PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - A cold beer can be good for a lot of occasions. But how about for marketing a county?

Pasco County is getting attention because of a new beer that’s been brewed for its tourism brand: Florida’s Sports Coast.

FSC partnered with Escape Brewing in Trinity to come up with a beer that matches its branding.

Brewery owners Matt Thompson and John McGregor came up with the Florida’s Sports Coast Pilsner.

“Pilsner made perfect sense,” Thompson said. “It’s refreshing. Falls in line with the outdoors. We did a different spin on it. More American, citrus based hops.”

Florida’s Sports Coast Director Adam Thomas says the partnership with the brewery started as a unique way to show off Pasco’s new brand as an outdoor destination, which is shown even in the art on the can.

“It’s active. It’s outdoor. It’s recreation,” Thomas said, describing the can. “You can see scalloping. You can see a trout. You can see kayaking. The iconic stilt houses. It really emulates who we are as a destination brand.”

The cans are sold around Pasco County in different stores and restaurants.

Florida’s Sports Coast became Pasco County’s tourism brand as a way to market the county for outdoor recreation and areas to hold sporting events.

The campaign with Escape Brewing was even just recognized by Visit Florida, which awarded Pasco County with one of its top recognitions, a Henry Award. It’s the first FSC has won.

McGregor and Thompson are both from Pasco County and are excited to see where this partnership can go.  

“It’s exciting to be part of something where we live in our community and to see good things happening for Pasco County,” McGregor said.