Sheboygan County-based sausage maker Johnsonville and Leinenkugel’s, a Molson Coors beer brand, are bringing back Summer Shandy beer-flavored bratwurst this year, but now they will be available nationwide.
First introduced last year, the Summer Shandy Beer Brats were available at retailers in 19 states, including Wisconsin, for a limited time in 2024. A news release from Johnsonville and Molson Coors described the Summer Shandy Beer Brats debut in 2024 as “impressive.”
“We knew this would be a hit in the Midwest, but the national demand was a happy surprise,” said Luke Wacek, associate director of dinner sausage for Johnsonville. “We owed it to consumers to bring the brat back in a bigger, broader way. And we owe it to them to keep making flavors of sausage that no one else will.”
Expanded retail distribution for Johnsonville and Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy Beer Brats will include all divisions of Kroger and the majority of Albertsons Companies, spanning across the East Coast through Ahold Delhaize, with Walmart, Meijer and Hy-Vee representing the Midwest.
“Nothing says summer like firing up the grill with a Leinenkugel’s and Johnsonville Summer Shandy brat and a cold beer,” said James Nanney, field marketing director of the Great Lakes region for Molson Coors Beverage Company. “Bringing Johnsonville’s delicious brats and our great beer together for a second year in a row was a no-brainer, and this year we can’t wait for the whole country to experience a Midwestern summer.”
