Twentieth Century Fox announced this week that they are set to release an official version of Duff beer, the drink of choice for citizens of Springfield.

The beloved brew of The Simpsons will first be launched in Chile, with plans to expand to the rest of South America and Europe by early 2016 – meaning it could soon be “always time for a Duff” at a bar near you.

Haven’t we seen Duff being sold before?

Rodrigo COntreras with Mexican Duff
The patent for the Duff name in Mexico is held by this man, Rodrigo Contreras (Guillermo Arias/AP)

After 26 years on air, the fictional beer has become nearly as beloved as the characters who slug it down. And it turns out that the world just “can’t get enough of that wonderful Duff”.

Copies of the drink have been found everywhere from Mexico to Australia, who were the lucky winners of a 10 week test run of the new brew last year.

In 2013, Chilean police seized over 60,000 off-brand cans of Duff in the city of Linares.

What caused the change of heart for Twentieth Century Fox?

Australian illegal Duff
A very rare can of Aussie “Duff” – the brewer was told to stop making it by a judge in 1996 (Rick Rycroft/AP)

The studio’s decision to release an official version comes after years of battling the illegal distributors. The change of tack is very much from the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” school of thought.

Jeffrey Godsick, president of the studio’s consumer products division, told Wall Street Journal: “Once you see enough piracy, you are faced with two choices. One is deciding to fight it, and the other is deciding to go out [into the market] with it.”

What do the Simpson’s creators think about selling Duff?

Despite the endorsement, Simpsons creator Matt Groening has long stated he doesn’t support selling the beer – because he fears it might promote drinking to kids. So don’t expect to see Duffman shouting “Let’s get Duffed” outside an off-licence near you.

Godsick clarified: “Duff is inspired by the brand that’s in the show, but it begins and ends at that. It’s a completely stand-alone brand… you will not see any characters from the show involved in the marketing in any way.”

So the beer on shelves will be exact replicas of those seen on the show. Nothing more.

What will it taste like?

Universal selling Duff beer
Probably a lot nicer than the stuff being sold at Universal in Orlando… (John Raoux/AP)

It’s a long way from the combo of rats, syringes and Adolf Hitler’s head as seen in the episode where Homer visits the Duff brewery. British beer master Paul Farnsworth has instead created a tasty recipe for a premium lager.

“It’s got a very good balance of flavour and refreshment to it. It’s fairly deep golden in colour. It’s got a hint of fruit to it. It’s got a caramel aromatic to it.”

But does this mean there’s hope for fans of Krusty Burger and Bumblebee Man’s Tacos? We can only hope.