Stevens Point is now selling a new root beer - Weekly Specialty Beer Report - Brief Article

Modern Brewery Age, Oct 14, 2002

Associated Press--Stevens Point Brewery, known for its Point Special beer, is now selling root beer as part of a plan to revamp the brewery's image.

A number of specialty brewers around the country, notably Sprecher and Pyramid, have found high-volume success in producing soft drinks.

Point Premium Root Beer is being sold in four-pack, 12-ounce bottles at supermarkets and other retailers throughout Wisconsin. The beverage also is being sold to Wisconsin taverns and restaurants in kegs, the company announced.

Stevens Point Brewery is spending more than $100,000 to launch the root beer, said Joe Martino, an operating partner for the Stevens Point-based company.

"The new gourmet root beer is part of Point's plan to cast itself as a regional brewery with a broad range of high-quality, specialty products," Martino said in a statement.

The Stevens Point Brewery was founded in 1857 and produced a line of sodas from the mid-1930s to 1954, but limited brewing capacity caused the brewery to shut down its soda operations.

The company is also launching White Biere and Honey Light--its first two specialty beers in six years.

Stevens Point Brewery has about 25 employees and brews up to 70,000 barrels a year. About half of that production consists of the company's brands, with the rest generated by contract brewing.

The company's products are sold in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois.