Summer Shandy Beer Brat Returns

SHEBOYGAN FALLS, Wis. [April 25, 2025] — After an impressive Midwest debut last spring, Leinenkugel’s and Johnsonville are bringing back the fan-favorite Summer Shandy Beer Brat for the spring and summer seasons due to high consumer demand.

The Summer Shandy infused Johnsonville fresh grilling sausage is now rolling out to grocers nationwide. Expanded retail distribution, including all divisions of Kroger and the majority of Albertsons Companies, spans across the East Coast through Ahold Delhaize, with Walmart, Meijer and Hy-Vee representing the Midwest.

The unexpected link-up and product pairing between two iconic Midwestern brands received high praise from consumers last year, including a taste ranking of 4.5 stars out of 5 on Kroger’s website. Followers immediately took to social media to share their approval and request broader distribution. In just four months, the fresh grilling sausage emerged as Johnsonville’s bestselling limited-time-offer product.

“We knew this would be a hit in the Midwest, but the national demand was a happy surprise,” shared Luke Wacek, associate director of dinner sausage, 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.”

In year two, Johnsonville’s brand partnership with Leinenkugel’s will again include retail displays and promotions, plus social media collaborations.

“Nothing says summer like firing up the grill with a Leinenkugel’s and Johnsonville Summer Shandy brat and a cold beer,” says 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.”

Grillo’s Pickles, the fastest-growing refrigerated pickle brand in the country, has also joined the party. In addition to social media integration, Grillo’s will round out retail support with meal solutions at select locations.

Beginning next week, consumers can enter the Leinie’s x Johnsonville Summer 2025 Sweepstakes. The national sweepstakes will go live April 30 and run through July 31. Twenty-five grand prize winners will each take home a Charbroil gas grill, a branded cooler, a year’s worth of Johnsonville products and $200 of Leinenkugel’s beer money. An additional 175 “instant win” summer swag prizes are up for grabs. See all the details at leinie.com/summersweeps.

Be sure to follow along with the brands on Instagram at @leinenkugels and @johnsonville for more beer and brat news this year. Consumers can find their closest Summer Shandy brat retailer at johnsonville.com/where-to-buy.

About Johnsonville, LLC

Wisconsin-based Johnsonville is the No. 1 national sausage brand, selling and serving more than 80 different varieties of sausage across 40-plus countries and in more than 75 U.S. professional, semi-pro and college sports stadiums. Founded in 1945, Johnsonville remains a family-owned company of obsessed sausage makers that employs and develops approximately 4,000 members globally.

About Molson Coors Beverage Company

For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has brewed beverages that unite people to celebrate all life’s moments. From our core power brands Coors Light, Miller Lite, Coors Banquet, Molson Canadian, Carling and Ožujsko to our above premium brands including Madrí Excepcional, Staropramen, Blue Moon Belgian White and Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, to our economy and value brands like Miller High Life and Keystone Light, we produce many beloved and iconic beers. While Molson Coors’ history is rooted in beer, we offer a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well, including flavored beverages like Vizzy Hard Seltzer, spirits like Five Trail whiskey and non-alcoholic beverages like ZOA Energy. As a business, our ambition is to be the first choice for our people, our consumers and our customers, and our success depends on our ability to make our products available to meet a wide range of consumer segments and occasions.

Molson Coors Beverage Company is a publicly traded company that operates through its Americas and EMEA&APAC reporting segments and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange. To learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com.