Ask any college kid and you know that Taco Bell and booze go together like, well, Taco Bell and booze. The chain — having opened or planned a series of Cantina concepts that serve alcohol already — is continuing its foray into the booze realm with its own beer.
To do so, Taco Bell partnered with New York’s Blue Point Brewing to launch Big City Bell Pilsner. Taco Bell previously brewed a beer for its Newport Beach Cantina in California, but with multiple locations receiving the beer (and the renown of the brewery involved), this seems a bigger step for the brand.
The beer will be served in the three Manhattan-area Taco Bell Cantinas for $6 per serving. There were no plans revealed to bring the Taco Bell beer to the rest of the restaurant’s cantinas, but we can’t help but wonder if there’s a larger plan afoot.
“We’re so excited to be part of the Cantina launch in our hometown,” Blue Point president Jenna Lally said. “We’re looking forward to New Yorkers relaxing and enjoying some tacos with the new Big City Bell Pilsner.”
The Big City Bell Pilsner’s “crisp and balanced body” was designed to pair well with Taco Bell’s food, using a blend of hops evoking lime and other citrus aromas. The previous collaboration with Newport Beach, Beach Bell, was a “Mexican-style amber lager” brewed with California’s Four Sons Brewing for the opening the Newport Cantina in December 2017.
The beers aren’t changing the game, but it’s another signal that craft beer is making its way to the mainstream. The results, we hope, remain tasty.
Since 2015, Taco Bell has opened 19 cantinas and 16 urban in-line restaurants in addition to its traditional suburban drive-thru restaurants. Among those cantinas opening in Manhattan include the 500 8th Experience, which will also roll out five ways to order, nine order touch points, and a new Cantina nachos menu. Likewise, it will debut a few new freeze flavors — which can be made into “Twisted Freezes” with rum, vodka or tequila — like the Frozen Mule and Party Punch. Earlier this year, Taco Bell also tested frosé (as if we needed another place to add to our already overcrowded brunch options list).
Taco Bell is upping the fast food game in a big way with their boozy offerings — potentially bringing a Taco Bell beer to a location near you. If they don’t make it to your city, though, you can always just get some Taco Bell to go or, better yet, make some tacos and drink some brews.
