Small Bytes: Six Degrees of Fermentation & Kevin Bacon, Peachy Little Thing, Denim Dales, and Garage Beer's New Franchise Model
It’s tough out there, but breweries continue to step up their marketing efforts and bring much-needed attention to the category. This week, I’m bringing back Small Bytes to hit on a few recent announcements that caught my attention and ranged from Kevin Bacon’s entry to craft beer all the way to buying an Arena Football team.
Six Degrees of Fermentation and Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon has teamed up with six Philadelphia-area craft breweries to launch a collaborative beer called Six Degrees of Fermentation. Unfortunately no, it’s not six different Czech Pilsners, each with a different starting gravity. It’s a single Kölsch-style recipe, I believe brewed by Yards Brewing Company, with each collaborating brewery getting their own unique label that pays tribute to a different character portrayed by Bacon.
Proceeds from the brew will go toward Bacon’s nonprofit, SixDegrees, which supports youth empowerment, equality, and justice. Participants include Yards Brewing Company, Attic Brewing Co, Evil Genius Beer Company, Human Robot Brewery, Sacred Vice Brewing Company, and Wissahickon Brewing Company.
Anyone who grabbed a six-pack at their launch event on Wednesday was entered to win a meet-and-greet with Kevin and his brother Michael at their upcoming Bacon Brothers concert in Philly.
This checks a lot of boxes for me:
✅ Celebrity bringing attention to a local beer scene
✅ Community building ties with non-profit support
✅ Camaraderie of craft brewers on display
✅ Collectible cans to encourage visiting all six taprooms
✅ Great media coverage having made all the local news stations
Peachy Little Thing
I thought Sierra Nevada might have been on the verge of running out of “Little Thing” concepts for their popular series, but when I saw the name Peachy Little Thing I thought, “that makes sense”. Peach has become a newer flavor featured in some of the latest and greatest hop innovations, as well as the natural flavors that are being heavily marketed to brewers. Still, I wouldn’t call the fruit’s connection to IPA flavors mainstream, but this release will help change that.
If you’ve ever had Infinity-Hero from Revolution, that beer was among the first year-round beers to feature HBC #1019, which is known for its massive peach flavor. Having also had experience tasting a number of peach-forward natural flavors from Haas Euphorics and Abstrax, I immediately wondered where the peach flavor would be coming from with Peachy Little Thing.
It looks like potentially both, as the label and keg cap call out the natural flavors, but their website highlights the use of Alora, a fairly new hop developed by Hopsteiner, known for its candied peach flavor. While not new, Peach + IPA could be on its way to breaking through to the next level and into more brand names.
This marks the second new “Little Thing” this year that’s leaning into natural flavors to give the target profile a boost. Big Little Thing was refreshed with a new look, updated recipe, and juicer messaging.
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Denim is Back
Speaking of Sierra Nevada, a while back I talked about their National Parks tribute packaging, which is giving the brand a fresh pop on the shelf this Summer. That took me down a Pale Ale rabbit hole and led to this video sharing the Top 10 Best Selling Pale Ales in the country.
Number three on that list, Dale’s Pale Ale, decided to sport a new look this Summer as well by bringing back their Denim Dale’s packaging. The look sets up well for the ever growing thirst for 90s nostalgia, or as they put it, “Like your favorite pair of jeans, Dale’s offers tried & true craft beers that fit just about any summer drinking occasion.” I appreciate that they went all in and gave the 19.2 can the same matching look.
Garage Beer Becoming a Franchise
Back in 2018, Burger King pulled off a clever marketing scheme. By sponsoring Stevenage FC, the lowest rated club in the fourth division of English football (after the Premier League, the Championship and League One), this allowed their logo to be featured on the uniforms in the popular video game FIFA 20. The burger franchise would then go on to offer rewards to streamers for uploading videos of them not only playing as Stevenage, but also acquiring the biggest names in the world (think Messi) to play for the club using the game’s Career Mode. As a result, there would be viral moments created through content with the video game versions of major stars donning the BK logo.
While certainly not on the same level, Garage Beer just announced this week that they’re the proud co-owners of the St. Joseph’s Goats, one of four going on six teams in the newly formed, 6-vs-6 Arena League football league. The team is based in St. Joseph’s, MO, just north of Kansas City where investor Travis Kelce plays for the Chiefs.
As one of the fastest growing beer brands in the US and the leader of what I refer to as Next Wave Lager Brands, up nearly 500% in the last 52 weeks (NIQ), Garage Beer continues to get creative in their media stunts. I haven’t figured out the true angle here, but I have a funny feeling that the plans go a lot deeper than typical sponsorships and logo placements. That said, I don’t expect the Goats to be appearing in Madden 2026.
Whether it’s through star power, new flavor plays, or sideline sponsorships, these moves aren’t just about selling beer, they’re about staying top of mind in an increasingly noisy world. The tactics may vary, but the message is the same: visibility matters, and breweries are getting creative to earn it.