Seattle Seahawks Fans: Do You Have Your 12 Man Pale Ale?

• comments
• 
• 

For Seattle Seahawks fans preparing for Super Bowl XLVIII, even the beer run before the game can prove a show of team support.

That's because Dick's Brewing Co., a small brewery located in Centralia, a berg about 85 miles south of Seattle along Interstate 5, has made a beer made just for Seahawks fans.

Packaged in 12-ounce cans, the 12 Man Pale Ale was released to the public in December and, according to a report published by the Associated Press, has become a top seller throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The brewery has so far shipped more than 6,000 cans and 300 kegs this month.

Of course, that's sparce on any scale, which mean fans wanting to sip or chug the brew during the Seattle-Denver matchup need to know where to buy 12 Man and have, in many cases, driven long stretches to get their football gloves on some.

"We knew it would be popular," owner Julie Young-Pendleton told the AP, noting customers traveled from as far as Wenatchee, which is on the east side of the Cascade Mountain Range, to acquire some of the new beer.

Russ Toups, from Port Haddock, drove more than 120 miles last weekend to buy three cases for his gas station.

"Everybody's asking for it," said Toups in the AP story. "Seahawks fever is taking over."

12 Man Pale Ale, which has an alcohol content of 4.5 percent, was intended for non-craft beer drinkers, although Dick's specializes in craft brews such as IPAs, porters and imperial stouts.

"I call it the gateway beer for the domestic beer drinker," said Dick's brewmaster Dave Pendleton. Nevertheless, "it's still hands on. It's a lot of hard work that goes into that glass."

Former NFL kicker Norm Johnson, who played for the Seahawks from 1982 to 1990, and now does business in the beverage industry, Dick's operation was a good choice to make 12 Man Pale Ale because of the brewery's ability to take on a new product.

Dick's expects to take the beer beyond novelty status, Johnson said, and create a "fan's beer" that attracts all Seattle sports fans.

The beer was featured on tap during preseason at the Seahawks' home stadium, CenturyLink Field, or, "The Clink," as fans call it, but was yanked because of the NFL's legal agreement with Budweiser.

Now, the beer will be available all year at major grocers in Washington state, and, Johnson hinted to the AP, may even be available at "The Clink" next season at Seahawks home games.