Belly Bomber's Delight: White Castle branded beer is coming
White Castle is getting into the beer business and it will soon be offering their own line of brew to go with their slider hamburgers.
The fast-food chain will be launching its first beer, a kölsch from Weyerbacher Brewing Company, which will be available at 400 White Castle restaurants in 13 different states.
"We’ve got a lot of good stuff on the horizon. We did a pilot brew for them, a kölsch that they loved, so that’s gonna be the first beer. It goes well with burgers," White Castle COO Josh Lampe told Brewhound.
A White Castle spokesperson emphasized that they are still very much in an exploratory phase in terms of putting the brew together.
“As we prepare to celebrate our 100th birthday in 2021, we are in the midst of planning lots of fun initiatives and surprises," a White Castle spokesman told Fox Business Network. "It’s too early for us to comment on any specifics about how widely available a White Castle inspired beer might be in our restaurants, but we’re enjoying the creative process we’re working on right now in real-time.”
Although the idea may seem novel, it’s hardly the first or only fast-food franchise to dabble in offering beer. But it may be the first to put their name on it.
McDonald’s offers beers in several European locations. In France, you can order a Kronenbourg 1664 with your Big Mac. In Greece, you can get a Heineken. McDonalds also offers beer in South Korea, Austria, Spain and a handful of other European countries.
Burger King offers domestic beers at their BK Whopper Bars, which are high-end branches of the Burger King brand, but those are only located in high-traffic areas like Orlando, Las Vegas and Miami. Chipotle offers beers at more than 900 U.S. locations as well.
But White Castle isn’t just selling beer, they will be selling their own beer, technically. The company is just licensing the White Castle brand name to a brewery, but the idea remains the same.
As for White Castle’s first offering, a kölsch is brew that originated in Cologne, Germany, with a straw-yellow hue. The brew tends to be fruity and hoppy in flavor and it is served cold like a lager. Kölsch is one of the most strictly defined beer styles in Germany and it tends to go well with cheeses and bread-based dishes, making it a perfect choice for White Castle’s first beer.
The beer rating website Untappd shows that Weyerbacher was testing out a pilot "Slider Beer" in May, and "Crave Nation" in August to positive feedback.
"Solid beer. A nice light change for Weyerbacher. Slightly hoppy. Light," one reviewer wrote about the Slider Beer. And, "Super crushable kolsch!" another reviewer posted in June.
The beer is rumored to hit select stores in 2020.