Packaged in specialty cans, this beer will be available in limited quantities after Thanksgiving
West Sixth Brewing is releasing its first ever seasonal beer – The West Sixth Christmas Ale – in cans this December.
The beer, a dark spiced ale, will be released in limited quantities starting the week after Thanksgiving. It is being canned at the brewery on West Sixth Street in Lexington this week and then will be sold at its taproom beginning at3pm on December 2nd, and then in several retail locations throughout Lexington and the rest of the state.
“We have a very limited amount of this special beer, so we expect it to sell quickly” said founder Brady Barlow.
The beer will be the first ever Christmas Ale brewed and distributed by a Kentucky Brewery. In addition, it will be the first ever seasonal product from West Sixth Brewing and first seasonal beer canned in Kentucky.
“The can is a great product for this beer because it will keep the beer fresher longer than a bottle will.” said founder Ben Self. “That said, we design our beer to be enjoyed immediately, so we hope people will toast the holidays with this fun new beer”.
Head Brewer and West Sixth Founder Robin Sither says: “The West Sixth Christmas Ale is spiced ale with aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg with a sturdy malt backbone that will hold up to the chilliest of nights. It’s a higher gravity beer weighing in at 9% ABV. This is our slightly darker take on a holiday beer – perfect for evenings by the fire.”
The can label, designed by Lexington-based Cricket Press, is bright red with snowflakes, and includes several fun holiday tributes including a wrap around the top that says “Give our planet a Christmas present – please recycle me” and an indication that the beer was “brewed by elves”.
Because of the limited quantities of the beer, West Sixth is using a specially designed can wrap to label the beer. One of the challenges of canning beers is that cans need to be ordered by the truckload – 200,000 at a time. Because West Sixth is only planning to can around 15000 cans of the Christmas ale – around 2500 6 packs – they had to come up with an alternative solution to produce this beer.
“We’ve produced this can by attaching a shrink wrap around a blank aluminum can. This wrap allows us to produce a limited number of cans in any design.” said founder Joe Kuosman. “And the best part is that it is still recyclable!”
More info about the release, including details for December 2nd can be found at West Sixth Brewing’s website westsixth.com
