December 16, 2023
Source/Victory Brewing Co.
Koffee Kake Ale, the new beer from Victory Brewing Co. and Tastykake, hits stores and select bars in December and will be available until early March.
Quirky beer and cocktail collaborations have become so routine that their novelty sometimes feels a bit passé. But if we're talking about a Tastykake-flavored beer, that's a force of ingenuity the entire Delaware Valley can get behind.
Downingtown's Victory Brewing Co. has teamed up with Philly's legacy pastry brand on the new Koffee Kake Ale, a 6% ABV stout with notes of pound cake and cinnamon.
The new beer will be available starting Dec. 22 at Victory's taprooms in Downingtown, Philadelphia, Kennett Square and Parkesburg. They'll all be holding first taste events with giveaways and Tastykake pairings from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Koffee Kake Ale is being distributed across Victory's network this week and will be available on draft and at stores in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles. The beer will be sold until early March.
Victory is best-known for its HopDevil, Golden Monkey and Prima Pils brands. The company was founded 27 years ago by Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski, who have grown Victory into the second-largest craft brand in Pennsylvania. Victory beer is sold in 19 states.
Although Victory has worked with other breweries on special releases in years past, Koffee Kake Ale is the company's first foray into making a true crossover beer.
"As Victory entered the world of collaboration, it was especially important for us to select a partner whose identity, values and flavor profiles would align with ours in a way that connected with our loyal fanbase," said Kelly Irvine, the brewery's brand manager.
Earlier this year, Bucks County's Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co.teamed up with Rita's Italian Ice on a series of Fruit Brews that put a delicious twist on water ice. Other notable collabs in this vein include beers from Evil Genius and White Castle, Cape May Brewing Co. and Wawa, Yuengling and Hershey's Chocolate, and Captain Lawrence and Snyder's of Hanover.
Tastykake beer might just top them all. The company's popular line of pastries debuted in 1927 with the classic Butterscotch Krimpet, splintering off into several dozen varities of pies, cupcakes, bars and donuts. The Tastykake brand is still mostly a regional phenomenon, but it landed a major endorsement Betty White in the late 1970's before becoming one of the most ubiquitous sponsors in the Philly area. Who wouldn't drink to that?
Koffee Kake Ale sounds like it's about to be a New Year's party hit going into 2024.
