Shock Top Lemon Shandy Returns

02 Mar 2015 --- Enough is enough. This winter has been brutal for millions of Americans: subzero temperatures, record levels of snow and a groundhog that seems to see his shadow every year. Everywhere you look is a bleak, cold reminder summer is still months away. Or is it?

Shock Top says “enough!” to winter and declares March 2 the unofficial start of summer with the return of its summer seasonal, Shock Top Lemon Shandy.

“Every time you turn on the TV or go online, there’s another story or post about the polar vortex or ‘snowpocalypse,’ and like everyone one else, we’re tired of winter, too,” said Jake Kirsch, VP of Shock Top. “The return of Lemon Shandy has always signaled ‘summer’ for us, and we want to help people realize the beer you choose can dictate the season just as much as the calendar.”

Part of what makes Shock Top Lemon Shandy intrinsically “summer” is that every batch is brewed with real California lemon peels. Now, beer drinkers can tap into the summer season, with fresh citrus directly from the Golden State, where it’s summer all year.

California’s year-round love affair with summer is also the inspiration for Shock Top’s new campaign, “72 degrees and Shock Top.” Beginning at the Limoneira Citrus Ranch in Santa Paula, Calif., Shock Top is embarking on a cross-country journey to Boston – which has been absolutely blasted by winter this season – to bring a little sunshine and celebrate the impending end of winter (at least according to a certain groundhog) with a special summer-themed celebration in two weeks. From there, Shock Top drinkers can campaign to bring an early summer – and hopefully a little California sunshine – to their snowy city by using the hashtag #72andShockTop.

“’72 degrees and Shock Top’ is a simple idea: we’re reminding people these brutal winters don’t last forever, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we’re actually going to bring it to folks sooner than Mother Nature would,” said Kirsch. “Well … at the very least, we’ll bring Lemon Shandy and Belgian White.”