The Hoboken Girl team is very excited to announce a collaboration with 902 Brewing Co. on the world premiere of our very own, Hoboken Girl Hard Seltzers. This October we’re starting with our first flavor — Blood Orange — in time for the fall season, with everything created and produced locally in Jersey City and Hoboken. Read on to learn more about the collaboration and what to expect — and this weekend, you can exclusively try the Hoboken Girl Hard seltzer at 902 Brewing Co. in Jersey City, located at 101 Pacific Avenue in Bergen-Lafayette during their open hours.
DISCLAIMER: You must be 21+ to drink alcoholic beverages. Please do not drink and drive.
The 902 Brewing Co.
902 Brewing Co. got its start when Colby Janisch and Don Vogt decided to start brewing their own beer at 902 Washington Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. They would enter homebrew competitions and were successful enough to decide this could be a real business opportunity for them. At the time, Colby and his brewing partners were brewing beer out of their apartment at 902 Washington Street in Hoboken — and thus, the name 902 Brewing Co. was formed.
How the Collaboration Came to Be
^Colby Janisch of 902 Brewing, and Jen Tripucka of Hoboken Girl
Hoboken Girl’s founder, Jennifer Tripucka, had met the founders of 902 Brewing Co. back in 2012 when she was a judge in the annual Hoboken Chili Cook-Off community event. Fast-forward eight years and 902 Brewing Co. has a permanent residence in Bergen-Lafayette as a brewery, located at 101 Pacific Avenue in Jersey City. The brewery opened right as the pandemic started.
“It really feels like a full-circle moment to collaborate on this hard seltzer,” Jen shared. “I admire Colby and his team’s hard work so much and can’t believe how much his brand has grown — and we’re excited to be a part of it. We know how popular hard seltzer has become nationwide and thought that a locally-made and branded seltzer line would be exciting to collaborate on together for our readers and NJ residents so they can shop small — even when drinking.”
Are you a restaurant, bar, or liquor store interested in carrying the new hard seltzer? Email sales@902brewing.com for more info!
The Seltzers
The first flavor, Blood Orange, was chosen after a lot of taste testing of different flavors with the Hoboken Girl and 902 Brewing Co. teams.
“We did lots of flavor testing with our teams and this was the winner as the debut flavor,” Jen explained. “Our second flavor will most likely debut in a month or two in time for the holiday season, and it’s going to be another crowd-pleaser for sure.”
Read More: Your Guide to Wineries + Breweries Near Hoboken + Jersey City
The founders of both brands are excited for more flavors to grow in the coming months and will be releasing them in limited editions — as well as continuing the ones already released as they come to fruition.
Of course, the debut of the Hoboken Girl Hard Seltzer did not come without some COVID-19-induced delays. The original launch was set for early summer, but with all that went on with pandemic shutdowns, it affected the brewery industry as well.
“Production was incredibly delayed, and it definitely slowed us down,” Jen shared. Colby added, “One of the biggest issues we encountered during production, in general, was really on the shipping/packaging side. The lack of beer draft sales during COVID led to a complete industry shift to cans. Production went from 2 weeks to 3 weeks, to 4 weeks — and are at 5+ weeks — which greatly affected our plan.”
But the two brands persevered and are debuting their first custom seltzer flavor together, Blood Orange, right in time for the fall season.
Locals Coming Together
^Colby on taste-testing day
Every piece of this collaboration encompasses the true meaning of local. Hoboken Girl worked with local Hoboken resident + artist Alexa Martin Designs and graphic designer Megan Phillips to design the cans, and the full internal Hoboken Girl team had input on the designs and tastings.
See More: Your Guide to Breweries + Outdoor Beer Gardens in Hudson County
Something poignant is that both businesses share their love for the local area.
“We live here, we work here, we have family roots here. We are super proud to call Hudson County our home.”
As far as canning goes, the process takes place at the brewery in the Bergen-Lafayette part of Jersey City at 101 Pacific Avenue. The seltzer has been released as of Saturday, October 10th, and is available exclusively this weekend at 902 Brewing Co., as well as local bars and liquor stores as early as next week. Stay tuned for updates and make sure to tag us @thehobokengirl + @902brewingco to share the fun and let us know how you like it!
Are you a restaurant, bar, or liquor store interested in carrying the new hard seltzer? Email sales@902brewing.com for more info!
