Canada: J.R. Brickman Founders Series' Pilsner wins twice in two beer competitions

Brick Brewing’s J.R. Brickman Founders Series Pilsner scored two wins in two different, well respected beer competitions, the company released June 07.

In the first instance, the J.R. Brickman Pilsner took the gold medal at the Ontario Brewing Awards in the Pilsner category, a major coup for the brewery. In the second, the J. R. Brickman Pilsner took the silver medal in the category of Best European Style Lager (Pilsner) at the 4th annual Canadian Brewing Awards.

Competition is steep at the Canadian Brewing Awards, with a total of 225 entries from 48 breweries across the country. The judging panel is made up of six Certified Beer Judges and it is the only national contest that invites breweries of all sizes to compete via a blind tasting. As a result of the stringent guidelines, a Canadian Brewing Awards medal is now widely recognized as a symbol of brewing excellence in Canada.

"We are extremely pleased with both of these wins," said Doug Berchtold, President and CEO, Brick Brewing Co. "Our team put a lot of work into the new Founders Series and these awards provide a fantastic - and impartial - endorsement of our beer."

The J.R. Brickman Founders Series is a line of premium, hand-crafted beers, created with a very specific beer consumer in mind. According to Berchtold, "This person is looking for a quality product in the bottle that has no additives or preservatives and that stays true to traditional styles of beer and that is what we've created with the Founders Series.

Brick Brewing Co. was Ontario's first craft brewery 22 years ago and today, remains committed to its focus on brewing the widest, most interesting variety of superbly crafted beer choices available. "Ontario Craft Brewers, some of whom have existed for decades now, are finally able to enjoy the fruit from years of labour. Consumers have become far more interested in quality products that are natural and made with passion and integrity. This is, for us, the most important element of our growth going forward: that we continue to remain true to our roots while reaching out and engaging new consumers."

The J.R. Brickman Founders Series is comprised of three different products: Pilsner, Honey Red and Amber. Brick has made a significant investment in promoting the new line to their target consumer in Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo, with a smaller level of activity taking place in other markets.

"Our approach with this launch is quite unique from anything we've done before," explained Norm Pickering, VP Marketing, Brick Brewing Co. "We conducted an extensive amount of research to pinpoint markets and specific consumer groups that we wanted to reach out to and engage. We found those groups resided heavily in the Kitchener Waterloo and Ottawa regions."

Pickering went on to explain that each of these cities has matured over time and in that way, mirrors the position that Brick Brewing also finds itself in. "The campaign was structured to hit these markets as a result of each city's demographic breakdown, which in both cases contain a mass of well educated, well travelled citizens who make up an affluent workforce and have refined tastes. They are the perfect fit for the Founders Series."

Brick will have a large presence in each city this summer and will be out on the street sampling their target consumers. Brick also recently announced a key partnership with the Ottawa Carleton Ultimate Association (OCUA) which will see Brick donating 20,000 bottles of Formosa Spring water (which is also the base ingredient for the J.R. Brickman line) to OCUA, and providing the club's 5,000 members an opportunity to sample the products throughout the summer.

"We view this agreement as a unique partnership opportunity for Brick and OCUA," said Pickering. "With over 5,000 members, OCUA perfectly represents the segment of the market that the J.R. Brickman Founder's Series has been produced for. As such, it provides an arena for us to sample the product on a group extremely well suited to the brand. Based on the demographic make-up and buying savvy of the players involved, OCUA presents itself as a perfect partner for trialing and creating awareness of the brand at a grassroots level."

Brick Brewing Co. Limited is a regional Ontario brewer of hand-crafted, premium quality beer. With more than a dozen award winning styles of beer, Brick Brewing Co. offers discriminating beer drinkers a variety of craft quality assured brews. The Company was founded in 1984 by Jim Brickman, after a worldwide journey of research and discovery that took him to 68 breweries in 29 countries. In 1984, against many obstacles, Ontario's first craft brewery was born. Today, the brewery has won more international Monde Selection for Quality beer awards than any other craft brewer in North America.

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