Drinking beer from the Stanley Cup® is something only hockey’s champs get to do. But drinking beer that’s been in the Cup? Molson Canadian is making it possible.
The beer brand this week is releasing to Canadian drinkers its Stanley Cup® Batch, a limited-edition beer that “kissed” the top bowl of Lord Stanley’s Cup™ before being packaged.
Following strict sanitization protocols under supervision from the Hockey Hall of Fame curator and official Keeper of the Cup Phil Pritchard, the Molson Brewery in Toronto passed some freshly brewed Molson Canadian from this limited batch through the Cup itself.
Adorned with silver labels and black secondary packaging, the six-packs of bottles resemble the most famous trophy in sports.
“This hockey season was unlike any other, including some great competition in the all-Canadian North Division, so we wanted to create something really incredible for Canadian fans. While there’s nothing more special than drinking beer from the Stanley Cup®, drinking beer that’s been kissed by it is a close second,” says Katie Rankin, senior marketing manager for Molson Canadian.
The Stanley Cup® Batch is being released just as the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup® Playoffs is underway, and it will be available at select local beer and liquor stores for a limited time across Canada, with the exception of Quebec.
“As Canada’s oldest brewery and the quintessential hockey beer, we thought, ‘Who better to bring fans closer to the game we love than Molson Canadian?’” Rankin says. “This is another opportunity for us to support Canadian hockey fans and bring them something unique and memorable in celebration of the playoffs.”
Molson Canadian, an Official Beer of the NHL® and four of its Canadian teams, has spent much of this shortened season reestablishing its hockey credentials. Earlier in the season it worked with Sportsnet to broadcast “Hockey Night in Canada” in seven additional languages. It also released its first set of hockey-themed ads since 2018 back in January.
“As Canadian hockey fans during the pandemic, not being able to enjoy our game live or at a bar with friends has created a bit of distance and Molson Canadian has tried to bring that hockey magic as close to fans as possible in different ways,” Rankin says. “You can’t get much closer to hockey than beer that’s been kissed by the Stanley Cup.”