“¡Llego la que faltaba!”
As renowned composer Leonard Bernstein wrote, “a helluva town” and the perfect place to launch HATUEY beer’s northeast expansion.
Times Square was rocking and rolling and some may think it was because the famed Irish band U-2 was performing but the real party was in Havana Central where New Yorkers gathered to toast the Cuban style craft brew’s arrival in The Big Apple. Yes, indeed, “¡Llego la que faltaba!”
For many years, inhabitants of the Greater New York area have been sipping beers from all over the globe but there was always one that’s been missing from the scene. Now the 100 year old famous ale, first brewed in Santiago, Cuba in 1914, can be enjoyed by not only the millions of people who live and work in the capital of the world but by the millions of travelers who come from all over the planet to experience the multi-cultural and vibrant city that is New York. No doubt worldly tourist will return home to spread the news that they imbibed HATUEY, the distinguished craft brew born in the exotic island nation of Cuba.
It was on Monday, December 1st, that Anler Morejon, HATUEY’s brand manager, and his expert marketing team introduced HATUEY to over 150 guests who gathered at Havana Central, including Anna Demidova of WABC-TV’s smash hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” Carlos Gerardo Izzo of the Mexican Consulate and multi-award winning playwright Marco Antonio Rodriguez, attesting to the eclectic group attending that evening to taste and enjoy the refreshing, light-bodied beer.
“It was an incredible evening,” said Morejon. “New York has welcomed us with open arms and the reaction of the audience to the brand was phenomenal. Everyone truly appreciated HATUEY’s unique essence that makes it stand head and shoulders above its competition, offering craft brew aficionados ‘something to talk about’ in the best way possible.”
Representatives from Oak Beverages, HATUEY’s distributor in the northeast, and multiple media outlets, including beer bloggers, magazine editors and newspaper publishers attended to learn firsthand about HAUTEY’s distinctive flavor. All were very impressed and look forward to informing the public.
The festivities began with a tasting of the pale ale, which was paired with traditional Cuban cuisine, including a succulent lechon asado (roasted pig), maduros (sweet plantains), and the traditional side dish, black beans and rice. The magical evening winded down – or up actually - with the Mambo band, Tres del Solar, filling the dance floor with revelers, who sang along to well known Latin songs such as “Guantanamera.” Cuban cigar rollers were also on hand, adding to the authenticity of the Cuban experience and the celebration of HATUEY’s centennial and its New York City launch!
Camy Arroyo, the winner of HATUEY’s muse contest and now brand ambassador, posed with partygoers and danced with them. Many were astonished to learn she had not posed for Abdul Delgado, the artist who painted “Beer Me” which is now the label’s new iconic poster of a Cuban beauty holding up a bottle of HATUEY, in keeping with the tradition of old time advertisements of Cuban products and travel.
Now brewed in the United States, HATUEY is made with malted barley, hops, yeast and water, following traditional small-batch brewing techniques with fewer than 800 cases produced per batch. Named after the Taino Indian Chief Hatuey, who led the tribe in the 16th century, the famous Cuban beer continues to pay tribute to its roots and heritage by always including the community, in this case running a holiday toy drive for the Hispanic Counseling Center, who will distribute the games, dolls, teddy bears, sports gear and musical instruments donated by the attendees to struggling families with children ages 3 to 13.
Brand manager, Morejon concluded, “The label is proud to be celebrating its centennial and is excited about its expansion into the northeast. HATUEY has undoubtedly left a lasting impression on the Big Apple, which now has its superb craft beer flavor available for all New Yorkers and its tourist industry to enjoy for years to come.”
New York surely agrees HATUEY “¡está buenisima!”
