Brewers team up on Harley-Davidson beer

Three Milwaukee brewers have made a limited edition Harley-Davidson beer to mark the iconic motorcycle brand’s 115th anniversary.

The Harley-Davidson 115th Anniversary Milwaukee Lager was brewed in collaboration by Good City Brewing, Third Space Brewing and Milwaukee Brewing Co and is made from a blend of all-Wisconsin malts roasted at Milwaukee’s Malteurop.

As reported by Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel, the beer was launched to coincide with the brand’s 115th anniversary celebrations, which will take place from August 29 to September 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the company’s headquarters.

The aim was to produce a session brew with generational appeal, that would be a hit with both older Harley riders and younger craft beer drinkers.

“We knew we wanted something that was super balanced, drinkable. The brew team here put together a great beer,” Andy Gehl, co-founder of Third Space Brewing, said in a promotional video. “I think one of the most exciting things about this whole project and this beer is that it’s just about Milwaukee and the heritage and the history.”

Milwaukee’s 4.5% Harley-Davidson 115th Anniversary Lager will be available at events associated with the Harley-Davidson anniversary celebration, which has been held every five years since the company’s 85th anniversary in 1988. It will also be available in in Milwaukee bars and restaurants and in 16-ounce cans in four-packs at retail locations for between $7.99 to $8.99.

Although this isn’t the first time that the drinks industry and the world of Harley-Davidson has collided. Last year a motorcycle enthusiast created what he believed to be, and probably is, the world’s first gin to be “infused” with the engine parts of a Harley-Davidson.

Uwe Ehinger of workshop Ehinger Kraftrad – which manufacturers custom-made motorbikes – earned the nickname “The Archaeologist” due to his passion for scouring the planet for antique motorbikes and parts and using them to create his own models.

Now, he has transferred that passion to the world of spirits to create The Archaeologist – a €1,000 gin made by steeping the spirit with engine parts salvaged from an old Harley Davidson motorbike.

The bottles of gin are filled with original engine parts salvaged by Ehinger from across the world. Each motorbike part is sterilised and sealed with a tin alloy to make it safe, before being soldered onto a steel structure and encased inside a handcrafted bottle.