MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Woodruff has pitched some of the most important games in Milwaukee Brewers history but even he felt a little additional pressure as he took the mound Wednesday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Not only would a victory Wednesday maintain his perfect record on the season and extend Milwaukee’s winning streak to 12 games, free hamburgers for the entire city of Milwaukee were on the line.
“I was nervous,” Woodruff said. “There was a little bit more at stake today. I wanted to win those burgers bad. Who doesn’t want a free burger?”
The Brewers beat the Pirates 12-5 on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to 12 games.
Local restaurant chain George Webb has been promising free burgers if the local baseball team won 17 consecutive games for decades, starting way back when Milwaukee was home to the minor-league Brewers of the old American Association.
The promotion dropped to 13 games by the time the Braves made Milwaukee a big-league city in 1953 but that franchise couldn’t make it happen before departing for Atlanta in 1966.
Webb changed the promotion to 12 games when the Brewers moved from Seattle in 1970. In 1987, the Brewers opened the season with 13 wins in a row. More than 170,000 burgers were given away to mark the occasion.
The Brewers accomplished the feat a second time in 2018. They closed the regular season with eight regular-season victories followed by four playoff wins. Milwaukee has come close on a few occasions since, including an 11-game winning streak earlier this season.
George Webb said the giveaway will be at all locations on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
Milwaukee Brewers' Brandon Lockridge (20) Blake Perkins (16) and Sal Frelick (10) react after beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
A fan holds up a sign during the fourth inning of a baseball between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers game, Wednesday, Aug.13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
KOHALA, Hawai‘i--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--
Kuleana Rum Works, the Hawai‘i-based distillery known for its additive-free, award-winning rums, today announced the release of “An Open Letter on Additive-Free Rum,” written by Founder & CEO Steve Jefferson, addressing why rum is now facing the same scrutiny and market shift that reshaped tequila a decade ago.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260107792953/en/
Consumers across spirits are demanding more honesty about how products are made. Additive-free labeling has already transformed tequila and is reshaping whiskey and RTDs. Drinkers now expect producers to protect natural flavor instead of masking it, and bartenders increasingly use transparency as a measure of quality. The letter positions rum as the next category entering this accountability cycle, as more consumers begin to question undisclosed sweeteners, flavorings and added color.
Tequila provides the clearest precedent. Producers who embraced additive-free methods helped premiumize the category, while brands relying on undisclosed additives now face growing skepticism. According to the letter, rum is approaching the same turning point. Jefferson explains that Kuleana Rum Works was founded on additive-free principles: growing heirloom Hawaiian kō (sugarcane), fermenting and distilling fresh juice at lower proof to preserve natural character, adding nothing after distillation and holding all blending partners to the same standards. Every rum — whether distilled in Hawai‘i or sourced — is verified additive-free through independent lab testing and supplier documentation.
“Consumer expectations are changing fast across spirits,” said Steve Jefferson, Founder and CEO of Kuleana Rum Works. “People want honesty in what they drink, and they’re rewarding producers who protect natural flavor rather than covering it up. Additive-free isn’t a trend — it’s becoming the standard, and rum is now facing that shift head-on.”
Additional detail in the letter underscores how production choices such as fresh juice fermentation, low-proof distillation and a strict no-additives policy create transparency and flavor integrity that align with what the market is valuing.
About Kuleana Rum Works
Founded on the island of Hawai‘i in 2013, Kuleana Rum Works crafts award-winning, additive-free rums — led by its signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole® — from fresh kō (heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane) grown on its regenerative Kohala farm. Now available in 17 states and Japan, Kuleana Rum Works champions excellence, transparency and community stewardship. Visit kuleanarum.com to learn more.
https://kuleanarum.com/additive-free/
