Major League Baseball is back for another season and one important beer is also back in the spotlight for another year: Alesmith San Diego Pale Ale .394. This year- round beer, first revealed in 2014, honors the San Diego Padre’s legendary Tony Gwynn and his amazing .394 batting average, achieved in 1994. This year, the beer will be released in 19.2 ounce cans, in addition to other sizes, perfect for a day at the ballpark and there will also be an unfiltered version named Hazy .394, slated for release this May.
Tony Gwynn expressed an interest in creating and marketing his own beer in 2014. To help him achieve his goal, a friend of his introduced him to Peter Zien, owner of San Diego’s Alesmith Brewing. The two men met, talked about beer, and proceeded to discuss what Tony Gwynn’s beer would be like. Tony expressed his desire for a beer that leaned toward the light side, but that was full of hop character. Several test batches were brewed, with the Gwynn family providing feedback on each and the ultimate winner was a golden pale ale which we all know and love as San Diego Pale Ale .394.
As Major League Baseball fans are sadly aware, Gwynn lost his battle with cancer in 2014. Because of the timing and the fact that the beer wasn’t yet brewed or anything finalized, Peter wasn’t sure whether or not the project should move forward. So, he consulted with Tony’s widow, Alicia Gwynn for a final decision.
“Shortly after Tony passed, I asked Alicia about going forward with the beer – or not. She emphatically replied, ‘We need to keep Tony’s dream alive. He wanted this beer everywhere and anywhere for baseball and craft beer fans to enjoy.’ I promised her that we would put our heart and soul into every drop of .394 brewed, and it’s been wonderful to watch how well it has been received!”
San Diego Pale Ale .394 is more than just a great tasting beer honoring a MLB legend. There is also a charitable component to the beer, with a portion of all proceeds going to support Tony Gwynn’s nonprofit organization, dedicated to providing support for underprivileged San Diego youth. And if you ever get a chance to visit San Diego, you don’t want to miss the Tony Gwynn Museum, which is located inside the AleSmith tasting room and is loaded with memorabilia celebrating the life and career of Mr. Padre.
Sports are all about statistics and as impressive as many stats may seem, they are often topped in a matter of years. Tony Gwynn’s .394 batting average from 1994, however, has stood the test of time and no Major League Baseball player has come even close in the past 25 years. It’s a remarkable achievement from a remarkable man and San Diego Pale Ale .394 is an excellent way to keep Tony’s memory alive while tasting a delicious beer from Alesmith Brewing. Look for it throughout Alesmith’s distribution area and raise a toast to one of MLB’s greatest hitters.
To keep up with this beer release and other happenings, follow Alesmith Brewing via Facebook at www.facebook.com/AleSmithBrewing
That’s so sweet that they kept a dream alive. 🙂 Great post!
Yes, so cool that Alesmith Brewing did this! Tony Gwynn was a great person and now his memory, and .394 season batting average, will love on indefinitely.