Celis Financial Woes

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by champ103, May 6, 2019.

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  1. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    There was a contract-brewer in NYC called "Spring Street Brewing Co." that had a line of beers with the brand name WIT! - the flagship a "Belgian wheat beer with orange peel and coriander" as well as AMBER WIT! "with roasted malt and spices including cumin" and a "BLACK WIT!. Looks like they hit the market in 1993, so the year following Celis. The beers were brewed by Heileman spin-off Minnesota Brewing Co, St. Paul. I remember them on the area shelves (never bought any that I recall) but don't remember if they pre-dated Celis' NJ distribution.

    (They were later best known for an IPO that the SEC objected to - the company was owned by a Wall Street lawyer).
     
    #41 jesskidden, Jul 8, 2019
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  2. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    And of course we were blessed with the arrival of Blue Moon just a couple years later (1995 I think).

    You would likely remember this better than I (I can't find much information on Google), but didn't New Belgian's original wheat beer predate Celis (which if memory serves, was a pretty spicy, Belgian style wit beer)? I know distribution of NB stuff was pretty limited back in the early 90's (unlike today), so it probably wouldn't have been an option for folks living in North NJ.
     
    #42 John_M, Jul 8, 2019
  3. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,735) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Must be tough to "right size" a brewery that large. With that extra capacity they'd better diversify into the hard seltzer AND craft non-alcoholic segment to keep their bases covered...
     
    #43 HouseofWortship, Jul 8, 2019
  4. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    I forgot all about that. I attended an event held by Spring Street Brewing where you could drink WIT! and sign up to purchase stock.
     
    #44 dennis3951, Jul 8, 2019
  5. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah, don't recall a wheat-based beer from NB at that time at all. M. Jackson's Pocket Guides around that time mention only Fat Tire, Abbey (a dubbel), Trippel and "Old Cherry Ale".

    But yeah, I was trying to recall NY/NJ metro area beers in reply to @dennis3951. Based on ads, Celis was in Jersey by '94 and draught by '95 (as usual when basing such things on ads, could have been sooner). "The Office" chain featured the beer, bottled and on tap, frequently in advertising in those years.

    That's a story that's yet to be written (or, maybe it has been and I either forget it or didn't read it :grin:). Coors and Villa tell their "Blue Moon" origin story as if Celis - with its wide distribution, awards and reputation - didn't exist in the US at the time.:rolling_eyes:

    Hmmm... that's a good question, did Coors' Blue Moon predate Miller's buy-in of Celis...
    [​IMG]
     
    #45 jesskidden, Jul 9, 2019
  6. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    The old cherry ale was a cherry flavored version of fat tire. However, I could swear they were also producing a wheat beer as well, with a label that show-cased a bushel of wheat. But that was a few years back (stopped by the original brewery in Ft. Collins during my first gabf visit in 91), so my memory could be off.
     
    #46 John_M, Jul 9, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
  7. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Oh, yeah - I could believe it. All sorts of US-brewed "wheat" beers, borrowing a variety of European beer style names (if not always authentically), were around - likely thanks to the early success of Widmer (so-called) Hefeweizen.
     
    #47 jesskidden, Jul 9, 2019
  8. jasonmason

    jasonmason Zealot (742) Oct 6, 2004 California
    Society Trader

    If my memory is correct, i think that may just be the old (old, old...) version of the Sunshine Wheat label. That beer's been around for quite a while I think.
     
    #48 jasonmason, Jul 9, 2019
  9. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    That was it. For some reason Summertime wheat came to mind, but I knew that was incorrect.

    Always thought it a very good beer, with a nice dose of spice and coriander.
     
    #49 John_M, Jul 9, 2019
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