Brewmanity have been named the official beer partner of the Melbourne Football Club for 2024. As far as beer and footy partnerships go, it’s about as fitting as they come: brewery co-founder David “Neita” Neitz spent years playing for and captaining the club and Brewmanity has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his former coach Neale Daniher's charity, FightMND.
Neita told The Crafty Pint that, after enjoying a long relationship with the club, it was nice to be able to form a new connection – not least as they'd suspected such a partnership wasn't on the brewery's radar.
“We thought it might be a little out of our reach,” he says, “but a gap in their sponsorship portfolio came up and they gave us a call, so we grabbed it.
“Hopefully, the Dees fans get behind it and enjoy the beer, as well as have an introduction to independent beer if they haven't already given the category a go."
Beyond the obvious connection he has to the club as a former player and captain, the Brewmanity team also see the partnership as a chance to broaden their brand beyond their South Melbourne base.
“A lot of that thinking comes off the back of opening Melbourne's first rooftop brewery earlier this year,” Neita says of the brewpub with views of the city skyline. “We think we can give our customers, and the MFC supporter base, a pretty uniquely crafted Melbourne experience.”
Those city views carry through on the beer brewed to mark the partnership: Mouth of Melbourne is an updated version of their lager, Mouth of the South, featuring footy references such as "PREMIER QUALITY" and "NUMBER ONE 'DRAUGHT PICK'".
“The main change is a move to a genuine full-strength lager, and then a few tweaks to the brew card to freshen it up,” Neita says.
“The can design includes the red and blue colours of the Demons, and also incorporates the city views you get from the brewery rooftop."
More in the media release is below.
Media Release: Melbourne welcomes Brewmanity
Brewmanity, the craft beer company founded by former Demons David Neitz, Paul Hopgood and John Ahern, is set to become the official Beer Partner of the Melbourne Football Club.
Founded in 2015, Brewmanity, a merging of brewing with humanity, is a craft beer company with a purpose: good beer, good times, and good deeds.
These good deeds include raising over $1 million for FightMND, the charity founded by former Demons coach Neale Daniher in his battle over ‘the Beast’ that is Motor Neurone Disease.
Brewmanity has also expanded its footprint, opening a rooftop bar in South Melbourne in March with a St Patrick’s Day event that raised funds for the Jim Stynes Foundation.
As the club’s official Beer Partner, Brewmanity has signed a contract until the end of 2024, and will be releasing a bespoke brew dedicated to the Dees.
‘The Mouth of Melbourne’ is a new beer for the Melbourne faithful, which will only be available online or served at Melbourne Football Club functions.
Chris Kearon, Melbourne’s Chief Commercial Officer, celebrated the partnership and the close ties between the organisations.
“David Neitz, Paul Hopgood and John Ahern are favourite sons of the club, and we are proud to partner with an organisation that strongly supports causes close to our heart,” Kearon said.
“Brewmanity and Melbourne have a mutual desire for excellence, and a commitment to making Demon fans feel proud to belong.
“We thank Neita, Paul, John, and the rest of the Brewmanity team for their support both now and into the future.”
