Bigelow Brewing Co. and the Hight Family of Dealerships are launching a new Scotch ale, Hight’s “Tin Can Sailor,” which is “the first known brewery and auto dealership collaboration in the country,” according to a news release.
You can currently get your four-pack of Tin Can Sailor at Damon’s Beverage Mart in Skowhegan, and the Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival on Saturday will have it on tap. Select restaurants will also carry Tin Can Sailor.
The first round of barrels has been bottled and $1 of every sale went to benefit the Skowhegan Free Public Library, raising $1,320, helping them reach their goal for new flooring. The next round’s proceeded will be divided among a few local organizations.
The partnership comes around to celebrate Hight’s 110th anniversary. In 1910, Hight was selling horseless carriages for about $600. Today they’re selling vehicles. The ale idea came from Hight Marketing Director Sam Burdick as they threw ideas around on how to celebrate the milestone.
“Tin Can Sailor” is named for the term coined by officers who were on destroyers during the World Wars. The nickname arose because in World Wars I and II, the hull plating of this ship type was so thin the sailors claimed they were made from tin cans. And those who called them home felt like they were, indeed, in a tin can.
The Scottish ale is brewed in honor of S. Kirby Hight, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He, like his father, got into the car business but left to join the military after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He returned to the car dealership after the war ended.
“Kirb,” as people called him, had affectation for scotch and cigars according to his grandson Sam Hight. “We wanted the brew to not only taste good, but represent Kirb and all the things he loved,” said Hight.
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