Wheaties looks beyond breakfast with HefeWheaties beer

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The makers of Wheaties announced the "Breakfast of Champions" is expanding to later in the day with its latest product, a craft beer dubbed HefeWheaties.

General Mills announced on its website it is partnering with Minneapolis craft brewery Fulton for a limited release of HefeWheaties, an American Hefeweizen beer inspired by the cereal.

"We were intrigued from the get-go on this idea for many reasons, including that we're both Minneapolis companies, and that the beer and the cereal both started from the same place in terms of raw ingredients and the same city," said Ryan Petz, president and co-founder of Fulton.

"We had been sampling a number of Hefeweizens, so we had been discussing with the Wheaties team what we liked," Petz said. "Someone on the team said HefeWheaties, and it kind of sprung out from there."

Cans of HefeWheaties will be available for a limited time in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area beginning Aug. 26 and cereal-loving beer enthusiasts may want to start planning road trips now -- "HefeWheaties will not be available for shipment or purchase outside of Minnesota," General Mills said.

"Want to celebrate like a champion? Now you can," General Mills said in a post on the official Wheaties Twitter account.