If you've seen a trio of brews in candy-striped cans at your local Piggly Wiggly store in recent months, you've been looking at the grocery chain's "house beer" brewed by Wisconsin craft brewery, 3 Sheeps.
The Sheboygan brewery is making three beers for the New Hampshire-based grocery store chain, whose regional operations are headquartered in Sheboygan.
The beers are not available on draft, only in cans at the Pig's Wisconsin locations and select liquor retailers.
There is an amber lager at 5.5 percent ABV; a Midwest IPA made with Cascade and Centennial hops at 6.5 percent; and a 5.2 percent pilsner.
"The first three are year-round offerings, with talk about possibly expanding things in the future," says 3 Sheeps Founder & Brewmaster Grant Pauly.
"We have been in talks with the Piggly Wiggly team about (seasonals and expanding the line) and will know more over this winter about where this brand may head!"
Pauly says he grew up shopping at his local Piggly Wiggly in Manitowoc.
"They are a big part of Wisocnsin grocery, and with their corporate headquarters based in Sheboygan, we got to know the team well," he adds.
"When the idea came up to do something together, we jumped at it, and it has been fun seeing how many people resonate with the brand. It also gave us an opportunity to make a some new beer styles, which we always enjoy."
Although times are tough for craft brewers these days, Pauly says 3 Sheeps is still growing, and certainly partnerships like this one help.
"I think a big part of our success is that we try to view the relationship between ourselves and the places that sell our beer as a partnership," he says. "How can we help each other connect with both of our customers? How can we provide a product that people are interested in, at a price that makes sense?
"Our partnership with Piggly Wiggly does just that. Together, we were able to create a fun product that many can enjoy, and do it at a very reasonable price that does not break the bank. Besides selling well at the Piggly Wiggly stores, I really enjoy seeing how well it sells at independent liquor stores, as well!"
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
