Samuel Adams announced its "Our City. Our Beer." variety pack in March 2026—four beers crafted alongside Celtics guard Derrick White, Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, and former Bruins captain Zdeno Chára. The 12-pack is available now in New England liquor stores and nationwide; a launch party at Banners Kitchen & Tap on April 4 will feature all four athletes behind the bar. Boston.com and NBC Boston covered the release. The interesting angle isn't the celebrity names. It's how Samuel Adams is using one variety pack to drive year-round engagement—and what that says about regional brewery strategy in a market where craft beer competes with seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, and an ever-expanding cooler.
Here's the breakdown: the four styles, the athlete lineup, the calendar play, and the operational lesson for craft breweries.
The Four Beers
Each athlete inspired a distinct beer style, and Samuel Adams didn't pick at random. The Boston Beer Company press release states that the pack features "a wheat ale, an American pale ale, a lager, and a pilsner—four of the five top favorite styles for New England craft drinkers," citing CIRCANA data. That's data-driven SKU selection: styles that already sell in the region, wrapped in a sports narrative. The brewery didn't invent new categories or chase a trend. It took what New England drinkers already buy and gave each style a face—and a season.
(Derrick) White Ale (5.3% ABV) is a wheat ale built for spring. Orange zest, lemon zest, coriander, rose hips, hibiscus, plum, grains of paradise, and anise give it a vibrant citrus profile with a touch of spice and a smooth, complex finish. The malt bill leans on Samuel Adams' two-row pale blend plus malted and flaked wheat. It's the kind of beer that works for patio season and playoff watch parties—light enough for a warm afternoon, flavorful enough to stand up to wings and nachos. On draft March–May, it lines up with Celtics season and the run to the NBA Finals.
Crochet's Pale Ale (5.8% ABV) is an American pale ale built for summer. Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic deliver zesty, intense citrus hops and a tropical aroma; the malt backbone includes two-row pale, malted wheat, and blonde roasted oats for body. It's a hop-forward beer for baseball season—June through August, when Red Sox games fill Fenway and backyard grills fire up. The style is a New England staple; pairing it with Crochet, the Red Sox ace, ties the beer to the team's summer narrative.
Julian Edel-Brau Lager (6.2% ABV) is a malt-forward lager with caramel and toffee notes, balanced by Tettnang Noble hops. The malt bill—two-row pale, Caramel 60, CaraRed, Melanoidin—gives it depth and a richer color than a standard American lager. It's a fall beer: September through November, when Patriots season kicks off and tailgates move from parking lots to living rooms. Edelman, the former Patriots wide receiver and Super Bowl LIII MVP, brings the football connection. The lager style fits the occasion—something substantial enough for a Sunday afternoon, sessionable enough for a full game.
Big Z Pilsner (5.0% ABV) is a crisp pilsner with subtle malt sweetness and delicate floral Hallertau and Tettnang hops. It's the lightest of the four—a winter beer for Bruins season, December through February. Chára, the former Bruins captain and 6'9" defenseman, is one of the most recognizable figures in Boston sports history. The pilsner is clean, bold, and uncomplicated—a beer that doesn't compete with the action on the ice.
The Athlete Lineup
Why these four? The selection spans four sports, four eras, and four distinct fan bases. White and Crochet are active players—White a key piece of the Celtics' current championship window, Crochet the Red Sox ace who arrived in a blockbuster trade. Edelman and Chára are legends: retired, beloved, and still omnipresent in Boston sports culture. The mix gives the pack relevance to today's rosters and nostalgia for the recent past. A fan who grew up watching Chára patrol the blue line or Edelman catch passes from Tom Brady can raise a glass to both—while also toasting the current Celtics and Red Sox.
The brewery framed the collaboration in terms of shared values. "Crafted alongside" suggests the athletes had input—whether on flavor preferences, naming, or positioning. The press release describes the beers as blending "the grit, pride and powerhouse spirit that define Boston sports and Samuel Adams' relentless pursuit of better beer." That's marketing copy, but it reflects a real strategy: align the brand with the emotional core of Boston fandom. When you crack a (Derrick) White Ale during the playoffs, you're not just drinking a wheat ale. You're drinking Boston.
