MONROE — Popular YouTube pranksters* theNelk Boys— who have been known to shotgun a beer or three on their videos — chose Minhas Craft Brewery to make their own hard seltzer calledHappy Dad.
In avideo released on Memorial Day, Nelk documents the yearlong process from concept to finished product. A good chunk of the video captures the crew's trip in April to Monroe (skip ahead to the 16-minute mark) where they talk with the brewers and taste test Happy Dad. Oh, and make a few fans happy.
It starts with one fan, Brady, saying he spotted Nelk member SteveDeleonardis "drive by down the street ... I just figured I had to meet you all."
Word spreads around town while Nelk members taste test seltzer and talk brewery history and business with the Minhas team inside. Later a few lucky fans chosen from a crowd gathered outside the brewery are brought in to try the seltzer. Some shotgunning happens. One fan who identifies himself as "Shake And Bake" shotguns a Happy Dad in about 2 seconds. Literally.
Spoiler alert: Shake And Bake and all other fans shown in the video like Happy Dad.
*Warning: I probably undersold the Nelk Boys antics in the lead. If you're not familiar with their work and are tempted to click on more of their videos, be prepared to clutch your pearls if you're offended bythe likes of "Jackass", Borat and similar content.
Happy Dad Hard Seltzer will be available in lemon lime, pineapple, watermelon andwild cherry flavor when it rolls out June 14 in California and online in select states. It's not made clear if Wisconsin qualifies as a "select state" for the June 14 release or lumped in with the vague "coming soon" grouping of "all other states." The closest drive to get a can would be to Canada. If you're allowed in.
While there isn't direct mention of Minhas on the Happy Dad website, the about us section includes this shoutout:"Besides that, Happy Dad’s water is naturally filtered by limestone and is crafted in small batches to ensure quality. It is also brewed at the 2nd oldest brewery in all of America. They even kept their operation going through the prohibition days. Pretty badass."
Contact Daniel Higginsdphiggin@gannett.com. Follow @HigginsEats onTwitter and Instagramand like onFacebook.
