Peace Y'all!
Here is the official press release for the two main events featuring my Piano Keys Chocolate and Vanilla Imperial Stout collaboration with one of the best brewing companies in the nation, Creature Comforts. Both the delectable stout and stunning merch will be very limited, so make sure you get yours asap at one of these meetups and local Atlanta retailers and celebrate this beer originally built to promote diversity and equity in the beverage industry..
Below is the official press release.
Thank you for being a part of the journey.
Cheers!
Creature
Comforts Celebrates Ale Sharpton’s 30 Years in Craft Beer by Remixing
Piano Keys Imperial Stout
Revered
beer pioneer based in
Atlanta, Sharpton’s collaboration launches in February
Creature Comforts
Brewing Company, an award-winning, purpose-driven craft brewery, announced
today that the brand is celebrating Ale Sharpton’s 30 years in craft beer by
remixing his Piano Keys Imperial Stout. Dennis Malcolm Byron—better known as
nationally recognized beer pioneer Ale Sharpton—is a journalist,
photographer, creative and advocate of craft beer.
There will be
two public events (one in Athens, another in Atlanta):
● Piano
Keys beer launch - Friday, February 13, beginning at 5pm at Creature’s Taproom
(271 W. Hancock Ave, Athens)
● Ale’s
birthday celebration - Monday, February 23, from 7-10pm at Terminal West (887
W. Marietta St NW, Ste C, Atlanta)
“Creature
Comforts is excited to take our stout expertise and showcase Ale Sharpton's
vision while we celebrate all he's done to elevate and celebrate the world of
craft brewing,” said Adam Beauchamp, co-founder and CEO of Creature Comforts.
“This is the 30th anniversary of this beer icon, and we are proud to team up
with him to mark the occasion.”
Piano Keys is
a chocolate and vanilla imperial 9.6% ABV stout featuring cocoa nibs
from the Athens-based Condor Chocolates and an elite blend of
hand-selected vanilla beans from around the globe. The decadent aromas of fig
and dark chocolate are balanced by the soft, sweet flavor of vanilla for
an imperial stout that smells as good as it tastes.
The collaboration is being brewed in commemoration of Ale’s first beer
article published in 1996.
“When I first
conceptualized Piano Keys eight years ago, my motivation was fueled by equity
and education within the beer industry,” said Sharpton. “The resulting unique
imperial stout was embraced and enjoyed by people of all backgrounds. I learned
a lot during the process, and, along with the welcomed requests from Piano Keys
fans, I wanted to return with a second version of the beer. It was important
for me to identify the ideal brewery to partner with to remix everything from
the artwork to the merchandise, and ultimately, the formula.”
Sharpton
continued, “As a journalist, I covered Creature Comforts since their inception
more than a decade ago. Creature’s reputation for crafting stellar beer, clever
marketing, and philanthropic efforts made them the ideal partner. After I
approached Creature to produce a 2026 version of Piano Keys, it became
immediately clear that they would be a dope and perfect fit for realizing my
new vision.”
As a
journalist and marketing consultant, Sharpton continues to passionately travel
the globe covering automobiles, culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports,
hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage”—beer.
Sharpton has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites,
including USA Today, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer
& Brewing, CraftBeer.com, James Beard, Atlanta
Magazine, among others. He can also be seen or heard on numerous websites,
radio stations, podcasts, beer fests and conferences. Sharpton served as the
second vice president of the National Black Brewers Association. Alongside his
wife, Andrea, Sharpton co-founded BrewGether, a social impact organization that
connects craft breweries and urban agriculture.
Creature
Comforts has experienced incredible growth since its inception in 2014,
becoming the 31st largest craft brewery in America. Known for
its wide range of highly rated and award-winning beers, the Creature Comforts
line-up includes year-round and seasonal offerings such as Tropicália (American
IPA), Classic City Lager (Lager), Flash Cat (Hazy Imperial IPA), among others.
Classic City Lager has won two Gold Medals at the Great American Beer Festival
in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, Creature was named the Official Taproom and Craft
Beer of UGA Athletics.
In 2025,
Creature Comforts expanded into spirits-based beverages, part of a years-long
strategic decision to broaden its mission and portfolio of beverage offerings
with the addition of Sun Glow, a ready-to-drink vodka seltzer, as well as
house-made cocktails to its taproom, and multiple small-batch, bottled spirits
available for sale in in the taproom and the new cocktail bar, called Cura,
which the company opened on the footprint of its Athens taproom location.
For more
information about Creature Comforts, please visit www.creaturecomfortsbeer.com.
