Lexington, KY — West Sixth Brewing, one of Kentucky’s largest craft breweries, has announced a new collaboration beer with Western Kentucky University.

The beer, which is called 1906 Lager, will be made exclusively for Western Kentucky University to celebrate WKU, its fans, and their continuous support of the Kentucky community. 1906 Lager is officially licensed through CLC, WKU’s licensing partner, and West Sixth Brewing is now a Hilltoppers’ sponsor as well.

“We’re proud Kentuckians and love any opportunity to demonstrate that,” said Joe Kuosman, Co-Founder of West Sixth Brewing. “WKU and of course Big Red are such big parts of the state that we jumped at the chance to create something that would celebrate such an integral part of Kentucky.”

Collaborations have played a big role in the craft beer industry, often given as one of the prime examples of how individual craft breweries form a larger community. As the industry continues to expand, some breweries have started partnering with organizations outside of beer: nonprofit partners, apparel companies, even spirits producers.

Less common but steadily growing more popular are craft brewery collaborations with colleges and universities. As with other types of collaborations, West Sixth is leading the pack.

1906 Lager is a crisp, sessionable light lager with a low ABV of 4.2%. It’s meant to be enjoyed at a WKU game with friends or while cheering them on from home, and is good for any season.

“It was an easy decision to partner with West Sixth Brewing to create this special collaboration beer for WKU,” said Director of Athletics Todd Stewart. “Both of our organizations are passionate about the Kentucky community and want to support it in any way possible. I can’t wait to see our Hilltopper family celebrating with 1906 Lager.”

1906 Lager will be available at Western Kentucky University, Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, and in select retail stores and restaurants across the region starting on Tuesday, January 10th.

LEARFIELD, WKU’s athletics multimedia rightsholder, was instrumental in bringing these two brands together. Its local Hilltopper Sports Properties team manages corporate sponsorships and the comprehensive multimedia rights agreement. CLC also is part of the LEARFIELD family.g

“We’re excited to welcome West Sixth Brewing to WKU, leveraging the dynamic synergy of sponsorship and licensing for our university partner,” said Chris Freeman, Hilltopper Sports Properties’ general manager. “We look forward to working with Joe and his team to introduce fans to 1906 Lager.”

For more info about 1906 Lager, go to https://www.westsixth.com/1906. For general updates on West Sixth Brewing, follow them on Instagram at @westsixth or online at https://www.westsixth.com/.

About West Sixth Brewing

Founded in 2012, West Sixth Brewing is an award-winning brewery based in Lexington, Kentucky, operating two taprooms in our home city, a farm in Frankfort, and a Louisville taproom opening in the NuLu neighborhood in spring 2020. We produce a wide variety of beers that we distribute throughout Kentucky and across the Ohio River in Cincinnati. We’re driven by brewing high-quality creative beers, making a positive social impact on the communities we’re a part of, and creating an awesome place to work for our team. To learn more about West Sixth Brewing, visit us on the web at https://www.westsixth.com/.