Wawa announces new craft beer collaborations; multistate ‘Brew Tour’ to launch this week

Something is brewing again at Wawa, the center of Philadelphia’s quick-stop hoagie universe.

Lines snaked around its Chadds Ford outpost last year when the convenience store chain debuted its first-ever beer — a bourbon barrel-finished Winter Reserve Coffee Stout. The collaboration with the Aston-based 2SP Brewing Co. was a resounding success.

So, Wawa is bringing back the stout for another run. This time, it’s expanding both the line of craft beers and their reach.

“Last year, Wawa only did it in the Philadelphia five-county area,” said Mike Contreras, director of sales and marketing at 2SP. “This year, we wanted to make it more special. We got to bring our friends and neighbors in.”

The beer — a thick, mellow, and toasty oatmeal stout steeped with Wawa’s Winter Reserve Coffee — will be available at selected Wawa stores in Pennsylvania and, for the first time, in Virginia and Florida, too.

It will be served in good company, joined this year at several locations by three new brews, Coffee Cake Reserve Stout, Reserve Reserve, and Snowbird Reserve Vanilla Porter.

The beers will be launched with a multi-state “Brew Tour” that will stop at five Wawas through February. The first firkins will be tapped for free samples on Friday in Chadds Ford. The first 100 customers at each event will receive a free Brew Tour T-shirt.

Winter Reserve and Reserve Reserve will be on sale at the Wawa in Chadds Ford and a soon-to-open one in Middletown Township. It will also be available for a limited time at beer retailers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Coffee Cake Reserve, a 2SP collaboration with Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, will be sold at Wawas in the Richmond, Va., region. Snowbird Reserve, a 2SP collab with Coppertail Brewing, will be available at Wawas in Florida.

Wawa described the beers as:

Winter Reserve is a creamy stout redolent of sweet clove, dark chocolate, and graham crackers.

Reserve Reserve is an English-style oatmeal stout, aged in Weller bourbon barrels for nine months, with robust flavors of vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, and reserve coffee.

Coffee Cake Reserve Stout is an oatmeal stout with notes of vanilla bean, cinnamon spice, brown sugar and Wawa’s Winter Reserve Coffee.

Snowbird Reserve Vanilla Porter is a robust dark beer with sweetness provided by malted barley, coffee, and a scent of vanilla.

Friday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. — Wawa, 721 Naamans Creek Rd., Chadds Ford.

Saturday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. — 2SP Brewing, 120 Concord Rd., Aston.

Thursday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. — Wawa, 1073 Baltimore Pike, Media.

Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. — Wawa, 3100 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Va.

Feb. 20, at 4 p.m. — Wawa, 3660 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa, Fla.