Da FUG is The Traveler Beer Company???

Stopped at our local deli/party store to get the wife a salad for dinner and checked out the singles in the craft beer section. They had a couple of beers from The Traveler Beer Company. Looked kind of "Big Beer"ish, but one of them was a Grapefruit Ale, and I REALLY like the Grapefruit IPA from Perrin Brewing downstate, so I went out on a limb and picked one up.

First, let me set you straight: This is NOT a Grapefruit-ish IPA or Pale Ale. This is a GRAPEFRUIT SHANDY! Straight up plain beer mixed with grapefruit juice.

All in all, it's not bad. It's not my cup of tea, but I didn't pour it down the drain. It's certainly better than some styles I simply can't drink. Expect a LOT of grapefruit flavor to come through. Juicy.

What bugs me, is the company. I notice right away that it's hiding something. They aren't exactly forthcoming about their location and their packaging seems like it's trying too hard to be cool. Like, "Hey, look at me, I'm really cool!"

On the label, "Brewed by The Traveler Beer Company, Cincinnati, OH, and Breningsville, PA in collaboration with Boston Beer Company."

I visited their website for more information, but there wasn't really anything about the company except that they want to keep their location and particulars under wraps. No history, no address, nothing.

Another odd thing: All of their beers are 4.4%. They apparently are doing one style, the Shandy. There are other flavors, but I don't know them all. I know they have Lemon-Lime.

Bottom Lime, it seems like a Big Beer Wannabe company in attitude selling a Line of Shandys.

Maybe they are gypsy brewers. Nomads, roaming the country brewing with a pocket full of grains and whatever fruits they can find.

Sounds like Sam Adams is making some Shandy on the side to me.

Look at their terms of use. Looks like they were written for a large corporation.

Zuljin said:

Maybe they are gypsy brewers. Nomads, roaming the country brewing with a pocket full of grains and whatever fruits they can find.

Click to expand...

Grains and a dream are really all you need.

Homercidal said:

On the label, "Brewed by The Traveler Beer Company, Cincinnati, OH, and Breningsville, PA in collaboration with Boston Beer Company."

Click to expand...

You answered your own question.

Traveler is a collaboration brand between the founder of Magic Hat and the Boston Beer Co.

parent company of Traveler: http://www.alchemyandscience.com/about/

a little history on Traveler: http://www.westsidebeer.com/travelerbeerco_2014#

Found it:
http://www.bostonbeer.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=69432&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1787122

Interesting. So The Traveler really is just a line of shandys brewed by people affiliated with Boston Beer, and there are other projects that seem to be location-oriented, such as L.A. and Miami.

Independent Subsidiaries.

Interesting. Sounds like they're leveraging the "traveler" part of the name from the Curious Traveler, who I'm pretty sure exclusively make Shandy's and I believe we started by ex-Magic Hat brewery personel.

I live in Cincinnati, and my coworker's family member works at the Sam Adams brewery here in town, and it is indeed another brewery that is owned by BBC.

Yup, just another shadow "brewery" paying the big boys to stick a label on a loser brew.
They have plenty of Radlers in Germany, and are introducing them to the US market. Typically they are marketed to females and those who prefer soda or (remember wine coolers?) Shandy to actually drinking beer, while maintaining the illusion of having beer in their glass. The 411 specifically mentioned Boston Brewers, then changed to "Contract Brewers".
Either way, it's nothing new, not cool and definitely not going to be around for long.. After the initial market driven surge, this dog will go the way of such nkn-brands as Red Dog, the "Ice Brewed" wind bags, and the real dogs used to market your commercial swill.
Welcome, and adios amigo in the same breath.

I was suspect of them from the time I first saw their commercial. Especially since it is a company I have never heard of and they are advertising countrywide distribution.



Not to mention the overabundance of hipster-stache

Sounds a lot like Angry Orchard Hard Cider. They've always let on like they'd been around forever and a day, when in reality they're nothing more than an offshoot of the Boston Beer Company.