Milwaukee Athletics, in conjunction with Pilot Project Brewing, celebrates the release of Panther Pale Ale at UWM’s Dec. 13 men’s basketball home game.
The beer, an American pale ale, also will be available through retailers during the holiday season and beyond.
An officially licensed product, Panther Pale Ale was developed in a partnership among Pilot Project Brewing, Craft Beverage Warehouse, Milwaukee Athletics, the Collegiate Licensing Company, and UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, whose students helped design the packaging.
Panther Pale Ale will make its debut and be sold to the public starting at UWM’s Dec. 13 game against Longwood, which tips off at 7 p.m. at UWM Panther Arena.
“Milwaukee Athletics is pleased to support this cross-campus collaboration, highlighted by an opportunity for UWM students to obtain real-world experience, further enhancing the classroom instruction,” said UWM Director of Athletics Amanda Braun. “This project’s success is the result of the work by many, including proud Panther alumni and our partners within the business community. We are excited to showcase the Milwaukee Panthers’ brand throughout greater Milwaukee.”
Pilot Project Brewing is a brewery incubator and restaurant located in Milwaukee’s Brewery District. Dan Abel, Pilot Project co-founder and CEO, said the new partnership is a welcome one.
“As a brewery incubator lowering the barriers to entry in an extremely difficult industry, we have always been interested in partnering with a university,” Abel said. “We share a mutual goal of investing in the future and creating opportunities for classes of creative people that may not otherwise exist. As neighbors, partnering with UW-Milwaukee was a no-brainer. Not only do we get to make and design a great beer together, we get to celebrate with the university and alumni surrounding us!”
Panther Pale Ale’s packaging design was chosen from several options submitted by students at UWM’s Peck School. Gisselle Dominguez, a senior design and visual communications major from Waukesha, submitted the winning artwork.
“It’s a tribute to the vibrant energy that UWM possesses, which has been a significant source of inspiration in my creative journey,” Dominguez said. “It’s a celebration, intended to resonate with the diverse and dynamic spirit of UWM. Not only the school, but Milwaukee overall – the city that has fueled my creativity and given me so much opportunity. I am proud to be a UWM Panther.”
Craft Beverage Warehouse is printing the cans and packaging for the product, while CLC – UWM’s official trademark licensing partner – licensed the product through an agreement with Pilot.
“One of the core tenets of our business is community involvement – and what better way to be involved than with one of the most impactful educational institutions in the state,” said Kyle Stephens, president and co-founder of CBW, and also a UWM graduate. “As a Lubar College of Business alumnus, it’s been fun to get into the classroom and share my livelihood and potential career opportunities with design students, and on such a fun beverage product. This multipart collaboration has created a product to bring Panther Nation together. Go Panthers!”
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the beer will be directed to student scholarships and other student-centered programming at UWM.
“Hands-on learning is what we do best at the Peck School of the Arts,” said Peck Head of School Kevin Hartman. “This collaboration highlights our dedication to providing occasions for our students to engage with the creative community and industry partners. We’re excited about the final product, we’re very proud of Gisselle, and we are thrilled that the project will support student scholarships.”
Panther Pale Ale will be available at Pilot Project, Panther Arena, and in participating bars, restaurants and liquor stores across the area. Retailers interested in carrying Panther Pale Ale should reach out to Sales@PilotProjectBrewing.com.
Pilot Project was launched as a collaborative and artistically curious space to help support talented brewers in an industry with exceptionally high barriers. Modeled after the music industry, Pilot serves as a launch pad for startup breweries, offering assistance with recipe R&D, production scaling, marketing, distribution and more.
