Building on the success of its new fan zone, Stockport County have created its very own ale. The League Two side have joined forces with local brewery Thirst Class Ales based in nearby Reddish to create the unique brew, which fans can snap up exclusively from County Courtyard.
The partnership represents the club’s first official collaboration with the brewery since it started to sell their beers at the start of January - further cementing the club’s commitment to working with local suppliers in Stockport. A single hopped mosaic ale, standing at 4.8% vol, the County Pale Ale includes flavours and aromas of mango, stone fruits, and berries.
Last November, the club announced plans for County Courtyard, a new fan zone which would cater for up to 1,500 fans before and after matches. Signed off by Stockport Council just before Christmas, the fan zone has been designed to bring supporters together, while also hopefully easing congestion around the ground as attendance numbers grow.
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The dedicated fan zone features three shipping containers and is covered by a canopy style stretch tent in the same colour as the club's famous royal blue strip. County Courtyard also features a small stage for local music acts to perform for football fans pre-match or listen to player interviews.
Food wise, a host of fan favourites are currently on offer in the fan zone, including craft beers, award-winning pies, and street food from around the world. Now, to compliment the launch of its ale, a new pie has also launched at County Courtyard. The County Steak & Ale pie is a three-party collaboration between Stockport County, Thirst Class Ale and award-winning, pie makers Great North Pie Co.
Hearty and rich, the pie is filled with high-quality beef steak and made using Thirst Class Ale’s American Brown Ale. Both the County Pale Ale (£5) and steak and ale pie (£5.50) will be available to fans at the Courtyard on Friday, March 31 for County's sold-out home fixture against Salford City.
The new foodie additions build upon what has already been a successful launch for the County Courtyard, especially with regards to its food and drink which features a rotating street food menu with pop-ups from local pie makers Great North Pie Co and Ate Day's A Week. At Friday's match, there will also be a new pie available from social media sensations Only Scrans, which has collaborated Great North Pie co to create a delicious Chinese chicken curry pie which will be available for £5.50.
Jonathan Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer at Stockport County said: “Since launching the County Courtyard, the response from fans on matchday has been outstanding with growing crowds coming to soak up the atmosphere.
"Now after developing our partnerships and collaborations, we’re able to launch our very own County Pale Ale with Thirst Class Ales and an awesome new Steak and Ale Pie with Great North Pies and Thirst Class Ales, it’s partnerships like this which help to build better relationships with local business partners supporting the town’s growth. So, come down on matchday and give these fantastic collaborations a try.”
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