East 9th Brewing has revealed its latest release, Lick Pier Tropical Ginger Beer, was supposed to be on shelf last summer, but COVID-19 put the plans on ice.

Instead, the release has been timed to coincide with the colder months, with the hope that the brew will take your body and mind on that tropical holiday you can’t have right now, because, COVID.

Additionally, the team at 9th Brewing said that with the recent influx of Seltzer brands hitting fridges, they felt the time was right to accelerate the Lick Pier brand.

The can reads: “Lick Pier Tropical Ginger Beer … sit back and savour this delicious holiday with our choice blend of tropical fruit flavours added to the ginger spice that Lick Pier is known for.”

East 9th’s Stephen Wools said: “We created this recipe by starting with the Lick Pier proprietary blend of ginger and worked hard to find complementary fruit flavours. We ended up arriving at this tropical destination, by balancing the ginger warmth with the natural fruit flavours of pineapple and passionfruit.”

“And a real tropical destination is what you could win too with the Lick Pier Beach Towel Challenge,” added East 9th’s Benjamin Cairns.

“To help Australians feel that vacay vibe, we are sending out a free can of Lick Pier Tropical Ginger Beer to punters that have tagged us in a pic or vid of themselves on a beach towel wherever they can during heavily restricted times. We’ve already had a few cheeky early entries from a carpark rooftop, on the pavement out the front of their house and in a supermarket aisle! These have certainly set the tone! At the end of the campaign, we will randomly pick a winner to receive two return tickets to Bali … as soon as tropical holidaying is a possibility!”

“We created ‘The Beach Towel Challenge’ because we know so many Melbournians and their families who are devastated that they can’t leave on that holiday they have been desperately in need of for their mental health,” said Josh Lefers, co-owner of East 9th Brewing. “We decided to connect everyone together as a community around the idea of the best tropical vacation you can have with only a beach towel and a touch of the ridiculous. With people nominating each other, it will highlight that we are all in this together. And that too was the idea behind a prize of a trip to Bali. It was about seeing there is sunlight at the end of the tunnel. We will get out of lockdown. We will get to travel again. And until then, all you need is a beach towel and a swimsuit!”

Ten years after it’s initial release, the Lick Pier brand – and the ginger beer category – continues to gain momentum. In 2020, IRI revealed it was seeing good results coming out of the ginger beer segment, with more than 80% growth posted in the last two years.

Lick Pier Tropical Ginger Beer is gluten free and available in cans and kegs via all good liquor wholesalers and retailers. During lock-down times, it’s also available online at Dan Murphy’s.