Cheers to Fiona the Baby Hippo!

Posted May 25, 2017

Listermann Brewing creates new brew for the Cincinnati Zoo

CINCINNATI, OH  (May 25, 2017) – Happy hour just got happier for those who can’t get enough of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s baby Fiona. Listermann Brewing Co. has made it possible to stare at the little hippo’s face while enjoying the IPA that they developed to benefit the Zoo!

“It’s great when you can turn a casual tap room discussion into reality. I actually thought the idea of a Team Fiona beer was a joke at first, but after hearing about all the Fiona fans at Listermann’s, I knew we had something brewing,” said Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Chad Yelton.  “We love creative partnerships like this one where we can take their passion for local craft beer and blend it with our passion for animals.  Similar to the old Who Dey cans from the 80’s, we anticipate Team Fiona beer being a collector’s item.”

The New England style IPA will be ready for tasting on June 10 at 10 am at Listermann Brewing Co., located two miles away from the Zoo across from Xavier University. Starting June 12, 4-packs will be sold in four Kroger locations – Oakley, Hyde Park, Anderson and Harper’s Point, two Jungle Jim’s stores and Cappies in Loveland.  Twenty-five percent of the proceeds benefit #TeamFiona.

“One of my fondest childhood memories is going to the zoo with my family so it is a dream come true to be able to collaborate with the zoo. The people there are fantastic and the conservation work they do is world class. Watching Fiona grow up has been a true joy. Knowing that our beer will be helping her is going to make this even more special for us.” Jason Brewer, General Manager of Listermann Brewing Company.

Members of Fiona’s care team were invited to participate in the brewing process. Some showed up to pour grain into the mash, take grain out, add hops and learn about different styles of beer.

“Team Fiona is a New England style IPA. It is a rather new style in which the beer has a very soft mouth feel, hazy appearance and is bursting with fruit/juice flavor. It is not bitter like your typical IPAs! Coming in at 6.2%, we feel like this beer and style make Team Fiona perfect for the summer,” said Brewer.