A local brewery has created a limited-edition beer to serve at one of the largest national collegiate sporting events this weekend in New Jersey.
As part of the 85th anniversary of the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, Double Nickel Brewing Company of Pennsauken has created the Dad Vail Pale Ale, a clear light pilsner with an undertone of lemon.
Regatta is one of the largest collegiate sporting events in the United States, with over 100 colleges and universities from the U.S. and Canada, organizers said.
“The Dad Vail has such a rich history and just being part of helping them celebrate the 85th anniversary was a good fit,” Brian Needham, a cofounder of the nearly nine-year-old brewery, told NJ Advance Media on Friday. “It’s been so many years that it was in Philly, so it’s definitely something special that Camden County was able to have it come over and be on this side of the river.”
This is the second straight year the regatta has moved from its typical venue at the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia to Cooper River Park, an Olympic-distance, 2,000-meter narrow and sheltered straightaway in Camden County. The Schuylkill, home of the iconic Boathouse Row, is still being dredged along the course there.
Needham said his family has attended the race for years in Philadelphia and welcomes the chance to host it in New Jersey.
“There’s a lot of excitement at the regatta if you follow rowing or there is someone you know involved in one of the races,” Needham said. “What goes better than being outside watching some races, having some live music playing and having a beer?”
Regattas inject more than $20 million a year into the Camden County regional economy as high school and collegiate rowers from the region and nation come to compete, the county said.
“We can’t thank our friends at Double Nickel enough for creating this amazing commemorative beverage and we look forward to debuting it to a wider audience this weekend,” Camden County Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, said in a statement.
The event will conclude Saturday with 60 races. The Regatta festival area is open to the public with rowing apparel vendors, food trucks and bands that play throughout the day.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust.
Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com.
