Stevens Point Releases Smiley Blue Pils

02 Jun 2015---STEVENS POINT, WIS. – Craft beer lovers will be all smiles when they taste Point Smiley Blue Pils, the newest year-round brew from the Stevens Point Brewery.

An authentic Czech-style pilsner, Smiley Blue Pils is now available for relaxation and refreshment in six-packs and 12-packs of 12-ounce longneck bottles and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans wherever Point’s handcrafted beers are sold.

Pilsner, or pils for short, is one of the world’s classic beer styles. Named for the famous Czech brewing town of Pilsen in Bohemia where the style was first brewed using bottom fermenting yeast in the mid-19th century, pilsners were the world’s first pale golden lagers. Pilsners are characterized by a fragrant hop aroma, a soft but sturdy body and a deliciously dry, hop-accented finish.

“Pilsner is one of the most popular beer styles in the world and it makes perfect sense for Point to expand our offering with a handcrafted true pilsner beer like Smiley Blue Pils,” said Joe Martino, Point Brewery Operating Partner. “Our new Smiley Blue Pils is an excellent example of the pilsner style and Point fans will be all smiles when they taste it. We think it will quickly become a favorite.”

Brewing Smiley Blue Pils

Point Brewmaster Gabe Hopkins and his team of craft brewers brew Smiley Blue Pils with traditional pilsner malt and Saaz hops imported from the Czech Republic. The Saaz hops are a key ingredient for Czech-style pilsners, which tend to be hoppier than German-style pilsners. The Point team is generous with the Saaz hops when they brew Point Smiley Blue Pils, which is also dry hopped after fermentation to enhance its hoppiness.

“The Saaz hops give Smiley Blue Pils a pleasant, peppery nose and a crisp dry finish,” said Hopkins. “It’s very well balanced and a satisfying, easy-to-drink session beer. It’s a great fit with the rest of our craft beers, and we are really proud of it.”

Stevens Point Brewery

Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew its handcrafted beers.

In addition to Smiley Blue Pils, Stevens Point Brewery’s year-round lineup features Point Special Lager; Point Onyx Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a golden ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager; Point Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a 110 Calorie Ale; and Point Beyond the Pale IPA, a robust, hoppy India Pale Ale. Point also brews four year-round IPAs available only in the IPA variety 12-pack: Point Spruce Tip IPA, Point Peach Mango IPA, Point White IPA and Point One Shot IPA.

Year-round products also include the Whole Hog Limited Edition “big beers:” Whole Hog Espresso Stout, Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale and Whole Hog Scotch Ale. Seasonal brews include Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, Whole Hog Barley Wine Ale and Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale.

The brewery’s seasonal beers include summer favorites Point Coast Radler, a mix of beer and natural citrus flavors, and Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, an award-winning unfiltered wheat ale; Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall; Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a rich, dark beer available from November through February; and Apricadabra Apricot Wheat Ale, a spring seasonal.

Point also brews four unique James Page specialty beers sold only in convenient 12-ounce cans: A Cappella Gluten-free Pale Ale, Casper White Stout, Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter and Healani Pineapple Hefeweizen.

Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream, Point Kitty Cocktail and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda.