Shipyard Brewing Releases New Export Ale Can to Honor 20th Running of Maine’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K
Iconic summer race founded by Maine Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson
PORTLAND, Maine (June 8, 2017) – Shipyard Brewing Company has released a new commemorative Export Ale can that celebrates the 20th running of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K. The race was founded in 1998 by legendary Maine athlete Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the gold medal in the 1984 Olympic women’s marathon and Maine’s most famous athlete.
The special TD Beach to Beacon 10K Export Ale cans are available in six-packs and 12-packs in Maine starting June 9.
The 2017 race takes place August 5 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Samuelson’s hometown. Shipyard sponsored the very first Beach to Beacon 10K and has remained a sponsor ever since.
“Joanie called me when she was planning the race years ago,” recalled Shipyard founder Fred Forsley. “Before she could ask me to meet her and discuss it, I signed on. I was knocked out that she called, she’s a living legend here in Maine. Since that day it’s been 20 great years for us with the race.”
“Shipyard has been with us from the very start,” Samuelson said. “Fred and the brewery have been our biggest fans and supporters. They’ve been a great friend to our race and have played a significant role in its success.”
“The TD Beach to Beacon race has been such a big part of our Shipyard lives and summers in Maine,” Forsley added. “With this special can we’re paying tribute to the race, the runners, Joanie, the visitors and volunteers – all the people who make the race such a huge deal here.”
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Samuelson got the idea to create a world-class road race in Maine as she was winning her 1984 gold medal in the first Olympic Marathon for women. “When I ran through the tunnel and won my gold medal in the Olympics, I promised myself that I would do something for this sport that did so much for me,” she said. “I pounded the pavement for so many years and I wanted to give something back. With the Beach to Beacon, I wanted others to see the beautiful streets and scenery I ran in my early days, that played such a big role in my running career.”
The TD Beach to Beacon draws world-class athletes from the U.S. and around the globe as well as top Maine and New England runners. In 2016, 6,336 runners from 15 countries, 43 states and more than 265 Maine cities and towns finished the winding, rolling 6.2-mile/10K coastal course. More than $90,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women.
Runners are supported by more than 800 volunteers and cheered by thousands of spectators along the race’s tree-lined streets and stunning ocean vistas. The race finish line is near the historic Portland Head Light, one the most photographed lighthouses in the world.
The TD Beach to Beacon 10K is directed by Dave McGillivray of DMSE Sports (www.dmsesports.com), who also directs the B.A.A Boston Marathon and is regarded as one of the industry’s best at creating a safe, positive experience for participants.
Charitable giving remains an important component of the TD Beach to Beacon. The race supports a different Maine charity each year by providing a $30,000 donation from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®. The race also provides additional fundraising opportunities to past and present beneficiaries through its charity bib program. Together, more than $2 million has been generated for Maine charities over the history of the race.
The 2017 race beneficiary is Let’s Go!, a nationally recognized program of The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center focused on increasing physical activity and healthy eating for children from birth to age 18. The program reaches more than 220,000 children in Maine and New Hampshire.
For additional information about the race, visit www.beach2beacon.org, and find the TD Beach to Beacon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Export Ale is a balanced, artful and quaffable amber ale of 5.1% ABV and 29 IBUs brewed with two-row pale malt, crystal malt, wheat, and American hops. The beer is fermented with Shipyard’s house ale yeast strain in the brewery’s unique open fermenters. Export Ale features a delicate fruit aroma, light malt sweetness and a restrained hop bite. It is made with locally grown malt from Maine Malt House, the malting arm of the third-generation, family run Buck Farms in Mapleton, Maine.
Export Ale was the first beer produced at Federal Jack’s Restaurant & Brew Pub, which opened in Kennebunk, Maine in June of 1992. The brew pub was founded by Fred Forsley and brewing legend Alan Pugsley, the pair opened Shipyard Brewing in Portland, Maine in 1994 with Export as that brewery’s flagship.
About Shipyard Brewing Company
Shipyard Brewing Company is a family owned and independent brewery rooted in tradition and innovation. Established in 1994, Shipyard is located on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine and served as an economic and cultural catalyst for the rebirth of its neighborhood and the development of New England craft brewing.
Shipyard produced 116,000 barrels of beer in 2016 and is the 28th largest-producing craft brewery in the U.S. The brewery continues to be an American craft beer pioneer in its use of open fermentation and produces over 25 varieties of packaged beer. Shipyard has allied brewpubs, breweries and taprooms in New England and Florida. Learn more at www.shipyard.com.