Speakeasy Metropolis Lager – Debuting This SF Beer Week

(San Francisco, CA) – After a year in which the brewery grew to nearly 30,000 barrels, Speakeasy is expanding their 2014 portfolio to include a new year-round lager brand. Complementing the brewery’s flagship Big Daddy IPA and Gold Medal-Winning Prohibition Ale, Metropolis Lager is a West Coast take on a traditional all-malt lager, with the twist of a liberal dry-hopping addition.

“We are in the midst of an exciting time for lagers in craft and I think Metropolis fills an important gap in our lineup,” says Brewmaster Kushal Hall. “By blending four varieties of German Hallertau with Pacific Gem and Mosaic hops we created a floral, tropical character that defies tradition and stands uniquely apart with a balance of hop intensity and character.”

Speakeasy started in 1997 with just two beers—an ale and a lager—and like many small breweries, a lack of capacity became prohibitive for producing lagers with any significant volume. With the brewery expanding its capacity up to 50,000 barrels in 2014, the opportunity to enter the burgeoning craft lager category presented itself.

“American beer culture has long been defined by lagers rather than ales,” says the brewery’s founder, Forest Gray. ”We are excited to introduce Metropolis—a Speakeasy lager that represents our sensibilities when lagers are gaining acceptance and market share within our cra! beer community.”

Metropolis Lager will kick off on tap exclusively in San Francisco throughout SF Beer Week and events throughout the month of February. Six packs will begin hitting shelves in Northern California in March with a full rollout of draft and package coming to all markets by the beginning of summer.

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ABOUT SPEAKEASY ALES & LAGERS
Since 1997, a wily band of bootleggers were inspired to bring their exceptional brews from the underground to the masses, defiantly producing small batches of beer in a secret warehouse in San Francisco. Starting with a single, iconic beer—Prohibition Ale—Speakeasy now brews a wide array of acclaimed beers including Big Daddy IPA, Payback Porter, Double Daddy, Scarface Imperial Stout and many more. Now distributed across the entire West Coast and major markets across the country, Speakeasy has grown by leaps and bounds, yet still produce many of their beers on the same hand- cranked, steam-fired brewhouse that started it all.