Forecast: A week of Tropical Lightning beer at this Wilmington brewery

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
·3 min read

It’s no secret that Tropical Lightning is big. The West Coast style IPA accounts for 60% of the beer made by Wilmington Brewing Company and is likely the area’s most popular locally made beer. You can find it in more than 150 bottle shops, bars and restaurants in the Wilmington area.

John and Michelle Savard make a lot of different beers at their brewery that are popular year-round. But January and February tend to be, well, slower.

“We wanted to have our brewery do something during our slow month,” John Savard said.

“And we don’t really celebrate the brewery anniversary or anything,” Michelle Savard said.

So, to do both, they decided to make variants of their most popular beer, releasing one each day during what is now known as Tropical Lightning Week. Four years later, it’s still going strong and takes place Feb. 5 through Feb. 9. in 2024.

Lightning in a can: This may be Wilmington's most popular local craft beer

The idea is that there’s a new beer released each day, available in bottles and on draft at 800 S. Kerr Ave. Fans line up at 11 a.m. Monday to enjoy the first beers. There are T-shirts and koozies. People stock up through the week for the Super Bowl.

“We’ll get out 1,200 cases of beers packaged,” he said. “Which is a lot for us.”

But Tropical Lightning Week isn’t just at one spot. Many of their vendors will carry one or two of the options, especially those that have flexible bar programs. Some, maybe 20 or 30, will offer all five to coincide with the daily release. Try Poe’s Tavern in Wrightsville Beach, Island Beverage in Carolina Beach, Fermental in Wilmington, Brunswick Beer XChange in Leland, Southport Tap & Cellar in Southport, Leaf and Barrel Provision Co. in Hampstead, and Salt Marsh Market in Surf City.

John and Michelle Savard, of Wilmington Brewing Company, have created Tropical Lightning Week to celebrate their flagship beer. In 2024 it begins on Feb. 5, 2024.
John and Michelle Savard, of Wilmington Brewing Company, have created Tropical Lightning Week to celebrate their flagship beer. In 2024 it begins on Feb. 5, 2024.

So, they use Tropical Lightning, a crisp-and-bitter 7.4% alcohol by volume IPA, as a basis Here’s a look at the variations you can find this week.

Hazy Tropical: The week begins with a hazier, New England Style IPA version. It’s released on Feb. 5. “It’s triple dry hopped, which makes it super intense,” John Savard said.

Tropical Tropical: On Tuesday, look for this beer where the Savards use tropical flavors of mango, pineapple and guava during brewing. “Over 10% of the beer is fruit puree,” he said. “It’s over 1,000 pounds.”

Lightning Strikes Thrice: This Triple IPA creates a beer that has a higher alcohol by volume, 11%, to help you with the mid-week blues. “And it is the most intense,” John Savard said. “Super bitter and a little resin-y, grapefruit resin.”

Trop Light: The Savards say this one is a staff favorite. “It’s pretty much Tropical, but we made it 5%. It’s a session IPA," John Savard said. "You can have, you know, two, three... four.”

Tropical Frightening: The week ends with the release of this Imperial IPA on Friday. It’s brewed with blood orange and raspberries. It’s also one they release twice a year, now and during Halloween. “It’s intense, too,” Michelle Savard said. “People love it, though. Visually, it’s very cool, that vibrant red.”

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington Brewing Company has a Tropical Lightning Week