Jelly Belly debuts beer-flavored jelly bean

America loves beer (kind of).

While the drink maintains a shaky hold on its status as the country’s preferred alcoholic beverage, Jelly Belly has decided to take things to a new level with a beer-flavored jelly bean.

It’s been in demand for decades, and it looks like the company finally decided to throw a bone to Oktoberfest attendees and St. Patrick’s Day lovers everywhere.

“Jelly Belly found a way to fit 15 pints in the palm of your hand, they deserve an award,” said beer expert Jackie Dodd.

The bean is non-alcoholic, so don’t get any big ideas about sneaking a drink at work. But the company has quite a few more pleasant adjectives to describe the bean, including “effervescent,” “crisp,” “clean” and “iridescent.”

If you’ve been on the hunt for a jelly bean with “notes of wheat” and a “touch of sweetness,” with an aroma that is “mildly bready,” you’ve come to the right place.

“Usually the factory has a sweet and fruity aroma, but when we’re making this flavor it’s just like being in an ale house,” said Jeff Brown, vice president in charge of manufacturing for Jelly Belly.

If you, like other true beer connoisseurs, want a beer cocktail, Jelly Belly suggests the following:

• 2 Draft Beer + 1 Peach = Beer Sangria
• 2 Draft Beer + 1 Red Apple = Beer cider
• 2 Draft Beer + 1 Lemon Lime + 1 TABASCO = Michelada

Jelly Belly also decided to coat its Tabasco-flavored beans in chocolate. The company said the beer-flavored bean isn’t guaranteed a permanent place in the Jelly Belly canon, but could remain for “a long time” if it finds a following.

Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @stephgrimes