Fremont Brewing and ReedPOP Partner On Dark Heron IPA For Emerald City Comicon

NORWALK, CT – January 18, 2017 – ReedPOP, the world’s leading producer of pop culture events, and Fremont Brewing of Seattle, Washington today announced they are bringing back the Dark Heron, an exclusive brew created as the Official Beer of Emerald City Comicon 2017. In the second year of the partnership, the Dark Heron will be rebooted with a new flavor and new artwork provided by local Seattle cartoonist, Jen Vaughn. The IPA was created to tap into the expressive spirit of the heroine and the comic fans who will swarm Seattle for the 15th anniversary of ECCC.

Dark Heron, the heroine exiled from her flock for refusing conformity and daring to express herself differently than the rest, has inspired an IPA which is doing the same. Dark Heron defends the taste buds of her city against the Bland Beer League with a secret weapon of an explosive, international combo of American Experimental Hop HBC 438®, German Super-Hop Huell Melon, and the Wonder Down Under Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. Combining their fruity, tropical, and spicy aromas and flavor with the Legendary Northwest malts and a Zap! of Oats, Dark Heron transforms water into a bold, expressive IPA and saves you from another corporate-mandated Bland Beer. Cartoonist Jen Vaughn (Nicki Minaj: The Empire, Plants Vs Zombies: Heroes) revamped Fremont Brewing’s heron logo and put her own unique spin on the expressive spirit of Dark Heron to create the heroine. The beer will first be available for tasting at a debut party sponsored by Emerald City Comicon and Fremont Brewing on February 2 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Fremont Brewing Urban Beer Garden – 1050 N 34th St in Seattle. It will then be available in select stores and bars throughout Washington starting February 3.

BEER SPECS:

• Style: India Pale Ale
• Down & Dirty: 2-Row Pale, Honey, and
• C-15 malts with Oats and HBC 438®,
• Huell Melon, and Nelson Sauvin hops
• ABV: 6.6%
• IBU: 50

“Fremont Brewing is excited to reunite with ReedPOP for 2017’s Emerald City Comicon and let fly Dark Heron IPA to defend her city against the Relentless Attack by Bland Corporate Beer on Independent Craft Beer,” said Matt Lincecum, CEO of Fremont Brewing. “Sharing a vision of Creativity, Independence, and Passion for excellence, Fremont and ReedPOP are natural allies and hope all guests at this year’s ECCC can taste the fun we’ve had collaborating on this beer again. Welcome Back, ECCC Superfans, You Are Home!”

“After last year’s success working with Fremont Brewing on a unique blend of flavors to create a bold tasting beer, it only made sense that we spice it up even more adding new flavors to the Dark Heron IPA and new artwork.” said Lance Fensterman, Global Senior Vice President of ReedPOP. “This year’s brew will for sure satisfy the taste buds of our diverse and distinct Fans as well as beer connoisseurs of all types.”

Starting in 2003, Emerald City Comicon has since become the largest pop culture and comic convention in the Pacific Northwest attracting over 80,000 Fans last year. This year’s Show will take place at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle from March 2-5. For more information on Emerald City Comicon, visit: www.emeraldcitycomicon.com

ABOUT REEDPOP
ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture world. ReedPOP is dedicated to celebrations of popular culture throughout the globe that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) West, East, South and Australia, Emerald City Comicon (ECCC), BookCon, Oz Comic-Con, Comic Con India, Paris Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, Star Trek: Mission New York, TwitchCon, ComplexCon, UFC Fan Expo and more. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to serve those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, India and Australia. (www.reedpop.com).

ABOUT FREMONT BREWING
Fremont Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery founded in 2009 to brew artisan beers made with the best local ingredients available. Their beer is distributed in kegs, cans, and 22 oz. bottles throughout WA, OR, ID and the Denver metro area in CO. It can also be enjoyed to-go or onsite every day at their kid- and dog-friendly Urban Beer Garden in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.Fremont Brewing is the third largest independent craft brewery in Washington and its Interurban IPA is the state’s bestselling independent IPA in a can. Other beers include Universale Pale Ale, Summer Ale, and cult classics Bourbon Abominable and Cowiche Canyon Fresh Hop Ale. Their beer has won numerous awards such as 2 Silver medals in the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, the Gold medal in the 2016 Best of Craft Beer Awards, the Gold medal in the 2016 Brussels Beer Challenge, and Rate Beer’s 2015 Best Strong Ale in the World and Best Beer in Washington. In addition to its reputation for consistent quality and innovation, Fremont Brewing is a recognized leader in sustainable brewing operations and community engagement. Because Beer Matters! http://www.fremontbrewing.com/welcome

ABOUT JEN VAUGHN
Jen Vaughn is a local Seattle cartoonist happily splashing in the rainy glory of Washington as a narrative designer for video games (Nicki Minaj: The Empire, Plants Vs Zombies: Heroes) by day. You can read more of her work in Cartozia Tales, Avery Fatbottom: Renaissance Fair Detective, Adventure Time: Sugary Shorts and keep your eyes peeled for new original comics, BACKSTORY and DEADWATER in 2017!