Carnival Cruise Line Announces Four New Craft Beers To Debut On Carnival Horizon’s Onboard Brewery

Carnival Cruise Line has announced the names of the four craft beers that will be brewed aboard the new Carnival Horizon which is set to debut in Europe April 2, 2018.

Beer Alien reached out to Carnival Cruise Line to find out more about this onboard brewery. We wanted to ensure that the brewery was actually brewing its own beers and not someone else’s recipes/beers. We were primarily concerned with a beer called “ThirstyFrog Red” which is known to be an AB InBev product.  Since Carnival brewed beers called “ThirstyFrog …” , we wanted clarification from the humans at Carnival Cruise Line. We received the following explanation from Carnival Cruise Line:

“When Carnival Vista debuted in 2016 with the RedFrog Pub & Brewery, the first brewery on a North American-based cruise ship, it featured three exclusive brewed-on-board beers: ThirstyFrog Port Hoppin’ IPA, ThirstyFrog Caribbean Wheat and FriskyFrog Java Stout, which were developed by Colin Presby, an experienced brewmaster from Pennsylvania, who was tapped to oversee the brewery’s operation.  

Since the debut of Carnival Vista, Presby has created a number of seasonal beers on board Carnival Vista, including a Miami Guava Wheat Beer for American Craft Beer Week last year, as well as a seasonal ThirstyFrog American Pale Ale when the ship arrived in the US.

ThirstyFrog Red is independent from Carnival Vista’s “ThirstyFrog” beers and Carnival Horizon’s “ParchedPig” brews and the breweries onboard Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon are independent craft breweries operated by Carnival’s own brewmasters.”

We will be interviewing head brewer Colin Presby in the upcoming weeks to find out more.

Here is the rest of the news about the new Carnival Cruise Line beers:

The refreshing new brews were developed by Carnival’s expert brewmaster Colin Presby and will be offered at Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse, a new dining concept that combines the best of both worlds – an onboard brewery and a full-service restaurant featuring “real deal” BBQ favorites and sides developed by Food Network star Guy Fieri, a member of the American Royal National Barbecue Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made by Presby and Carnival Vice President of Beverage Operations Edward Allen at a traditional keg-tapping ceremony held aboard Carnival Vista, the first North American-based cruise ship to feature an onboard brewery.

The names of the beers – whose names are playful takes on the line’s popular ThirstyFrog brews that debuted on Carnival Vista – are inspired by the varied barbecue offerings at Smokehouse|Brewhouse.  The four new beers on Carnival Horizon include:

• ParchedPig Smoked Porter – brewed with in-house smoked malt, this robust, full-bodied beer offers big and bold flavors and notes of molasses and hickory smoke, providing the perfect complement to Smokehouse|Brewhouse’s BBQ favorites
• ParchedPig Farmhouse Ale – this lightly hopped beer is distinguished by its blond color, fruity and complex character with mild spice notes that balance the brew’s dry finish
• ParchedPig Toasted Amber Ale – highlighted by its rich amber color and notes of toasted caramel and biscuit, this beer is well balanced, smooth and highly drinkable
• ParchedPig West Coast IPA – the embodiment of a traditional West Coast India Pale Ale, this hoppy, intense beer is loaded with bitterness with a bright flavor profile and distinctive aroma of citrus and pine

“Smokehouse|Brewhouse is a unique culinary concept and we’ve created four fantastic brewed-on-board craft beers that not only showcase different tastes and brewing styles but also serve as the ideal accompaniment to the venue’s delicious array of barbecue offerings,” said Presby.

The brewery takes center stage at Smokehouse|Brewhouse, which, in addition to delicious craft beers and custom cocktails, will offer a rustic, down-home décor as well as a variety of Fieri-designed favorites, all smoked “low and slow” using the chef’s signature rubs and spices.  The tantalizing offerings include smoked-on-board brisket, Memphis-style back ribs, dry-rubbed chicken, pulled pork, and cedar-smoked salmon, along with the chef’s own take on traditional sides and his signature sauces.  Dinner menu items are offered on an a la carte basis with a free-of-charge self-service BBQ lunch buffet available on embarkation day and sea days.

A host of other dining venues aboard Carnival Horizon are also available, including the line’s first teppanyaki restaurant, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, the Mexican-themed BlueIguana Cantina eatery, the 24-hour Pizzeria del Capitano, and the New England-inspired Seafood Shack.

Other features include the groundbreaking bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction called SkyRide, an IMAX Theatre, and the first Dr. Seuss-themed water park at sea. A wide range of accommodations – from spa cabins with exclusive privileges at the luxurious Cloud 9 Spa, extra-roomy staterooms in Family Harbor to tropics-inspired Havana staterooms and suites with exclusive daytime access to a Cuban-themed bar and pool – will also be offered. 

Carnival Horizon is scheduled to make its maiden voyage April 2, 2018, with a 13-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona – the first of four round-trip departures from that port.  Carnival Horizon will reposition to the U.S. with a 14-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York May 9-23, 2018.  

Following its summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean departures from the Big Apple, Carnival Horizon will shift to Miami and kick off a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning Sept. 22, 2018. Carnival Horizon will also offer a special two-day cruise to Nassau from Miami Sept. 20-22, 2018.

To learn more about Carnival Cruise Line, visit Carnival.com. For reservations, contact any travel agent or call 1-800-CARNIVAL.

Carnival can also be found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Journalists also can visit Carnival’s media site, carnival-news.com or follow the line’s PR department on Twitter at twitter.com/CarnivalPR.

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About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is “The World’s Most Popular Cruise Line®” with 25 ships operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Two 133,500-ton Vista class ships are currently scheduled for delivery – Carnival Horizon in 2018 and Carnival Panorama in 2019. Additionally, two new 180,000-ton ships are scheduled to enter service in 2020 and 2022.