Bahamian Brewery News » Beer

Bahamian Brewery Launches a Genuine Bahamian Stout

BBB Press — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:27:24 +0000

In the shadow of the phenomenal success of its first product SANDS beer, the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company softly launched another product to the Bahamian public last week. “Strong Back is our latest product and a truly genuine Bahamian stout” said owner James “Jimmy” Sands. “I had a few goals when I decided to open my own brewery and one was to offer Bahamians their own stout, rich in taste but not bitter in after-taste.”

The stout, formidably named Strong Back, is a dark beer created by using roasted malts or roast barley, and will now make the third product for the all-Bahamian brewery in Grand Bahama.

“The success of our products has come from the backing of our German brew masters, experts in the beer world. Together we have been able to create and our demand to use only the best products in the beer industry,” added Francis Plakaris, Sales and Marketing Manger.

Plakaris also noted, “We also bottle our products in a high grade glass which helps keeps our taste better. And our bottles are recyclable which means we are helping the environment too by producing less waste – and that means our consumer can be happy to drink more too!”

Strong Back is now being distributed through Bristol Wines and Spirits, the Brewery’s own liquor stores in Grand Bahama and Nassau and to all restaurant and bar owners.

“To be honest with you, the success of Sands and we hope that of Strong Back, will be down to our local bars and individual consumers. It is the average consumer who has made our Brewery succeed,” added Mr. Sands, owner. “I only have the public to thank for this and especially the Grand Bahamians who are still out selling Nassau sales.”

The soft launch of the stout was held at the brewery in Grand Bahama last week where locals were given free samples over a two-day publicity event. The in house sales team will not hit the ground to push the product out to local consumers via restaurants, bars and local haunts. Strong Back met with great success from local fans of the Brewery, including the very supportive Grand Bahama shipyard crew who often visit and even have cookouts on the grounds. One such employee was heard commenting to the local radio announcers who were on site that you should “drink Strong Back every day cause it keeps the heart attacks away!”

Sands Starts the New Year out Right!

BBB Press — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:26:18 +0000

After the Grand Opening of his Brewery and the launch of Sands beer in December you would understand if James “Jimmy” Sands would have taken a break and sat back and enjoyed his triumphs. But not one to be sitting down for long Jimmy hosted another night of fun at his Brewery in Grand Bahama last week.

“We had the Prime Minister here and we did the official opening, our first beer, SANDS, has been an immediate success but now we need to make sure that everyone gives us a try,” said Jimmy. “Tonight we opened the brewery to our most important sales persons, bartenders, waiters, waitresses, bar and restaurant owners.”

With great food, a live band and the occasional drop in of the catchy “Sip a Sands” jingle the open house was packed with bar and restaurant owners and bartenders from West to East end. “I love this beer” said one very excited waitress “ I tell all my customers to try it and the tourists we serve just love it too.”

The night also afforded guests the opportunity to view the brewery. Groups of twenty-five were taken on official tours with Lorenzo Johnson, the assistant Brew Master, so they could see the whole process from creation to bottling. The brewery is looking to start tours to customers in late May and will hope to have this added to the tourist sightseeing destinations as well.

“This has been a great night for us” said Francais Plakaris, Advertising and Sales Manager for Bahamas Brewery & Beverage Co. “we can make all the beer we want, package it up and promote it but it’s our guests here tonight that will make a great contribution to our success. And their overwhelming support has been tremendous.”

“We planned to have more events here and we hope to open the facility as another venue for events at some point” Plakaris added “ we feel we created a great beer which the Bahamian beer market was ready for. A beer with a definitive flair that you just want to sip all day long”.

Towards the end of the night the Brewery had one last surprise for their guests, a Harbour Boys Junkanoo rush out, which brought everyone to their feet. The team at the Brewery is not done yet. They plan to have more events and of course plan to have “Sip a Sands” parties on other islands.

Remarks by Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham Prime Minister at the Official Opening of the Sands Brewery

BBB Press — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:25:03 +0000

Colleague Ministers and Members of Parliament, Chief Councilor and other Members of the City Council, Members of the Sands Family Staff of Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a special pleasure to join friends and family of James ‘Jimmy’ Sands to mark the official opening of the new Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company facility in Freeport, Grand Bahama, brewers of The Bahamas’ newest quality beer christened Sands Beer.

