When veteran-owned and -operated Seven Sirens Brewing Company had to close its doors to foot traffic in March—after just opening in February—owners Josh Divers and Jordan Serulneck knew they needed something to differentiate
themselves from the rest. That something was a beer slushie. They saw beer distributors doing it, but no other breweries were offering them yet. “We were the first in the Valley,” says Aaron Nelson, marketing and distribution manager. Fortunately, it was an instant hit, and Nelson says it's what helped them pay their bills through the pandemic.
After investing in a slushie machine, the rest was pretty easy. “It's literally just beer and fruit,” he says. Nelson explains that they needed something that was light—not tart, tangy or hoppy—so the team uses a fruited wheat beer. “It's a neutral beer that we're able to manipulate to get the flavor to come out,” he says. “We don't have a staple. We mix it up every time.” Guava is the most popular among customers, but they've also done pineapple and mixed fruit, to name a few.
As for what's to expect this fall, that's hard to say. “We think of a beer and within a month it's being served,” he says. Though they are thinking ahead on one thing, and that's the rooftop beer garden, which is expected spring 2021. Nelson says it'll be 4,000 square feet—the same size as their tap room—with a full bar and view of the steel stacks.
But more than anything, Nelson says they're just excited to get going. Prior to the shutdown, their sales were 100 percent in-house, so when the state gave the go-ahead on beers to go, they really had to rally. Their team canned 40,000 beers by hand and began making batch deliveries within 50 miles. Now, they're excited to have foot traffic again, with customers enjoying their new patio as well as the debut of their first hard seltzer.
327 Broadway, Bethlehem | 810.627.2337 | sevensirens.beer
