Coming soon: Planters-branded peanut beer

Mr. Peanut is getting into the beer business. Planters peanuts, long paired with beer, are now actually going into a brew as result of a new collaboration between the Kraft Heinz-owned brand and Chicago-area-based craft brewer Noon Whistle Brewing. The offering, called Mr. IPA-Nut, will only be sold in Illinois. The can features a close up of Mr. Peanut, the longtime Planters mascot. According to Noon Whistle, Mr. IPA-Nut is brewed with Planters peanuts and Wakatu and Citra hops to deliver a citrus aroma and a hint of honey-roasted peanuts, followed by a slightly salty finish. It's 6.3 percent alcohol by volume. The average light beer, by contrast, checks in at 4.2 percent. The introduction of Mr. IPA-Nut is the latest push to update Mr. Peanut for more modern times. Earlier this year, Planters began running ads that position the peanut spokesman as a "wingnut" always there for people when they're craving a salty snack. While the beer is a bit out there for a brand like Planters, brand collaborations in beer are becoming more common. IHOP released IHOPS Pumpkin Pancake Stout in the New York tri-state area at bars and festivals in September. Dunkin's latest beer collaboration is Harpoon Dunkin' Coffee Porter, which it released with Harpoon Brewery in early October. Budweiser and Jim Beam recently hooked up on a co-branded lager. Mr. IPA-Nut comes in 16-ounce cans, with four-packs priced at $9.99, pitting the beer against some higher-end competition. It's set to be sold starting Oct. 27 (on National American Beer Day) at certain Illinois retailers and at Noon Whistle Brewery, in Lombard, Illinois, which is a Chicago suburb. Kraft Heinz says McGarryBowen Chicago is the creative agency working on the project, which includes promoting the beer with a #BeerGoesNuts digital campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Coming soon: Planters-branded peanut beer

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