Killebrew_Root_Beer

Killebrew Root Beer

Killebrew Root Beer

Brand of American root beer


Killebrew Root Beer is a root beer beverage produced with the endorsement of former Minnesota Twins baseball player Harmon Killebrew and currently sold by RJM Distributing.[1] The product is sold in 12 fl-oz glass bottles and tallboy 16 fl-oz cans covered in flat retro branding featuring a baseball diamond, a reproduction of Killebrew's signature, his retired number 3, a vertical stripe pattern reminiscent of Twins uniforms during his time playing, "Old-Fashioned" branding,[2] and the slogan, "With the Hall of Fame Taste", alluding to Killebrew's 1984 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[3] The company also sells a cream soda under similar branding.[1]

Quick Facts Type, Manufacturer ...
Killebrew Root Beer and Cream Soda in tallboy cans

Killebrew Root Beer is advertised as being sweetened with Minnesota honey.[3][4] The beverages are sold at concessions stands and by roving vendors in the Twins' Target Field,[4][5][6] at Hammond Stadium, the Twins' spring training home in Fort Myers, Florida,[7] and at CHS Field, the home of the St. Paul Saints.[7][8] At Target Field, Killebrew Root Beer is also used in root beer floats at Townball Tavern.[4][9] In addition, it is sold in several restaurants, grocers, department stores, and convenience stores in Minnesota and the wider Midwest, notably Target, Hy-Vee, Lunds & Byerly's, and Cub Foods.[10]

History

Killebrew has been in production since at least 1996 by Cold Spring Brewing Company in Cold Spring, Minnesota.[11][12] In 2003, a website was launched for Killebrew Beverages, a company based in Burnsville, Minnesota that offered three flavors: 'Rootbeer' [sic], 'Honey Cream', and 'Honey Lemon'.[13]

According to the 2003 site, the idea of launching a root beer brand can be traced back to 1984, when Harmon Killebrew supposedly received a "commemorative soda can" for being entered into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His son, Ken Killebrew, then "heard him joke, 'We ought to put a brew in this and sell it!'". The old website also claims that Ken started producing the beverage in 1993 based on "an old family recipe for root beer".[13]

Later, Killebrew Root Beer was absorbed into RJM Distributing, based in Ramsey, Minnesota.[3] Cold Spring Brewing Company was sold to a private equity firm in 2017 called Brynwood Partners.[14] The branding relationship with RJM is handled by Ken Killebrew,[15] especially now after his father's death in 2011.[2][6]

In 2015, RJM Distributing ran a contest campaign to cross-promote the creation of a Harmon Killebrew US postage stamp by offering a free year of root beer.[7]


References

  1. RJM Distributing, Inc. (April 26, 2010). "Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew Signs Agreement With RJM Distributing to Officially Endorse Killebrew Beverages". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. North, Delaware (2010-04-01). "Target Field Touches All Bases with Food and Beverage". Delaware North Newsroom. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  3. "A Taste Of Target Field". WCCO-TV, CBS News. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  4. Kuss, Duane. "The Past, The Crash, The Future!". City of Cold Spring Government Office. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  5. "Baseball Name Selling Root Beer". Tulsa World. 1993-06-12. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  6. "Welcome to the Killebrew Beverages official website!". Killebrew Beverages. 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-08-05.
  7. "USA: 143-year-old Cold Spring Brewing Co. sold to private equity firm". www.inside.beer. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2024-02-08.

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