Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer, one of several major hard seltzer launches of 2021, has arrived on shelves in variety 12- and 24-packs and 25 oz. single-serve cans.
“We have plenty of consumers and retailers and wholesalers very excited with the first few days in the market,” Michelob Ultra global vice president Ricardo Marques said Monday evening during a Zoom tasting event for members of the media.
The launch marks Anheuser-Busch InBev’s fifth hard seltzer brand, outside of hard seltzer offerings from breweries within the world’s largest beer manufacturer’s craft division, the Brewers Collective.
The Michelob Ultra branded hard seltzer is certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is the company’s first nationwide organic hard seltzer brand. To attain the certification, A-B produces Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer at its production brewery in Cartersville, Georgia, which itself has been certified organic by the USDA.
Maha Organic Hard Seltzer, which falls under the Brewers Collective, is also certified organic, but only available in California.
The Michelob Ultra hard seltzer is available in three flavors: Spicy Pineapple, Cucumber Lime and Peach Pear. A second variety pack with three new, to-be-determined flavors is planned for late 2021.
The new product checks in at 80 calories and 4% ABV, with 0 grams of carbohydrates and sugars, making it lighter than the 100 calories and 5% ABV of the hard seltzer segment’s three lead brands, Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw, Boston Beer’s Truly Hard Seltzer and A-B’s Bud Light Seltzer.
In addition to the organic certification, the cans also tout six rounds of filtration as a point of differentiation.
“That kind of sets us apart from a lot of the other seltzers that are out on the marketplace and gives us a really clean base flavor,” brewmaster Chrissy Davenport said. “Before we add any flavors, it tastes really nice and clean — a really good fit for the Ultra family.”
With this new offering, Michelob Ultra is targeting hard seltzer drinkers in the 35-54 age range — not a common focus for the increasingly crowded hard seltzer segment.
“We realized that there was whitespace that was perfect for a brand like Michelob Ultra,” Marques said. “Essentially, we realized in talking to consumers, some of these drinkers did not see themselves reflected in the current propositions that were being offered in market.
“They were looking for an offering that would be a little bit more premium, more mature and more sophisticated,” he continued.
The hard seltzer segment, which reached $4.1 billion in dollar sales in 2020 at off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm Nielsen, typically markets to the youngest cohort of legal drinking age adults. However, Marques said his team discovered that data showed drinkers age 35 and older accounted for half the hard seltzer segment’s growth.
“This is when we saw again a clear opportunity: Here we have a consumer demo, representing the lion’s share of growth in the segment,” Marques said. “These are drinkers that are looking exactly for what a brand like Michelob Ultra has credibility on — health and wellness, lower carb, great taste.”
The Michelob brand family finished 2020 as the beer category’s No. 2 brand family increased sales 22.2%, to $3.134 billion, at off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm IRI, an increase of 22.2% over 2019.
A-B is supporting the launch with a campaign titled “As Real As It Tastes,” which includes ads on television, out-of-home, digital, radio and social media. Marques declined to share whether the brand would have a commercial in the Super Bowl next month.