As you may have already seen, this year marks a milestone for Good Chemistry - 10 years in business. You heard right - TEN. YEARS!
This February, as part of our year-long celebrations, we’re focusing on 10 Years of Good Beer and what that means to us. Throughout our decade-long journey, we’ve brewed beer with purpose and passion. The beer scene has changed a lot in the past 10 years, and so have we, but we’ve always stayed true to our roots. We continue to champion traditional styles while brewing a wide range of beers, constantly evolving with new innovations in brewing. From early on, Kelly and Bob made a promise: to brew fresh and thoughtful beer for everyone, making sure all our beers are unfined, unfiltered and naturally vegan-friendly. Because a delicious tipple can bring people together and should be for all.
What better opportunity to start celebrating how far we’ve come than with an iconic beer that helped get us here? Throw your minds back to 2017. The ‘team’ (if you can call it that!) was still just Kelly and Bob, and Good Chemistry was growing into our space here in awesome East Bristol. With the dawn of 2017, Bristol was in the midst of a miserably cold, grey winter. The brewing plan for January was clear: banish those winter blues with something bold, bright and fun! (It could only be one thing, right?)
Donning Hawaiian shirts over their hoodies and with a Yacht Rock playlist blaring in the brewery, KOKOMO WEEKEND was born. A brand new recipe inspired by the upbeat summery vibes of the Beach Boys and Tom Cruise 80s classic Cocktail became Good Chemistry’s first ever IPA. Brewed to bring a taste of sunshine to the city, Kokomo Weekend delivers a vibrant burst of pineapple, passionfruit and mango with every sip. For Bob and Kelly, it was the closest they were going to get to drinking cocktails by the pool. Channelling that vibe, plus its bold, juicy flavours, helped make it an instant hit and the ultimate antidote to grey skies. The initial launch, at The Greenbank in February, marked the start of something extraordinary and cemented its place in the hearts (and fridges) of Bristol beer lovers. In fact, it was so popular we rebrewed it for the first East Bristol Brewery Trail of that year, in April, decorating the brewery into a tropical paradise complete with inflatable palm trees and regular plays of its namesake song!
You might not know this, but this big bold 7% IPA came before its sessionable sibling, Kokomo WeekDAY! Made to mirror those same tropical vibes, 4.3% Kokomo Weekday is now Good Chemistry’s biggest-selling and most popular beer. A Bristol institution and a tropical pale with a lighter touch. If you're feeling nostalgic, head back in time to read how we first wrote about Kokomo Weekend HERE, and announced the arrival of Kokomo Weekday HERE.
Back to Kokomo WeekEND: this brew was always intended to be something special, it’s a rare treat to be savoured. Now, after over a year’s hiatus, Kokomo Weekend is BACK for our birthday, and we couldn’t be more excited.
We’ll be banishing winter skies once more and helping to Make It A Kokomo Weekend at a whole load of venues all across Bristol and beyond! Look out for this legendary beer in all the best pubs, bars and shops, and pouring throughout the weekend of 21st-23rd February. And to kick it all off we’re returning to where it all began, with a launch party Tap Takeover at The Greenbank in Easton on Thursday 20th February. It promises to be a party worthy of Kokomo Weekend’s legacy, and the perfect way to kick-start 10 years of Good Chemistry. Expect good vibes, good people and tales from the early days of the brewery.
If you’re not able to join us at the Greenbank or pubs across Bristol – fear not! Kokomo Weekend will be out in cans very soon. Head to the webshop and get a your very own ray of sunshine delivered straight to your door.
So, mark your calendars, grab your friends, and make sure you don’t miss out. When you get to the bar, you know what to do… better ‘Make It A Kokomo Weekend.’
