Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., a division of MillerCoors' Tenth and Blake Beer Co., will be rolling out three new flavors of its shandy-style beers in September, according to Tom Long, chief executive officer of MillerCoors.
Long announced the flavors -- Harvest Patch Shandy, Old Fashioned Shandy and Cranberry Ginger Shandy -- during a call with analysts on Wednesday about MillerCoors’ second-quarter 2014 performance. A shandy is a beer mixed with a soft drink, carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale or apple juice.
And sales of Leinenkugel's shandy-style beers have been a bright spot for the Chicago-based beer manufacturer.
"Summer Shandy sales helped the brewery grow by high single digits in the second quarter," Long said. "The explosive popularity of Summer Shandy isn’t lost on us. And we don’t think the refreshing crisp taste should be limited to summertime. So this year we’ll continue to give consumers more of what they want once it gets a little colder."
Long said MillerCoors will bring back Orange Shandy, which sold more than 72,000 barrels in 2013, in the fall. A variety pack with the three new shandy beers will be introduced in September.
MillerCoors' Tenth and Blake Beer Co. markets craft beers, imports and ciders including Leinenkugel's, Pilsner Urquell, and Henry Weinhard's.
MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller and Molsen Coors, has administrative offices and a major brewery in Milwaukee.
