CINCINNATI -- Listermann Brewing Co. just got a lot more hip.
Hip for Fiona the hippo, that is.
The brewery has just created a New England Style IPA dubbed Team Fiona. The can bears the face of the Cincinnati Zoo’s beloved baby hippo, and 25 percent of proceeds will go to benefit the 4-month-old as she continues to grow.
Listermann hopes the cans will become collector’s items like the Bengals Who Dey cans from the 80s. (With Fiona’s little face staring at you on the front of the can, we’d say that’s a safe bet).
Chad Yelton, vice president of marketing and communications, thought the idea of a Fiona-themed beer was a joke at first, but the team knew they had something brewing because of the interest their patrons had for Fiona.
"We love creative partnerships like this one where we can take their passion for local craft beer and blend it with our passion for animals,” Yelton said in a news release.
GALLERY:Look how far Fiona's come (and how much she's grown)
Jason Brewer, general manager, said Team Fiona isn’t bitter like typical IPAs.
“It is a rather new style in which the beer has a very soft mouth feel, hazy appearance and is bursting with fruit/juice flavor … coming in at 6.2 percent, we feel like this beer and style make Team Fiona perfect for the summer,” Brewer said in a release.
Listermann Brewing Co. will hold a tasting at 10 a.m. on June 10 at the brewery, located just two miles from the Cincinnati Zoo.
On June 12, four packs of Team Fiona IPA will be available for purchase at four Kroger locations: Oakley, Hyde Park, Anderson and Harper’s Point. The beer will also be sold at two Jungle Jim’s stores and Cappies in Loveland.
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