The Calendar Strategy
Boston fans don't take an off season, and neither do their beers. Samuel Adams designed each beer to rotate on draft during its corresponding sport's season. One variety pack in retail; four seasonal draft rotations in bars and taprooms. That's a calendar-integrated release: the same four SKUs create fresh reasons to order a Sam Adams in March (basketball), June (baseball), September (football), and December (hockey). No new SKU bloat—just a rotating hook that keeps the brand in front of sports fans year-round.
For bar and restaurant buyers, the pitch is simple: keep a Sam Adams handle for "Our City. Our Beer." and rotate the beer quarterly. White Ale in the spring, Crochet's Pale in the summer, Edel-Brau in the fall, Big Z in the winter. The variety pack gives consumers a taste of all four at home; the draft rotation gives on-premise accounts a reason to keep Samuel Adams on tap when local teams are in season. It's a dual-channel play: retail drives trial, draft drives repeat and visibility.
John McElhenny, senior brand manager for Samuel Adams, put it plainly: "At Sam Adams, we live and breathe Boston sports. With the 'Our City. Our Beer.' Variety Pack, we've bottled up that spirit to double down on being the beer for Boston sports fans." The athlete partnerships aren't one-off endorsements. They're the latest expression of a long-standing commitment: Samuel Adams has partnered with the Boston Red Sox and Boston Marathon for years, and the brewery has donated beer and tour proceeds to hundreds of local charities. "Our City. Our Beer." extends that playbook into a format that works for both retail and on-premise—and does it without fragmenting the brand across a dozen one-off SKUs.
The Launch Event
The April 4 launch party at Banners Kitchen & Tap—steps from TD Garden, home of the Celtics and Bruins—will put all four athletes behind the bar to serve their beers. The ticketed event is open to the public, and Samuel Adams has promoted it via @SamuelAdamsBeer on social media. That's event-driven marketing: a live experience that generates social proof, press coverage, and word of mouth. Fans who attend get a story to tell; those who don't see the photos and clips. The event also gives bars and retailers a peg for their own promotions—"Try the beers from the Sam Adams launch" or "Get the pack before the April 4 party."
The Providence Journal reported the 12-pack is available in New England liquor stores and on draft at select bars and restaurants. Nationwide distribution means the pack isn't limited to Boston—fans in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and beyond can find it. But the story is Boston. The event, the athletes, the draft rotation: it all reinforces Samuel Adams as the beer of New England sports.
What It Means for Craft Breweries
For smaller breweries, the takeaway isn't "hire four athletes." It's calendar integration and regional identity. One limited-edition variety pack—or a seasonal series—can drive taproom and retail traffic across multiple quarters if the release is tied to something fans already care about: a local team, a holiday, a neighborhood event, a regional tradition. Samuel Adams chose four styles that already perform in New England, then layered on the sports narrative. The result is a pack that sells in stores and gives bars a reason to keep a Sam Adams handle rotating all year.
The operational lesson is structure. A one-off release creates a spike—then it's gone. A calendar-integrated release creates four spikes, each tied to a moment fans already anticipate. For a craft brewery, that might mean a "Neighborhood Series" with four beers named after local landmarks, each releasing in a different quarter. Or a "Seasonal Sports Pack" tied to a college team's schedule. Or a "Holiday Quartet" with a beer for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. The format doesn't have to be athletes. It has to be recurring and tied to something your customers already care about.
Samuel Adams has the scale to partner with four professional athletes and distribute nationwide. Most craft breweries don't. But the principle—one pack, multiple seasons, year-round engagement—applies at any size. Track which styles move in your market. Identify a calendar or identity your fans follow. Design a release that fits both. Then execute: retail and on-premise, with an event or two to create a moment. Samuel Adams has bottled Boston sports fandom into a variety pack that works across four seasons. The playbook is replicable—even if the budget isn't.
Sources: Boston.com – These Boston athletes inspired Sam Adams' new beer variety pack; Boston Beer Company – Samuel Adams Unveils "Our City. Our Beer." Variety Pack; NBC Boston – Samuel Adams unveils variety pack celebrating Boston sports stars; Providence Journal – Sam Adams launches Boston sports variety pack. Here's where to find it.
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