Pennsylvania-based, beloved gas station chain recently teamed up with neighboring 2SP Brewing Co. for a Wawa+2SP Brew Tour that kicked off in November 2019. The trek traveled from Pennsylvania to Virginia and has plans to wrap in Tampa this Thursday, Feb. 21. To mark the visit, the tour collaborated with two breweries—including Ybor City's Coppertail Brewing—to create a signature beer that incorporates Wawa's Winter Reserve Coffee Stout.
For its beer, Coppertail created a vanilla porter called the Snowbird Reserve (6% alcohol by volume.)
According to a release, Wawa and 2SP Brewing Company named the beer “Snow Bird Reserve,” as a nod to local friends and neighbors who migrate South to escape the wintry weather to soak up some sun. Coppertail's brewmaster, Casey Hughes—who spent a decade as Director of Brewing Operations at New Jersey's nearby Flying Fish Brewing Co.—is one of those people who migrated south.
“We are honored to partner with Wawa and 2SP for this one-of-a-kind collaboration. To be able to work together with Bob [Barrar, cofounder and brewer at 2SP], who is both an incredible brewer and a longtime friend has been a blast. We can’t wait to premiere Snowbird Reserve to our city and show what we have been working on," Hughes said in a statement.
Coppertail's sweet and robust porter features vanilla bean, malted barley, and notes of sweet clove, graham cracker and dark chocolate.
If you want to get in on some keg tapping action, slide by the Wawa located at 3660 W. Gandy Blvd. in Tampa on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 3:45 p.m., where customers can also meet the brewers. The first 100 customers receive an official Brew Tour t-shirt, while supplies last. The Snowbird Reserve vanilla porter is available at all Florida Wawa locations beginning Feb. 20 at 4 p.m.
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This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2020.