By MADISON KORMAN
The University of Maryland and UNION Craft Brewing teamed up to release Testudo Premium Lager, the official craft beer of the Maryland Terrapins, marking the official launch at an event at the Baltimore brewery in August.
The beer, donning a vintage Testudo logo from the 1980s and named after the University of Maryland’s (UMD) diamondback terrapin mascot, is already available in Prince George’s County and will soon hit shelves across Maryland, the District and northern Virginia.
“We just canned about 25,000 Testudo Premium Lagers today,” Adam Benesch, co-founder of UNION Craft Brewing and a University of Maryland alumni, said.
The launch event was a lively affair, featuring food, music, cornhole and a selfie station. Many UMD alumni were present to support the launch.
“My husband and I love drinking beer,” said Whitney Hill, a UMD alum who works in the university’s School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies. “So we figured, why not come here and drink beer?”
Hill said she hopes to see the beer at sports games.
“We see a lot of beers like Corona at games, but I am hoping to have this beer at games because it has a unique personality [and] flavor,” Hill said.
The beer will be available at the university’s SECU Stadium and the Xfinity Center.
“Whether you’re alumni or just a fan of the sports teams, or have friends and family that are Terps,” Benesch added, “it’s approachable, very high quality and very well made.”
Benesch, who discovered his passion for craft beer while studying at UMD in the mid-90s, said the brewery has been working hard to perfect the brew.
“The beer is a beautiful 5%, crisp, clean lager,” Benesch said. “It’s made with the four basic ingredients of beer: That’s malted barley, hops, water and yeast. We love using those four basic ingredients to come up with a super flavorful, crisp, refreshing lager that any Terp alumni or Maryland fan can enjoy, whether at a game, at home or with friends.”
Gregory Berkowitz, UMD’s director of trademarks and licensing, said the university chose to collaborate with UNION Craft Brewing because Benesch, an alum, was committed to perfecting a beer to represent the university.
“We’re always exploring new product categories to expand the brand and reach more people and connect with fans, alumni, students and just members of the community,” Berkowitz said. “Adam, being an alum who’s the CEO, was kind of an extra bonus. He understood what we’re trying to do and is committed to doing it.”
Berkowitz said the beer’s packaging is meant to connect with university alumni.
“This is for alum and community members who are over 21,” he said.
