Troy Aikman, the Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback is ready to go up against Big Beer names such as Molson Coors and Budweiser with the same high intensity as he did when he faced long-time rivals the New York Giants during a Sunday primetime matchup.
Well kind of, but you get the point.
Troy Aikman, 55, said he will launch EIGHT beer after just two years of creating the product alongside Phil Leinhart, who is a beer industry veteran. Billed as beer for the modern consumer— in this case meaning it is made from organic grains, has zero sugar and contains “antioxidant-rich” hops known as Hallertau Taurus. The beer will be released first at restaurants and bars in Aikman’s home field of Texas. In March, EIGHT will make its way onto retail shelves throughout the Lone Star state.
Aikman, who is known for his savvy investments in the restaurant chain WingStop and car dealerships — says he has enjoyed beer for a long time, but it is time for something even better, ingredient wise, for people who lead active lifestyles.
“There is over 8,000 breweries throughout America and the space that we have entered is as competitive as any of them. But when I looked at the beer category, I just felt that it could be even better. My thinking was that what’s on the shelf has been on the market for a while now. I believe it was time for a newcomer and quite simply, I really felt that we would be able to do a better job and I think we have succeeded. So that was where the motivation came from to get behind this project,” Aikman said.
It seems Aikman’s “better beer” is hitting the shelves at the right time.
According to a new poll of retailers from the alcohol delivery service Drizly, 60% said “natural and organic” are non-price-related attributes that is influencing their buying decisions more and more, especially for wine. While half of the retailers that were surveyed have plans to carry more hard seltzer in 2022, 57% plan to devote additional shelf space to craft beer.
Added Aikman, “There is a lot of people just like me that are highly conscious of what they put into their bodies. They work hard all week, and when it’s time to celebrate, they do not want to compromise all that hard work they put in during the week.”
Author: Blake Ambrose
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