Those craving a traditional cold brew from Lancaster County mainstay Stoudts Brewing Company will soon be able to find it in local bars.
Stoudts Brewing Company, which Carol Stoudt started in 1987, closed in 2020 when Stoudt announced her intention to retire.
On Thursday, Stoudts and Philadelphia-based Evil Genius Beer Company announced a partnership to bring Stoudts beers back to local bars.
Its first brew, Oktoberfest, will be available in local bars from August 1. For now, all Stoudts products released will only be available in bars, Keller said.
“Evil Genius brews and distributes the product under the Stoudts brand,” said Ryan Keller, Marketing Director of Evil Genius, in a phone call with LNP | Lancaster Online. Stoudt and many others previously in the brewing operation will still be involved, Keller said.
“Carol has retired from the physical side of brewing, but she’s still involved in things like recipe development and other behind-the-scenes stuff,” Keller said.
And, although Evil Genius Beer Company is now partnering with Stoudts, it does not own the Stoudts name, or anything pertaining to the company.
“It’s all licensed,” Keller said.
Keller said the conversations between Evil Genius and Stoudts came shortly after Stoudt announced his retirement.
“It is important to continue this legacy of equality and the pursuit of innovation,” Stoudt said in a press release. “When we closed the brewery in 2020, we had no intention of retiring the brand. We just needed the right situation to bring Stoudts back to the forefront of the market.
Luke Bowen and Trevor Hayward, co-owners of Evil Genius, “didn’t want to see a brand with such tradition and innovation, all the equality it represents would be wasted,” Keller said.
Stoudt was the first female brewmaster in the United States since Prohibition. She and her husband, Edward Stoudt, ran a brewery and pub in Adamstown until his retirement in 2020.
“Carol has been admired by many in our industry – and it’s an honor to continue her legacy and introduce authentic German-style beers to a new generation,” Evil Genius project manager Jenna Greb said in A press release.
Co-founder Hayward said there was a personal element to the partnership.
“I was disappointed when they announced they were closing,” Hayward said in a press release. “I’ve known Carol for many years, attended her legendary beer parties and became a close friend, so helping to revive Stoudts made sense. People were running out of really fantastic beers and we wanted to help them get them back. to bring back. “
Stoudts will release more of its classic beers, like Stoudts Gold, this year and in 2023, according to a press release. Two other beers will also be released this year, Keller said.
“We treat Stoudts as a standalone brand,” Keller said. “The Evil Genius name will not be affixed. We really want Stoudts to be its own iconic brand. We don’t want to undermine the integrity of that.”
The Adamstown complex which previously housed the Stoudts Black Angus Antiques Shopping Centre, Black Angus Restaurant, Stoudts Bakery and Stoudts Brewery has been sold to Dentech Industrial in Reamstown for $2.75 million. It reopened as the IronSpire complex in 2021.
Editor’s note: This article incorrectly stated that Stoudts Brewing Company products would be stocked in local stores. It will only be stored in bars.
