Red Sox, Samuel Adams Enter Into Multi-Year Deal, ‘Sam Deck’ Replaces Budweiser in RF

No, the Red Sox didn’t get Giancarlo Stanton. But they do have a new player in right field.

The Red Sox and Samuel Adams, New England’s leading independent craft brewer, announced Tuesday that the brand has been named the “official beer of the Boston Red Sox,” as the two sides entered into a multi-year partnership, bringing together two beloved institutions – the Red Sox and Sam Adams.

Sam Adams replaces Budweiser, which had been the sponsor of the right field roof deck since 2008. The roof deck beyond the Pesky Pole has become one of the most popular destinations inside Fenway Park during Red Sox games.

In 1984, Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch hit the streets of Boston, going door to door to introduce bartenders to his new full-flavored beer, Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Sam Adams’ flagship beer, a leader of America’s craft beer revolution, was born in Boston.

Many of the first bars and restaurants that carried the local brewer’s beer were around the Fenway neighborhood, giving special meaning to the new partnership.

“I moved to Boston the year of the ‘Impossible Dream Season’, said Koch, who grew up in Cincinnati and moved to Boston to attend Harvard University. “Now visitors to this historic ballpark will enjoy the freshest Sam Adams beer, while watching an incredible team, playing under our sign over in right field.

“It’s my personal impossible dream come true. We got our start right here in Boston, and for the past three decades we’ve worked our butts off to stay independent and brew great beer. As the official beer of the Red Sox, we get to celebrate our New England roots with millions of other fans as soon as the season kicks off.”

Sam Adams brewery has developed a strong relationship with the Red Sox, marketing the Big Hapi brew in recent years. (Boston Beer Company)

Visitors to Boston’s storied Fenway Park will start to see the multi-year partnership come to life as soon as January 2018 . Details of the agreement include:

Two Sam Adams experiential bar areas: The right field roof deck will now be known as the “Sam Deck” and a bar area located beneath the third base stands will be known as “Sammy’s On Third”.

In addition to crowd favorites like Boston Lager and Summer Ale, fans will be able to enjoy new brews launching in 2018, like the highly anticipated Sam ’76 .

Visible signage throughout the ballpark including the iconic right field sign which last changed nine years ago.

As the official beer of the Boston Red Sox, Sam Adams will have opportunities to partner across New England and in Fort Myers at JetBlue Park.

Sam Adams is the first American craft brewer to enter into a partnership with a Major League Baseball franchise, for this length of time and at this level. The move continues to highlight an important cultural shift as the popularity of American craft beer provides new opportunities for Independent craft brewers.

“Both the Red Sox and Sam Adams are rooted in Boston tradition and history, and Jim Koch and the entire team are as passionate about beer as we are about baseball,” said Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy. “We are excited for this long – term partnership, and look forward to working collaboratively to represent Boston through our two brands.”

This also marks the first professional team partnership, of this scale, for Samuel Adams. The local craft brewer has also been the official beer of the Boston Marathon for several years, and over the years has had limited sponsorships or other arrangements with the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins.

Mike Petraglia

Joined CLNS Media in 2017. Covered Boston sports as a radio broadcaster, reporter, columnist and TV and video talent since 1993. Covered Boston Red Sox for MLB.com from 2000-2007 and the New England Patriots for ESPN Radio, WBZ-AM, SiriusXM, WEEI, WEEI.com and CLNS since 1993. Featured columnist for the Boston Celtics on CelticsBlog.