Glendale-based Sprecher Brewing Company will raise a glass to its 30th anniversary with the release of a number of new beverages, including a limited edition Honey Root Beer.
The new variety of root beer is made with Wisconsin honey from a Germantown supplier and has a different profile from Sprecher’s original root beer, which also contains Wisconsin honey, according to the company.
“The new Honey Root Beer has the same great flavors as our original with the addition of a wild flower honey nose and flavor,” Sprecher brewmaster Craig Burge said in an announcement.
While Sprecher sodas have historically been brewed in a gas-fire brew kettle with honey included, Honey Root Beer contains 100 percent Wisconsin honey and offers customers a “richer” experience, said president Jeff Hamilton.
Sprecher Brewing Company has explored creating a honey variety of root beer before, according to Hamilton. However, it is not the most practical drink to create as honey can be hard to get and runs at a high cost, he said.
“We couldn’t possibly make this stuff all the time,” Hamilton said, adding that the newly released Honey Root Beer will be a treat for customers during the company’s anniversary celebration.
Sprecher produced 3,000 cases of its Honey Root Beer and bottled the beverage on Monday. Honey Root Beer will be available for purchase after packaging at the Sprecher Gift Shop, 701 W. Glendale Ave. in Glendale, and will also soon also be available in stores. The root beer comes in 12-oz bottles.
Additionally, Sprecher Brewing Company has introduced a Hard Apple Pie beverage, what Hamilton dubs a “revolutionary” product and one he anticipates other brewers will soon begin copying.
The flavored malt beverage, released separately from Sprecher’s anniversary commemoration, contains 5 percent alcohol by volume and tastes best when cold, according to the company. The beverage creation can be served by itself, used as a cocktail mixer, or serve in an “adults only” float – similar to Sprecher’s Hard Root Beer and Hard Ginger.
“This is the latest in our line of adult flavored malt beverages that began with Hard Root Beer in 2013,” Hamilton said. “We pioneered the first adult root beer, and now it has become a drink category with several competitors. Hard Apple Pie is another of those first-of-its-kind beverages. Every sip reminds you of eating a slice of homemade apple pie.”
Sprecher Hard Apple Pie, distributed in 12-oz bottles and in kegs, is available in the Sprecher Gift Shop starting today and will soon hit stores across the country.
