College football season is underway, and college basketball season starts soon, so what better time to release an all-Maryland collaboration Baltimore’s Union Craft Brewing and University of Maryland Athletics?
Testudo Premium Lager joins other academic releases, like Hardywood’s Fightin’ Hokies Lager and Starr Hill’s Wahoo Pale Ale. We chatted with Union co-founder and CEO (and UMD grad) Adam Benesch about the new beer.
DC Beer: For starters, did UMD put this idea out to bid from area breweries, or did they reach out to you, or you them?
Benesch: Last fall, UMD put out a RFP to breweries to present their ideas on a UMD branded beer. As a UMD alum, I was excited about creating something for my alma mater and jumped at the opportunity to develop a custom beer and brand for the Terp community. We received the news that we were selected for this project from the University in April, and we’ve been working with UMD on creating Testudo Premium Lager since.
DC Beer: We’re pretty familiar with Union lagers, from Skipjack to Blackwing to Zadie’s. How does this beer differ from Zadie’s in particular?
Benesch: We wanted to create a unique beer for this project, rather than use/repackage an existing beer in our portfolio. Testudo is a brand new beer for us – its a wonderfully crisp and refreshing, all malt, 5.0% abv Helles Lager. We use all Weyermann Pilsner malt for this brew, a true Premium Lager! Zadie’s Lager, brewed in honor of ‘Zadie’ Henry Benesch, one of the greatest humans I’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with, is a 4.5% American Light Lager. Zadie’s is brewed with flaked rice to create a lighter body, while keeping the beer crisp and easy drinking. Skipjack is a hoppy, Bohemian style Pilsner, it has a bit more hops and body than both Zadie’s and Testudo. We’re super proud of each of these beers, and love that more and more consumers are seeking out delicious lagers like these.
DC Beer: Here in DC we’ve seen breweries start to experiment more with can size at area sporting events. Does Union have the ability/desire to put Testudo in 19.2 stovepipe cans?
Benesch: Testudo Premium Lager will be available in 12oz cans and kegs across the DMV. We are also packaging Testudo in 16oz cans for both the Terps football stadium and basketball arena. Maybe I drink too slow, but whenever I get a 19.2oz can of something, its too warm by the time I get to the bottom of it.
The collaboration goes beyond beer. The University notes, “The partnership with the Baltimore brewery is also intended to provide internship and new learning opportunities for students studying in the fermentation science, marketing, and other majors. A portion of the proceeds from sales of Testudo Premium Lager will benefit the One Maryland Collective, the NIL collective that serves student-athletes at the University of Maryland.”
Look for cans of Testudo Premium Lager across the DMV.
