Community Partner Spotlight: Tormenta FC & Eagle Creek Brewery
“Blood of the Ibis” Beer is Perfect for Statesboro Summer Nights
As a blistering May rolls into June, now is the perfect time to try out Tormenta’s team beer, The Blood of the Ibis. Served ice cold, the ale is the perfect pitchside companion to take the edge off of the South Georgia heat. It’s a unique ale made by steeping hibiscus flowers with Black Currant to create a deep magenta hue and a cool, fruity, and refreshing flavor.
The beer is produced locally by Eagle Creek Brewing Company, a relatively new, but much loved Statesboro watering hole. Founded by Franklin Dismuke in July 2013, Eagle Creek stepped in to answer an admittedly odd question: “Why doesn’t Statesboro have a brewery?” With an exuberant student population and a rich identity and culture, it was astounding that no one had tackled the question before; however, it seems serendipitous in hindsight. The success of Eagle Creek in the Statesboro community has certainly spoken to the unseen demand for an original, local, high-quality brewer here in the Boro.
The brewery has now produced more than 160 unique craft beers ranging from traditional pale ales to creative adaptations of southern classics, such as the Georgia Tea Party (“A refreshing Amber Ale with Orange Pekoe and Black Tea”). Against this backdrop of creativity and success, the Blood of the Ibis was born.
In the inaugural season of 2015, Darin Van Tassell, owner and president of Tormenta FC, approached Franklin with a notion: a new beer that would pair perfectly with sweltering Georgia summers, fresh cut grass and Tormenta FC game days. As the two brainstormed about key qualities of this prospective brew, a certain candidate began to emerge. At a press conference the following week, Franklin presented Darin with a limited run Valentine’s Day special: an ale with a deep Tormenta Magenta. After remarking the color and taking a sample, Darin immediately realized what he was holding. He stepped onto the podium and announced this beer “the new team beer!”
But what to call this new iconic staple of Tormenta fandom? The club turned to the Tormenta experts for help. A fan survey was created to gather name suggestions and then a poll was held. Blood of the Ibis surged to the head of the pack. These days, Blood of the Ibis is served on tap out of a ‘bottomless’ cup at every Tormenta home game in the VIP section. Moving forward, Eagle Creek plans to can this symbol of South Georgia soccer and provide it to stores, bars, and restaurants throughout Statesboro before expanding distribution to cover markets in Saint Simons, Brunswick and Savannah.
In 2020, Eagle Creek will be the exclusive operator of a fully functional, two-story brewery inside Tormenta FC’s five thousand seat soccer stadium. Here, Tormenta fans will be able to sip their beverage of choice from a cool counter-top or from Wrigley-esk rooftop seats.
