Ask a Texan what their favorite soda is and the answer is usually Dr Pepper or Big Red Soda. Both created in Texas, the two sodas are a big part of Texas culture. Whataburger sells limited-time Dr Pepper milkshakes, Krispy Kreme sells limited-edition Big Red doughnuts. So it was a matter of time before a Texas brewery started making a Big Red flavored beer named Big Rojo Beer.
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Texas Brewery Makes Big Rojo Beer
According to My San Antonio, Islla Street Brewing Company decided to try something unusual and add actual Big Red syrup to a batch of beer. Described as a "subtlety tart Berliner body finished with REAL Big Red syrup for the iconic sweet smooth finish of the soda that was made for Texas," the new beer is the perfect mix between the delicious taste of beer and Big Red Soda.
The craft beer's first batch was initially released to a limited group, some of which got the chance to take home the beer for free via an online contest on their Instagram page. A few lucky drinkers also got the chance to taste the beer at Big Hops on Bitters before Gov. Greg Abbott closed the bars on Friday due to the pandemic. The bar had planned to host barbacoa and Big Red event before they were shut down.
Islla Street Brewing Company announced in 2020 that the name for "Big Rojo Beer" has changed to Wild Rojo due to "lawyer things"."It's the SAME recipe made with THAT soda," Islla Street Brewing wrote online.
Expanding With H-E-B
The small-batch beer from Islla St. Brewing is expanding to 19 H-E-B stores in the Central Texas market and slowly making its way to Houston and Dallas.
"For those of you who know how we started and what it took to get to this point, we hope you understand how amazing this is to us and know how hard we will be working over the next few weeks to share this with everyone we can as we roll out new markets," the Peña family, who owns and runs the brewery, said in an Instagram post.
According to My San Antonio, Josh and his brother, Joaquin, walked around some of the stores during its first day at H-E-B giving out free barbacoa tacos to customers like "Mexican Santa Claus".
What is Big Red Soda?
Created in 1937 in Waco, Texas by Grover C. Thomsen and R.H. Roark, the red cream soda was originally called Sun Tang Red Cream Soda. While many think the flavor is bubble gum, it is actually a mixture of orange and lemon mixed with vanilla. Each year San Antonio hosts The Barbacoa & Big Red Festival to showcase two Texas specialties. This year due to rising covid-19 cases, the festival was canceled.
