Wawa coffee beer is now a thing, and this is how you can get the limited edition brew

The same coffee that helps you wake up each morning will soon also help lull you to sleep.

After 54 years, Wawa now has its own beer — and it's made with its new limited-edition Wawa Reserve Winter Blend coffee.

Winter Reserve Coffee Stout, a 6.5 percent ABV oatmeal stout made in collaboration with the small Aston, Pennsylvania-based 2SP Brewing Co., will make its debut at Wawa's Chadds Ford Store next week and will be available in other stores beginning the week of Dec. 10.

How to get it

Here's the bad news for Delaware-based Wawa lovers: The limited edition 16-ounce yellow cans, complete with the Wawa goose logo on the side, will only be available in Pennsylvania.

The Winter Reserve Coffee Stout, which brewers say carries flavors of sweet clove, dark chocolate and graham crackers, will be available only in five Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Philadelphia.

The beer will not be sold at any of 2SP's Two Stones Pub locations, including its Delaware spots in Brandywine Hundred, Hockessin and near Newark.

"They are taking a chance here and just wanted to do something locally, where they're from," says Michael Contreras, director of sales and marketing for 2SP Brewing Co. "So the easiest way with our distribution network was to do the five counties."

The Chadds Ford shop at 721 Naamans Creek Road is where Wawa and beer lovers will converge for a firkin tapping Dec. 6 from 4 to 6 p.m.

That's 1 mile north of the state line in Brandywine Hundred on U.S. 202 for those already thinking of making the trip.

Not only will samples be offered to those 21 and older, but visitors will get the first opportunity to buy a $12.99 four-pack. There's a limit of two per person and only 50 cases will be for sale at that location.

The other 750 cases of the stout will be available via Philadelphia-based distributor Origlio Beverage at neighborhood bars and bottle shops.

Surprise! Wawa does beer now

Lori Bruce, Wawa public relations manager, says the chain of more than 800 convenience stores decided to create its first-ever beer after hearing the pitch from 2SP. 

"We're neighbors and we thought it was a great opportunity to collaborate with a great, local brewery," Bruce says. "It was a fun way to partner with them right here in our hometown of Delco.

"It's in time for the holidays and little festive." 

Wawa's leap into the beer world, albeit on a limited scale, should come as a surprise.

Not only has it never done a beer collaboration before, but only one Wawa location in Pennsylvania actually sells alcohol: Store 170 in Chadds Ford.

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The idea that started it all

Contreras says the idea was sparked when he and a few others were drinking different blends of Wawa coffee in the office back in September.

"We just thought, 'It would be awesome to do something with Wawa,'" he says. "We reached out and they came through. I was amazed."

For the record, they had the idea before Dunkin' Donuts announced its own first-ever beer partnership in early October. Dunkin' made a Harpoon Dunkin’ Coffee Porter in collaboration with fellow Boston-based company Harpoon Brewery.

Michael McLaughlin, Wawa product development manager and self-anointed “World Traveling Coffee Guru," met with 2SP's award-winning brewer Bob Barrar and the two hit it off.

"They were nerding out. Michael was asking really good questions about the brewing process and how we would approach it, and Bob was asking really good questions about the different flavors and why he chose that roast," says Contreras, former Delmarva regional sales manager for Milton-based Dogfish Head.

"Everything kind of clicked," he adds. "It didn't feel like a gimmick. Just two neighbors coming together."

Wawa: Bigger than the Eagles

Contreras says he teased some friends about the upcoming release back when it was still secret, telling them it was the biggest collaboration in this area that he could dream of.

A few friends guessed it was with the Philadelphia Eagles. He laughed: "I told them it's bigger than that. Not everybody is an Eagles fan, but everyone is a Wawa fan."

So how good is the beer? Well, no one really knows. It's still in the tank.

But Contreras isn't sweating it.

"We put the cart before the horse, but Bob has a fantastic reputation with stouts. In 2016 and 2017 he won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for his stouts," he says. "I know there are no guarantees in life, but I think this one is going to be pretty good."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

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