During the winter months as we were building the Collision Bend Brewpub, part of the planning process was putting together an opening day beer list.  Getting ready for opening day can be a tricky process, it’s one of the only times one will have to have that many beers ready to go and fresh for the same day.  You brew beers that take a bit longer first, followed by beers with a longer shelf life and, finally, brew beers that take the least amount of time and/or have a shorter shelf life.  This put process put the Lake Erie Sunset in the middle of our early brewing schedule.  Although it wasn’t the first beer brewed, it was the first beer we planned on during those early months!

We were told by a friend that had worked in our building when it housed The Watermark Restaurant, that the best views of the sunset were enjoyed from our patio!  This got the idea rolling for the Lake Erie Sunset beer.   Being named after the gorgeous sunsets, orange seemed like the natural choice for the flavor of the beer and there are many different styles of beer in which fruit can be added.  We chose the American Wheat Style because we felt we could design a beer that was light and refreshing for those future summer nights on our patio.  We played around with the amounts of Blood orange that we added for a while before we struck what we think is the perfect balance.  We then added a bit of orange zest to the recipe to enhance the aromatic side of things for the final product that has been enjoyed by thousands ever since!

Being our number one selling beer since day one, it also seemed natural for it to be our first packaged beer.  We started canning it in the summer of 2018 so it can be enjoyed not only on our patio, but on yours as well!  As a bonus, the can won the award for Best Can Design in 2019!!  Needless to say, we’re pretty proud of the fact that one of our very first beer ideas has become such a hit.  Thanks to all of you that made it so!   That’s the Lake Erie Sunset story.   Stay tuned for more Behind the Brew stories!

Cheers!

Luke and Ben

Lake Erie Sunset:
5.6% ABU | 15 IBU

A light American wheat beer infused with blood oranges that finishes dry and tart. Brewed with local Haus malts, the beer is named for the spectacular views of the sunset from our brewery’s picturesque patio along the Cuyahoga River.