Redemption Rock partners with Worcester Bravehearts on summer-inspired beer

Photo | Courtesy of Redemption Rock Redemption Rock and the Worcester Bravehearts' new summer-inspired beer

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When Dan Carlson first opened Redemption Rock Brewing, he used to wear his Bravehearts hat in the taproom almost everyday.

Now, the local brewery is collaborating with the Worcester Bravehearts, the summer collegiate baseball team, on a new beer called the Mane Event.

Carlson, the co-founder and marketing director of Redemption Rock, explained the brewery’s decision to create a summer-inspired beer people could drink at the ball games.

Going to a Worcester Bravehearts game is “one of the coolest experiences in the city,” Carlson said.

Mane Event is a hoppy blonde ale, with alcohol by volume of 4.8%, and is brewed with Wai-iti hops, creating a tropical aroma with hints of mango, peach and grapefruit.

The beer, which has a dry and lightly bitter finish, is being offered at the Bravehearts baseball games this season, as well as on tap and in cans at Redemption Rock and will be available for distribution around Worcester.

For the Bravehearts, the beer was the No. 1 seller on their opening day of May 25, said Carter Bemis, the director of operations for the Braveheart.

“It was the first beer we had to restock all season, and it’s been very well received by the fans. We feel like its flavor profile perfectly matches what you are looking for at a warm summer baseball game,” Bemis said.

Photo | Courtesy of Redemption Rock

Redemption Rock's new summer beer is called the Mane Event.

Bemis, who stepped into his role in February, said he approached Carlson at the end of March to discuss the partnership and talked through their visions and hopes for the product.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Redemption Rock since I started carrying them at a prior establishment I worked at back when they first opened,” Bemis said. “They were an easy first call for this, and it’s both a brand and a group of people who we are really happy to work with.”

While Redemption Rock has never done a partnership with a sports team before, Carlson added how collaborating with the Bravehearts was one of the easiest decisions the brewery made.

Redemption Rock has partnered with a variety of organizations around Worcester to create different limited edition beers. Most recently, the brewery collaborated with the Hanover Theatre Repertory to celebrate the opening of two William Shakespeare’s plays by producing an unhopped IPA called She’s the Man, which is still available.

In January, Redemption Rock collaborated with the Poets Cauldron for its monthly poetry night at the White Room in Worcester. Carlson added the brewery often promote events at the White Room, including the event space’s anniversary, where Redemption Rock brewed a special beer called Rhyme Remedy, a white ale with peppery, herbal, and fruity flavors.

Last November, the brewery collaborated with Casita Cultura Latina, a local nonprofit that promotes Latino art and culture, to brew a pale ale with pear and coconut flavors, for its Día de los Muertos festival.

“We love doing all kinds of collabs with all different kinds of organizations. We’ve done nonprofits. We’re doing arts, we’re doing sports,” Carlson said. “Collabs are a pretty big deal in the craft beer industry, but I think we take a bit more creative and community-centered approach than a lot of other places.”

When deciding on partnerships, Carlson said the brewery’s leadership team take it opportunistically, and for the most part organizations reach out to them.

“We have gotten a bit of a reputation for doing these things. We are also a very community focused organization, and I think that’s kind of what our brand and our reputation across the community is,” Carlson said.

Carlson said the brewery’s owners enjoy creating special collaborative beers and working with different organizations around the area. Since opening in 2019, Redemption Rock has collaborated with the Worcester Historical Museum and the African Community Education nonprofit.

“It helps us think outside of the usual box when it comes to coming up with different beers and styles and a new source of inspiration which is really cool for us,” Carlson said. “And it introduces us and craft beer to parts of the community that would not otherwise be exposed to it.”