I understand that a competition to name this new beer produced many names, several tied specifically to this island, many with cultural connections to our islands.   In the end, the family name appears to have fit the bill best.   Sands is an old Bahamian name.   Beautiful, powdery, clean white and pink sand has made our beaches world famous. It is only fitting that our new beer is called Sands!

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to take part in the ground-breaking ceremony for Phase V of the Freeport Container Transshipment Port.

I used the occasion to remind Grand Bahamians of opportunities coming on line in the economy, opportunities we should prepare ourselves to take advantage of.

I believe that spin-off business and employment opportunities for Bahamians, made possible as a result of large scale Bahamian and foreign investments in our economy, ought not to be minimized or missed by us.

I am told that back in 2005 when this brewery was still only a dream, Jimmy Sands said that the concessions available under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement together with the first rate port and transshipment facilities available here in Freeport had convinced him that this was the best location for this investment.

Of course, I believe Jimmy was also influenced by family ties to this island.   Most of you will be aware that Jimmy’s mother, Patricia Sands, nee Roberts, hails from West End, Grand Bahama.

All of her children are proud Grand Bahamians who have now put their proverbial money where their mouth is in Grand Bahama.   I can only add: Congratulations, well done.

I was pleased to learn that much of this project is Bahamian. The building was designed by Burton Miller. And, the contractor for the job was another Bahamian enterprise, Frecon.

I am assured however, that the state-of-the-art brewing equipment hails from that haven of beer brew masters — Germany. Indeed, a well-respected Brewtech from Hamburg, Germany, was engaged to oversee and build the actual brewing apparatus.

Among his other responsibilities will be the training of a Bahamian brew master and other staff.

I understand that the brewery presently employs some 50 Bahamians directly and that a similar number are indirectly employed as a result of the breweryâ€™s activities. This is a good shot in the arm for Freeport â€“ for jobs are needed here in this city.

I congratulate all involved in this new venture and look forward to following your progress as you move from strength to strength.

Let me also use this occasion to extend very best wishes to all for a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

It now gives me great pleasure to declare the new Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Company Facility brewers of Sands Beer, officially open.

Plan to Sip a Sands…this Christmas!

BBB Press — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:23:32 +0000

Grand Bahama is only just weeks away from tasting it’s newest beer, Sands, the first product of the Bahamian Brewery Beverage Company. “Final touches are being made now on the building and the painters are in. We are working on the roads and the exterior, it’s really coming along,” said President, James “Jimmy” Sands.

Announced in June of 2006 the $15 million beer brewery for Grand Bahama plans to open before the end of the year. “We have reached one of the best parts of the building a brewery, finalizing the tasting of the new Sands beer,” Sands added, “our brew master is refining the taste we want and perfecting what we know will be another hit beer for The Bahamas.”

The brewery plans to launch their beer in Grand Bahama first, “this brewery is Grand Bahamian, it’s part of the community, we want and need locals to promote and enjoy our beer,” said Francis Plakaris, Sales and Marketing Manager. “We will launch Sands beer here in our home and then move on to Nassau and the family islands once we have conquered our own market.”

The brewery also expects that their plans to launch an integrated tour at the plant will help the Grand Bahamian tourist product. “Recently we have heard a lot about their not being enough to do on the island. Our tour should add another point of interest, like many other islands have, we will showcase how our beer is produced and bottled. We will have taste testing at the end of the tours and then end at our sales store,” said Plakaris. “We want to work with local tour companies to promote this venue and add it to the tourist activities available in Grand Bahama.”

The brewery designers, Brewtech, a well known German firm is in the final stages of setting up the brewery’s equipment, which is expected to be ready for commissioning in November. The $15 million beer brewery will cover 20 acres of land located at the intersection of Queens High-way and will open with a large store front with a Bahamian crafts store and logo shop. The team is also working on the proposed garden area to hold a restaurant and outside bar to be utilized for parties and events, this will not come into fruition until 2008.

Initially the Brewery plans to employ up to 50 persons and currently has an operating staff of fourteen. “We have been inundated with resume’s,” said Donny Delahey, General Manager of the Brewery, “we plan to hire the balance of our staff in late November. When we open we will have an all Bahamian staff except for the brew master.”

