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Grayton Beer Company is Ready to Quench Your Thirst
March 1, 2014 by SoWal Staff
Grayton Beer Company wants to quench your thirst, and the company has geared up its staff and finalized touches on its brand-new South Walton brewery to toast the authentic beach life. The company has a new set of beers for beach and suds lovers, due to hit shelves and tap rooms this week - including special tap parties at Stinky's Fish Camp and the Red Bar this weekend.
“We are proud to be the first brewery based in South Walton, brewing our beer locally and serving the entire Emerald Coast and surrounding areas,” says Jamey Price, founder of Grayton Beer.
The flagship beer for Grayton Beer is Original - wrapped in a rich red package with its own branding campaign - “Be Original”, to promote the individuality and uniqueness of the beer.
“This is just a great beer. It is brewed especially for the modern American lifestyle with a crisp, refreshing light taste and it will be the one we think locals will adopt as their own,” says Martin Liptrot, Vice President of Marketing and Sales who led the overall design process.
The whole Grayton Beer line will have names and styles meaningful and familiar to the Florida Gulf Coast region.
The Amber Ale, which carries the name 1890 Founder’s Ale, is a tribute to the people who first incorporated Grayton Beach.
The Belgian White, or Witbier, is named White Dunes in honor of the 15 coastal dune lakes that are a rare treasure to the South Walton area.
The Pale Ale has been a favorite since its 2011 release. Grayton Beer chose to keep the beer’s Pale Ale name, but updated the branding to better reflect the rich golden color that helped make it so popular.
The range of beers also includes the 30A Beach Blonde Ale, incorporating the iconic blue disc logo of 30A.com.
“We have worked with local designers, with Mike Ragsdale and his 30A team, and thousands of 30A fans to get that design just right, “ Martin explains. “We knew the beer needed to have a blonde girl image on it but getting it right was important. She is stylish, full of vitality and classy – she has a little bit of a retro look and she really fits with the vibe on the 30A .”
The brand designs include ideas and images developed by local designers – Central Idea Agency, Tommy Crow Studios and Moon Creek Studios – as well as the input of international branding agencies. All the beers are brewed in Grayton Beer’s state of the art brewery on US 98 in the South Walton Commerce Park and will be distributed by Lewis Bear Company.
“Attractive packaging is an important part of launching new beers and our designs are bright and bold, they incorporate images well known to locals and connect us with the strong South Walton identity we are so proud of.” says Martin.
“Our packaging design has been carefully developed to get the right look and feel for our beers and their drinkers. We know taste and style are important on the Emerald Coast, and our designs are thoughtfully constructed to fit with the great lifestyle we enjoy here on the beach. So far, we have had terrific feedback on them from locals,” adds Martin.
The Grayton Beer brewery will be open for tours and tastings in early 2014. Visit www.GraytonBeer.com for more information.
Photos by Moon Creek Studios.