By: Nolan Alexander

ATLANTA – Kennesaw State University’s move to the Football Bowl Subdivision was met with excitement throughout the Owl Nation and resulted in a university-branded beer that Owl fans can enjoy year-round. Award-winning craft brewery New Realm Brewing Company and Kennesaw State announced the release of OWL IN American Lager. It is the first collaboration between the Georgia-based brewery and KSU and will be available to Owl fans during the homecoming football game on Sept. 28 at Fifth Third Stadium.

The official craft beer of the Kennesaw State Owls is designed in the university’s signature black and gold colors and features the owl emblem front and center. KSU fans in Cobb County and Metro Atlanta can find OWL IN year-round at select stores in 12-ounce six-packs, 16-ounce single packs and draft packs. A product search can be found here Here where KSU fans can find OWL IN at 50 locations throughout Cobb, Fulton, Cherokee and Bartow counties. Fans are encouraged to check the locator each week as there will be additional opportunities to purchase OWL IN at stores and restaurants.

“We are excited for Owl Nation to enjoy a quality product brought to us by one of our own employees, Jeff Chassner, and his team,” said Milton Overton, Athletic Director. “It was important to find a great partner for an officially licensed beer, and OWL IN offers great taste while cheering on KSU. We appreciate the partnership with New Realm as it is a unique way for fans to see us!”

Created for refreshment, OWL IN is made with a smooth hop blend of Magnum, Hersbrucker and Lemondrop hops. The result is a pale lager with 4% alcohol content and a straw-gold color, as well as only 110 calories and nine carbohydrates.

“Developing OWL IN has been a passion project for me as a proud KSU graduate, and we are excited to launch the release at such an exciting time of year for college sports fans,” said Jeff Chassner, Chief Sales Officer at New Realm Brewing Company. “We are proud of the local partnership we have formed with KSU to provide fans with a beer that is full of flavor and refreshment while being low in carbs and calories. It’s something every fan can enjoy during this new fall sports season and beyond.”

OWL IN is an officially licensed product developed in partnership with Van Wagner College under the direction of KSU General Manager Joe Harrington, the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) with KSU Licensing Manager Michael Creasy, and KSU Athletics under the direction of Senior Associate Athletic Director Rob Aycock.

“We are thrilled to offer Kennesaw State fans across the region the opportunity to support our student-athletes through this initiative,” Aycock said. “KSU Athletics continues to grow at a rapid pace and exposing our brand to so many Georgians will only accelerate our growth.”

“In addition to the visibility this valuable partnership brings, we are also very excited to leverage our brand identity in the consumer packaged goods market,” said Creasy. “The licensing revenue we generate from the sale of OWL IN will contribute to our continued growth by supporting student and faculty initiatives on campus and in the community.”

Kennesaw State University officially became a member of Conference USA in July and is in the second year of its transition to FBS. The evolution of the university’s athletic competition at the Division I level reflects its growth as one of the largest universities in Georgia.

“Our KSU Athletics Sponsorships team (Van Wagner, College) is proud of the partnership we have built with Jeff Chassner and everyone at New Realm Brewing Company, as well as the entire KSU Athletics staff,” said Harrington. “This is an exciting partnership that includes input and feedback from multiple campus stakeholders. We believe this partnership provides a solid template for our team to bring other CPG brands into KSU Athletics.”

“We are proud to support KSU and its positive development over the years,” said Chassner. “Coming on the heels of the university joining Conference USA, we hope that the launch of OWL IN as the official craft beer of KSU will only add to the university’s excitement and momentum.”

ABOUT NEW REALM BREWING CO.

New Realm is an American craft brewery and distillery founded in 2016 by co-founders Carey Falcone, Bob Powers, and Mitch Steele. The company operates production and innovation breweries/distilleries, each with its own kitchen facilities, serving globally inspired, locally sourced food in several cities across the Southeastern United States. New Realm’s core principles are quality, creativity, authenticity, and the pursuit of perfection, all with a customer-focused, community-focused commitment and approach.

New Realm’s accolades include multiple Gold Medals at the Great American Beer Fest (2022), Brewbound’s “Rising Star” Brewery, Ratebeer’s “Best New Brewer in Georgia,” Ratebeer’s 11th “Best New Brewer in the World” and Gold Medal at the Virginia Craft Beer Cup (2019 and 2021), and “Best in Show” for Euphonia Pilsner (2019). Brewmaster Mitch Steele is the recipient of the Russell Scherer Award for Innovation in Brewing and is the author of the book IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes, and the Evolution of India Pale Ale. For more information, visit NewRealmBrewing.com.

ABOUT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY

Kennesaw State University is a leader in innovative teaching and learning, offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the 11-college University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit attract students from across the country and around the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-accredited doctoral research institution (R2), placing it in an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

ABOUT VAN WAGNER, COLLEGE

Van Wagner is a leading sports advertising and entertainment agency with global expertise in film and live entertainment, sponsorship sales, multimedia rights and aerial advertising. Van Wagner creates, consults and sells on behalf of world-class teams, leagues, brands and corporations. An innovator in the business of sports and media, Van Wagner is a global leader in high-impact, visible signage for MLB, NBA, NCAA and international soccer, sponsorship sales, college multimedia rights and on-site content production at the world’s biggest sporting events. For more information, visit www.vanwagner.com.