James Sands who is continuing in the footsteps of his father, Everette Sands, the well known co-owner of Butler and Sands, is truly proud of his all Bahamian product, “coming back into the liquor business has been rewarding but demanding too. I have stuck to a simple game plan, 100% Bahamian. We have hired Bahamian architects, builders, sign makers, decorators, marketers and brewery staff. My only foreign employee, the Brew master, is already training his replacement a local Grand Bahamian, Lorenzo Johnson”

“What’s most important to me is keeping it here, ‘what’s made here stays here’,” stated Sands, “I believe in Bahamian business, I believe we are capable of producing the finest quality products ourselves and I believe in Grand Bahama.” Sands gave no official date for the doors to open but did say that this Christmas he plans to see everyone sipping a sands for the holidays.

HIGH ROCK: The Second winning name for Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Co.

BBB Press — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 18:22:18 +0000

Freeport, Grand Bahama – Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company has chosen HIGH ROCK, as its second name for its “Name that Beer” competition, which started last year.

“Name that Beer” was launched to allow Grand Bahamians to help name two of the beers that the new Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company will create. The competition gave Grand Bahamian residents the chance to win $3,000 by coming up with a winning name for the new brewery’s beers. Each resident was allowed three chances to enter the competition with two original names to be selected.

Early in December, the first name was chosen and eleven contestants won with the name “Sands”, a reference to the owner’s family. At that time the President, Jimmy Sands, gave each winner $500 each instead of the $273 split of the total offering, increasing the win to $5,500 for the first name. Now after finishing all the legal procedures the brewery has full rights to the new name – it can now be released.

The winners are two very lucky ladies, who both submitted HIGH ROCK as one of their two names; they are Ethel Bethel and Garnell Frith. Mrs. Bethel was ecstatic to hear that she had won, especially as she has just had a new baby 3 weeks ago and the winning funds will help her greatly. “I entered through the mail and I choose names that represented the island, Eight Mile Rock, Holmes Rock and High Rock – I am thrilled Mr. Sands choose High Rock, I know it will be a great beer.”

Mrs. Frith, joint winner with Mrs. Bethel, is well known to most Grand Bahamians as the Bank Manager at the Royal Bank of Canada. She was also elated to win, “I saw the ad for the competition in the newspaper and my daughter and I went online and entered our names,” she said, “we entered local names as we thought a new brewery might like an indigenous name, one that represents the island, one that is stable and reflects the quality of the product. I told Mr. Sands that we are very pleased he has decided to build his brewery here, it brings new employment, diversification to our economy and adds yet another feature to the island”

Sands, who is ecstatic with the way his building has progressed stated, “I have been very pleased with the progression of the company. I started all of this in June 2005 with my announcement to build a $15 million beer brewery in Freeport, over the next two years. I am very pleased to let you know that the local Grand Bahamian builders and the Port Authority have made it all possible and are looking to complete the brewery within my time constraints.”

The Brewery will be approximately 60,000 square feet and is being built on 20 acres of land located near the Grand Bahama Harbour facilities. Upon completion, the brewery is expected to also house a brewery tour facility, retail store, gift store and a wonderful beer garden for visiting tourists and locals alike. “We have allocated 2 acres of land to build a botanical garden where Grand Bahamians can sit and enjoy their Bahamian brewed beer in a relaxing atmosphere and so too can visiting tourists, or even me ” added Sands.

Sands also announced that the company brew master had arrived from Germany, and is now on-site coordinating the final structural demands of the brewery with the German technicians. Gerharbd Linderhann, a sixty-six year veteran of the brewery business, and a young eighty-one year old, began his career in 1941 and became a brew master in 1953. He has helped brew many beers throughout the world including Nigeria, China and his gold medal winning Sey Brew from the Seashell islands.

Linderhahn will also be training the assistant brew master, Lorenzo Johnson, a twenty-two year veteran of the liquor business, to be the brew master for the company. Lorenzo joined the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company three months ago but is no stranger to the Sands family. Mr. Johnson a Grand Bahamian, is very excited about his new challenge, “Our main goal is to make this beer a quality product, one that Grand Bahamians will be proud of and that will live up to our slogan, Truly Bahamian.”

Sands is planning on a late 2007 opening and assured his newest winners that they will be among the first to tour and taste the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company brews.