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Hoppin’ Frog Brewery teams with University of Akron on beer

The University of Akron and Hoppin’ Frog Brewery are collaborating on a beer that will be released this week and sold at Rhodes Arena and the brewery.

The University of Akron and Hoppin’ Frog Brewery are collaborating on a beer that will be released this week and sold at Rhodes Arena and the brewery.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

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AKRON, Ohio – Hoppin’ Frog Brewery and the University of Akron have teamed to create Zips Hoppin’ Blonde Ale.

It’s due to be released Friday, Jan. 5, when Akron hosts Bowling Green State University in the Zips’ Mid-American Conference basketball opener. The beer will be available at James A. Rhodes Arena during all home sporting events as well as at the brewery.

Brewery founder Fred Karm, a 1987 Akron graduate, said in a press release the collaboration “brings it all back full circle for me.”

The university offers a one-credit-hour course, Science of Brewing and Fermentation, that involves Hoppin’ Frog, which is at 1680 E. Waterloo Road in Akron.

It’s not the first brewery-university collaboration in Northeast Ohio. The Jolly Scholar is based out of the basement of the Thwing Student Center at Case Western Reserve University. In 2022, Sibling Revelry Brewing came out with Kent State Golden Lager, the official craft beer of Kent State Athletics. And last year Penguin City Brewing Co. released a limited-edition design commemorating Youngstown State and its mascot Pete.

Related coverage: Penguin City Brewing Co. releases new Youngstown State cans

Like beer? Check out GiveThemBeer for gifts for beer lovers. The company offers craft-beer baskets, seasonal selections and more.

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. For my recent stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursdays. Twitter: @mbona30. My latest book, co-authored with Dan Murphy, is “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” by Gray & Co.

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