DALLAS — Apparently, the Spoetzl Brewery saw last week's Topo Chico hard seltzer news and said, "Hold my beer."
The 111-year-old brewery behind Shiner Beer announced Tuesday the launch of its new craft-brewed hard seltzer line Shiner Straight Shooter. And, according to a news release, it'll be available in time for Labor Day weekend.
Here are the hard (seltzer) facts. Straight Shooter will be available in four flavors: Wild Cherry, Grapefruit & Lime, Lemonade and Mango.
The Lemonade and Wild Cherry flavors will be available in canned six-packs, and the whole flavor set will be available in a variety 12-pack. All flavors will be gluten-free, at 90 calories per serving with zero carbs and zero sugar, according to the news release.
Shiner will initially only distribute the hard seltzer in Texas. Straight Shooter will be brewed in small batches, using "artesian well water."
And if you're wondering what Brewmaster Jimmy Mauric has to say about all of this, he's quoted in the news release, too.
"We brewed it so it would live up to its name ‘Straight Shooter’— it is a straightforward, transparent, delicious, and refreshing craft-brewed hard seltzer," Mauric said.
All Topo Chico jokes aside, Shiner's brand management said this multi-million dollar addition to the famed brewery's lineup was a move that had been in the making for a while. Gambrinus Company brand manager Nick Weiland said it was a matter of consumer demand -- many Shiner drinkers surveyed said they were drinking more and more hard seltzers.
"We didn't jump into this one light-heartedly," Weiland said. "We wanted to provide our drinkers with an option that was made right here in Texas."
As more brands continue to get into the hard seltzer game, perhaps it was only a matter of time before one of the most hallowed beer brands in the Lone Star state started hitting the seltzer.
(Speaking of the Lone Star state, at this point it's only a matter of time before Lone Star beer gets in on this trend, right?)
The Spoetzl Brewery has experimented with different beer flavors in the past, like the Strawberry Blonde, the Mango Kolsh and the Wicked Juicy IPA.
Anyway, will y'all try this when it hits stores? Will you be stocking your socially distant Labor day barbecues with some Shiner seltzer? Or is this too much to take on the heels of the Topo Chico seltzer news? Let us know by tweeting us or commenting on Facebook.
