Rita's, Neshaminy Creek Brewing team up again on water ice-flavored beer

Spring is coming early for people who love beer and "wooder" ice.

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. is teaming up with Rita's Italian Ice to release "Rita's Fruit Brews" variety packs, which contain three beer flavors inspired by water ice. The 12-packs will become available Saturday, March 2 at Neshaminy Creek's taprooms and retailers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

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Neshaminy Creek and Rita's first collaborated last spring on Mango Blonde Ale and then released a Peach Ring Tart Ale in the summer. The variety packs contain those flavors and their new Cherry Lemonade Tart Ale. All three beers are 5% ABV.

"Everyone has a different favorite Rita's flavor so putting together a Rita's Fruit Brews variety pack was the obvious next step in this partnership," said Kyle Park, Neshaminy Creek's director of sales and marketing. "We started getting requests for this type of thing as soon as we announced the first beer last year and I'm so glad we're going to be able to deliver them in time for spring. I grew up going to Rita's and love seeing how quickly excited people have been to reconnect with it while enjoying these beers."

Packs of Mango Blonde Ale also will be on sale this spring. 

Neshaminy Creek is celebrating the launch of the variety packs at its Croydon taproom with an Early Spring Fling party on March 2. The event begins at noon and features live music, games and a Rita's food truck. The 12-packs will be for sale, and the beers will be available on draft.

Rita's was founded in 1984 in Bensalem, just a short distance from Neshaminy Creek's production brewery in Bucks County. The water ice chain has more than 500 franchise locations in the U.S. Neshaminy Creek was founded in 2010 and has since expanded its distribution across the Mid-Atlantic region.