COCHRANE, ALBERTA – Junior B hockey fans in Cochrane, west of Calgary, can drink to the team’s success next season, thanks to a new brew created in partnership between the Cochrane Generals and Cochrane-based Rocky View Brewing Company.
Generals president Rick Richards says the label is still being fine-tuned, but by July, fans will be able to enjoy a ‘General’ beer at local establishments or purchase them at liquor stores. The new brew will also be available at Generals home games this season.
Lyle Thorsen of Cochrane’s Rocky View Brewing Company said the collaboration is a win-win for both the Generals and the brewery.
“Yeah, it’s a great idea. And a chance to give back to the community,” he said.
After the idea was hatched to create a Generals-inspired beer, Richards approached Thorsen and his wife Denean, the owners of Rocky View Brewing, to see if it was feasible.
“I met with Lyle and Denean and they jumped all over it,” he said.
The goal is to offer the General as a retail product in cans and on tap at local establishments.
It should surprise no one that hockey and beer go together.
“Who would’ve thunk it?” Richards joked. “It’s a whole new concept.”
Richards said there are limited ways for teams in the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) to raise revenues. When he heard how the Rocky Rams in Rocky Mountain House had created a beer named after the HJHL team, he liked the idea.
When it came up at a Generals board meeting and someone suggested partnering with Rocky View Brewing, the local angle just made sense.
“It’s hard to get sponsors because of COVID and we were looking at different ways to make money on our own so we’re not relying so much on sponsors,” he said.
The new beer recipe is being refined, but it is going to be a pilsner. Rocky View Brewing’s graphic designer is in the process of coming up with a label.
The new beer will not only taste great, but also promote the team’s players.
“The beauty of it is every month, we’ll highlight three or four players on the back of the can. That way mom and dad will buy more beer, even if they don’t drink,” Richards said. “So they can all have them for Christmas.”
Coming off one of the best seasons in the team’s history, the Generals’ president predicted the 2022-23 campaign will also be special.
“We’ll have a product on the ice and product in the stands,” he said.
The General is expected to hit the market sometime in July.
