Luke Bryan is a beer guy.
That’s not news to any of the two-time ACM and two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year’s fans who have heard his hits including “Drink A Beer,” “Just A Sip” or “Cold Beer Drinker.”
”Beer means putting yourself in a mental space where you can chill out,” Bryan told USA TODAY. “This business is tricky for me, it’s hard work, and you get offstage and nothing feels better than getting off a hot stage in the summertime and enjoying a cold beer.”
Now, Bryan manifested that ahhh feeling into a brew of his own. The singer partnered with Constellation Brands to create Two Lane American Golden Lager, a 99-calorie beer with 4.2% alcohol by volume and 3 grams of carbs.
Bryan’s collaboration with Constellation Brands, whose portfolio includes beers such as Corona, wines such as Kim Crawford and spirits such as Svedka Vodka, began several years ago. Eventually they landed on making a beer after toying with other ideas.
From there, through testing, Bryan said it took about two years to get right. He wanted to create a beer that was low-calorie but that didn’t lack flavor, which wasn’t an easy feat. To do that, Bryan said, there was some give and take as he worked closely with Constellation.
The brew features American-grown barley and water from the Blue Ridge Mountains. ”We knew we wanted it to have a real American feel,” Bryan said.
The “Play It Again” singer said he wants his beer to bring beer back to its roots. To him, beer is about connection.
“I wanted my beer to get back to what it’s really all about,” he said. “Beer is all about sharing it with friends, sharing it in the outdoors and sharing it in a rural spot where you will never forget sharing that beer with somebody for the first time.”
To field-test his beer, he brought some cans home to Georgia at Thanksgiving for his friends to try. He wanted to make sure they enjoyed it, so he snuck a couple of cans into their coolers. The highest approval he needed, though? His mom’s.
“At 7 o’clock every day, she opens a beer,” Bryan said, explaining that she winds down on her patio while watching the waves and enjoying a cold one. “It’s a home run for me: If I can get my mother to like my beer, it checks all the boxes.”
Bryan’s beer will be available regionally in March, but he does hope to take it nationwide at some point.
“I built my music by playing the Southeast, working hard and gaining fans, one by one,” he said. “(I want to) grow it the good old-fashioned way, create a great beer and gain each beer fan, one by one.”
Two Lane American Golden Lager is now available in select states including Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
The beer will be sold in cans and available in six-packs, 12-packs, 16-ounce single-serve cans and on draft. A 12-pack of cans has a suggested retail price of $15.99.
Read more at usatoday.com
