Orléans-based Broadhead Brewing Co. has scored even bigger than it expected with its new collaboration with Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark.
In less than 24 hours since the partnership was announced, Kaitlyn Stokes, the brewery’s marketing manager, said Broadhead has been flooded with support for its Ottawa Wheat 26 beer, produced in collaboration with Clark and with part of the proceeds benefiting The Ottawa Hospital Foundation and its Breast Health Centre.
“It’s been crazy. (Clark) is from Saskatchewan … so we’ve had a lot of requests from Saskatchewan about whether we can ship there … We have some people coming from Sault Ste. Marie, saying they’re going to drive down to the brewery for this beer. It’s much more than we expected,” Stokes said.
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The raspberry wheat ale was always designed to be made with all-Canadian ingredients, but Stokes said it is a “happy accident,” given consumers’ renewed interest in buying Canadian.
“The beer was packed so long before (the buy Canadian sentiment) happened. We always try to focus on sourcing local and Canadian ingredients as much as we can, but I think there is a bigger emphasis on that nowadays. We were glad to already be doing that before all of this came up,” she said.
The beer’s name pays homage to Clark’s ties to professional hockey in Ottawa, the wheat used in brewing, and her jersey number, 26.
Many local restaurants have reached out to Broadhead looking to get the Ottawa Wheat 26 on tap – and replacing American brews, Stokes said.
“It’s available at Craft at Lansdowne and we’re going to be releasing more names soon,” she said. The beer will also be available to order through Broadhead’s website and on location at its Vimont Court brewery, she added.
Stokes said the collaboration with Clark is important for the brewery, which is an avid supporter of women’s sports and charities around the city. “It was a no-brainer,” Stokes said.
In fact, the collaboration marks a Canadian first, with Clark becoming the “first professional female athlete in Canada to release her own inspired craft beer,” a news release from Broadhead Brewing Co said.
Stokes said the brewery was excited for the collaboration as it saw the excitement for women’s sports in Ottawa.
“The atmosphere at TD Place is that Ottawa is putting their weight behind the Charge and women’s sports. A bunch of us from the brewery went to support Emily at her last game and you can feel the energy and excitement there. With more and more teams and women’s sports coming to the area, we just have to keep supporting our female athletes in whatever way we can,” she said.
“It’s an honour to collaborate with Emily Clark on a beer that celebrates her incredible career and supports a cause that touches so many lives,” Jamie White, co-founder and CEO of Broadhead, said in the news release. “Through this partnership, we’re not only raising a pint to a great cause but also helping to elevate the visibility of women’s hockey in our community.”
Clark told OBJ on Friday that her agent, Brant Feldman, “put the bug in (her) ear” about collaborating with a local brewery after another PWHL client of his, Minnesota Frost forward Kelly Pannek, teamed up with Minneapolis-based brewery Fulton Brewing on its “Been There, Won That” beer, benefiting Mosaic Hockey Collective.
“I talked to some people I knew in Ottawa to see if there were any connections to a local brewery. As soon as I looked at (Broadhead’s) page and read their values and their slogan and got connected with Jamie (White), he was all in right away,” Clark said. “I’m really happy with the relationship we’ve built and look forward to hopefully continuing to work with them.”
The collaboration offers Clark a way to connect and impact the Ottawa community, she said.
“As soon as I signed with Ottawa, I had a lot of on-ice and off-ice goals. Knowing that I would be here for three years, I wanted to have an impact on the community and build relationships. This is just another great vessel for that and it’s a fun project for me,” she said.
The hardest part was selecting which charitable organization to donate proceeds to, Clark said.
“There are just so many great organizations to try to help and show support to within the community. The Breast Health Centre is a great home for it, having people in my life impacted by it … and the hockey community as of last year too,” she said.
Clark said she and her Charge teammates look forward to fostering relationships with local businesses as the interest in women’s sports in the city continues.
“The community has shown us nothing but support. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Ottawa, it’s that they show up for their teams. Not to speak for my teammates, but we want to be involved in the community. We want to have these relationships with local businesses. I think that resonates with the community and you’re seeing that support through this launch doing well,” Clark said.
Clark regularly gives back to the Ottawa community, donating PWHL tickets to local organizations and meeting with fans post-game.
Broadhead launched the beer at an event this week at Craft Beer Market at Lansdowne, where the Ottawa Charge play.
