The Suncrush tangerine ale, dubbed the quintessential outdoor beer by Hardywood founders Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh, is meant to be enjoyed at the pool or beach, or along with other outdoor activities. (Photo by Kate Magee courtesy Hardywood)
Enjoying a cold brew outdoors is considered the ultimate beer experience for many, combining the pleasures of being in nature with the pleasure of drinking something created from natural ingredients: barley, water, hops and yeast.
To achieve that ultimate beer experience, the founders of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh, recently introduced Suncrush, intended to be the quintessential outdoor brew.
“We wanted something crushable and enjoyable out in the sunshine while doing fun activities,” says McKay.
Two years ago during a beach vacation, Murtaugh was sipping on a Berliner Weisse, and McKay, on a beach trip of his own, was drinking Hardywood’s Great Return IPA. Although the beers were enjoyable, they weren’t ideal: The highly-hopped IPA left McKay feeling lethargic, and Murtaugh was becoming soured out.
When they got back to town, the pair hit the drawing board. They realized that, despite its national and international success, the Hardywood collection of beers was missing something: a light, approachable brew ideal for outdoor occasions.
Enter Suncrush, a spinoff from the Hardywood brand now available in the brewery's taprooms; if received well, it could be distributed more broadly.
“We felt like it didn’t fit with branding identity we had built around Hardywood beer, so we created its own entity for this beer and series of beers,” says McKay. “We wanted a beer that would be designed from the ground [up] that was perfect for outdoor activities from the beach to the slopes.”
The first of the series, Tangerine Suncrush, a 4.2 percent session ale, was released July 20 with more flavors to follow, including ginger lime and grapefruit, both inspired by cocktails: the Moscow Mule and the Paloma.
The beer checks all the boxes for what McKay and Murtaugh consider a perfect outdoor activity beer: low in ABV, low in calories, low in gluten and featuring a refreshing hint of fruit. Tangerine Suncrush is brewed with green tea, which offers a mellow caffeine buzz and antioxidants. Fermented at a slightly lower temperature than typical ales, the beer exudes an extra clean, crisp flavor.
Hardywood’s recent West Creek expansion has increased its overall brewing capacity, allowing the brewery to get creative and experiment with small batches. Suncrush is brewed at the Richmond location in a 20-barrel brew system that holds 620 gallons and produces about 13 cases per barrel.
“We’ve been strained [on space] for three years, and innovation has been tricky,” says Murtaugh. “We now have the space to scale these concepts and distribute some of these interesting new beers.”
Suncrush beers are not exclusively for summer drinking; there are plans to release a cranberry flavor in the fall, along with other seasonal varieties.
“It’s fun to kind of push yourself and exercise creative energy and create something completely different,” says Murtaugh. “I think it was exciting to fill that void, not only in our own portfolio but in the market.”
Suncrush is available in Hardywood's Richmond, West Creek and Charlottesville taprooms by the can for on-site consumption and in six-packs to go for $9.99.
