Sarasota’s own Jalehouse Beers launches new Lockdown Amber Lager at “Cell Block Party” official release event, Sat., March 5
(Sarasota, FL) – Introduced in early 2009, Jalehouse Beers are the only local recipe brews available throughout Sarasota. Starting at 8 p.m. on Sat., March 5 Jalehouse Beers will host a “Cell Block Party” at Shamrock Pub, Horsefeathers and Evie’s Tavern in downtown Sarasota to celebrate the launch of their newest brew, a premium amber lager called Jalehouse Lockdown Lager.
The craft lager, created by Jalehouse co-founder Brian Tresidder, pours an elegant copper color with good clarity and a rich head. “Lockdown Amber Lager is a great option for darker beer drinkers, and a perfect counterpart to our first beer, Jalehouse Light, a summer-style brew.
“This is really Sarasota’s beer,” continues Jalehouse co-founder Keith Redding, as the name “Lockdown Lager” was actually suggested online by the company’s Facebook followers. “It’s been awesome to see all the local support for our company, and we’re really happy to give the community a fun event to continue to be a part of it. We love that they’ve been so involved with us every step of the way.”
Thus, the guys are very excited to officially introduce Lockdown Lager to the city at the Cell Block Party on March 5. The festivities begin at 8 p.m. at the Shamrock Pub (2257 Ringling Blvd.), where Keith and Brian will be handing out free samples of the Lockdown Lager and hanging out to talk about the beers and the creation process.
The party continues over at Horsefeathers (1923 Ringling Blvd.), for a raunchy cop mustache party from 9 to 11 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to grow out or slap on their best bad cop mustache (ladies can participate too!). The sexy “Jalehouse Girls” will also be out all night, cuffing partygoers and leading them to their mobile jail cell for their very own mugshot.
The Naughty Cop/Convict contest at Evie’s Tavern (1989 Ringling Blvd.) starts at 11 p.m., with the competition at midnight. Entry is free and ladies are asked to register in advance by emailing [email protected]. Jalehouse Beers will be giving away $1000 in prizes with $500 cash going to the girl voted on by the crowd as the sexiest cop or convict of the night.
All three locations will be offering $2 Lockdown Lager and Lights bottles all night. The Jalehouse crew extends an open invitation to all of Sarasota to “party with us as we introduce our new brew to friends, family and all of Florida.” Learn more online at jalehousebeers.com
Jalehouse Beers’ Cell Block Party and Official Lockdown Lager Release Event, 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., Sat., March 5, downtown Sarasota: Shamrock Pub, Horsefeathers and Evie’s Tavern, jalehousebeers.com
ABOUT JALEHOUSE BEERS
Introduced in early 2009, Jalehouse Beers are the only local recipe brews available throughout Sarasota. Longtime friends and Florida transplants Brian Tresidder and Keith Redding got the idea to start a beer company in 2008 when Tresidder began making his own “bathtub brew” as a hobby.Realizing he was onto something after tasting the delicious fruits of his labors, Tresidder enrolled in brewing school in Chicago and enlisted Redding, who had previous distribution experience, to form Turtle Distributing, the parent company to retail their recipe: Jalehouse Beer.
The boys decided to focus on a light lager as their first brew because, even though it’s more difficult to produce, the refreshing flavor is perfect for Sarasota’s beach climate. They were also conscious of creating a light beer with a low calorie content while maintaining an above-average alcohol content — 4.5% to the standard light beer’s 3.5%. Now Jalehouse is adding a second beer to its product line, a premium amber lager named by followers of their Facebook page. The result: “Lockdown Lager,” a balanced and complex full flavored beer.
In the meantime, a bit of a legend began to grow up around the Jalehouse Beers story. Supposedly, a man known as “The Greek” was one of the most successful brewers in the northeast during the early 1900s. Refusing to stop providing his customers with his delicious hooch when prohibition hit, The Greek turned to bootlegging, and was sent to the slammer in 1922. The warden of the prison was a huge fan however, and kept The Greek brewing behind bars, eventually arranging for his escape in gratitude for all the delicious beer.
The Greek made his way to Florida, the historic haven for convicts, criminals and other misfits, keeping his recipe tucked into his vest until he could begin brewing again. No one knows exactly what happened to The Greek, but the legend has it, his recipe was passed on in secrecy, until Tressider and Redding got their hands on it and knew they had to bring it to the people. The accuracy of this tale has not been verified.
The team at Jalehouse Beers is also focused on giving back to the community by donating time, product and proceeds to numerous local charities like the Humane Society, The Boys and Girls Club and the Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund.
Learn more at www.jalehousebeer.com or get social at www.facebook.com/jalehousebeers