. The series launches with Citrus Blend, a winter seasonal in January, followed by Tropical Blend in spring, the return of the already beloved Watermelon Blend for summer and this fall, the introduction of Berry Blend.
It all started back in back in September of 2016 when Wild Heaven Beer Executive VP Sarah Young was working with Atlanta’s Fox Bros BBQ on a beer lineup for a Labor Day tap takeover. Fox Bros wanted a special, one-off beer in the mix and Sarah, a fan (to put it mildly) of their summer watermelon margaritas, was inspired to suggest using hand-juiced watermelons to brewmaster Eric Johnson.
After a test run on draft, the summer of 2017 saw the Atlanta release of Watermelon EDB on draft, Wild Heaven’s fastest selling keg ever, followed by the first release of cans this past summer. Watermelon EDB cans proved a hit, becoming Wild Heaven’s number one SKU for July and August of 2018. Brewmaster Eric Johnson developed an all-natural proprietary method to ensure shelf stability while using fresh juices and maintaining bright, fresh flavor with no artificial flavor notes or additives.
The success of Watermelon Blend Emergency Drinking Beer inspired retailers and partners to ask for more variants of EDB and Wild Heaven Beer has responded.
Emergency Drinking Beer Citrus Blend, launching late January, adds fresh lime juice along with both white grapefruit (for complexity) and Ruby Red grapefruit (for sweetness) juice. Spring’s Tropical Blend will blend passionfruit, mango and pineapple juices. Watermelon is made from hand-cut and juiced fresh watermelons all summer. Berry Blend features acai, cranberry and other seasonal berries for autumn-time refreshment.
Emergency Drinking Beer Citrus Blend builds on the success of Emergency Drinking Beer, which launched in 2015 to great fanfare. “EDB” as it’s called is a 4.4 percent ABV pilsner-style beer with sea salt and lemongrass. Featuring iconic art, it quickly became a sensation around Atlanta and has since expanded throughout Georgia and beyond to Tennessee and Alabama.
The EDB Seasonal calendar will repeat annually, with only one style manufactured at one time. The flagship EDB continues year-round, with 16 oz. cans being added to the lineup in 2019.
About Wild Heaven Beer
Wild Heaven Beer is a Georgia brewery founded by lifelong Georgians Nick Purdy and Eric Johnson. Wild Heaven aims to be one of America’s great breweries as well as helping raise the profile of beer in the south. Our beers are available throughout Georgia. Our core year-round portfolio is focused on world-class beers designed to offer something new to the beer landscape—not simply creating our version of what everyone else is doing. Our beers are designed in the great tradition of European brewing but with a distinctly American creative flair. Our all-grain, no adjunct-sugar philosophy creates bigger flavor without excess alcohol.