To Have & to Hold, Dock Street’s Wedding Beer Brings “Something Brewed” to Wedding Celebrations.
Wedding season is upon us, and it’s no surprise that soon-to-be newlyweds often take great care when considering every detail of their upcoming nuptials. Specialized vendors are selected for everything from the food to the clothing to the flowers, typically in a thoughtfully coordinated aesthetic, and Dock Street saw there were no beers in the market made specifically for these occasions. “Many of us [at Dock Street] have gotten married in the past few years, and as beer lovers, we of course want to feature excellent, quality craft beer at our weddings,” says Renata Vesey, Dock Street’s Head of Marketing and Events. “When you search ‘wedding beer’ online, the only thing you’ll find is some half-hearted suggestions of ‘crowd-pleasers,’ but nothing that was crafted specifically to celebrate or symbolize a significant, intimate, full-of-love occasion like a wedding!”
Photo credit: Ryan Spillman
Sure, any beer at a wedding could be considered a “wedding beer,” but Dock Street set out to create a unique beer specifically for these celebrations. Wedding Beer is brewed with lemon verbena, orange blossom honey, rosehips, coriander, lemon peel, sage and yeast from perhaps the most popular celebratory beverage – champagne. The brewery describes this beer as having a smooth, clean malt profile complemented by prominent fruitiness lent by the yeast, which, like the happiness after a great wedding, lingers long after the finish. High carbonation delivers big, jubilant bubbles to perfectly round out the profile of this special ale.
Not only does the liquid itself incorporate some of the essential elements of a wedding, the packaging was also designed with a wedding aesthetic in mind – after all, couples shell out big bucks for photographs to remember such celebrations, shouldn’t the beer look just as good as the rest of the decor? “The label was created to blend in with wedding decor and look beautiful in photographs. It was made with the couple and their families and friends in mind,” explains Vesey.
This beautiful label was created to blend in with wedding decor and look beautiful in photographs. It was made with the couple and their families and friends in mind!
– RENATA VESEY, Dock Street
Head of Marketing and Events
The elegant label was created by Sarah Russell (@sarahpollyanna) and designed by Johanna Roebas (@jsroebas), two local artists. The label incorporates many of the symbolic ingredients of the beer. Orange Blossoms have long been associated with weddings – a trend started by Queen Victoria in the 1800s – as a symbol of luck, purity (in Dock Street’s case, they’re going with purity of heart!), fertility and eternal love. You’ll also spot other symbolic items on the can like a bird’s nest, which represents a warm, safe and stable home life; a knot and an anchor; wheat shafts symbolizing wealth, luck & prosperity and Eros, the Greek god of love. Vesey adds, “the best part is, the can incorporates ‘something blue’ so it is a very pleasant way to check that off the list!”
Couples looking to celebrate with Dock Street’s Wedding Beer can find it at participating wedding venues and through wedding vendors. Many have already pre-ordered the beer and plan to keep it on their offerings list for weddings, and if it’s not on the list, couples can request it through their venue or vendor. Cases will also be available through Dock Street’s brewpub.
Note: This beer is available only through wedding vendors and Dock Street’s brewpub, and all other Dock Street beer is now sold to retailers by 31st & Wharton.