Blue Moon Releases Moon Haze Hazy Juicy Pale Ale
Blue Moon has entered the juicy/hazy chat.
Moon Haze Hazy Juicy Pale Ale is rolling out this week as the second major innovation play in two years from the Molson Coors-owned craft brewery, following last year’s introduction of Light Sky Citrus Wheat.
“We’re very excited about it as well coming off the momentum of Light Sky that shows Blue Moon can still bring really relevant and exciting innovations to this segment in a category that’s just on fire,” Joy Ghosh, Molson Coors’ VP of above premium beer and FMB, told Brewbound. “We’re pumped to be part of it.”
Moon Haze checks in at 5.7% ABV and 30 IBUs, and is available nationwide in 6- and 12-packs of 12 oz. cans. It enters the segment with a gold medal from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) already under its belt. The beer earned the top spot in the 2020 competition’s juicy/hazy pale ale category, besting 136 other entrants.
“What’s going to differentiate us in this hazy segment, because there’s lots of beers, I truly think is that juicy, fruity flavor,” Ghosh said. “There’s a bit of that hoppiness but it’s not overwhelming.”
Blue Moon brewers developed the beer during a collaboration session with brewers from its Tenth and Blake sibling, Terrapin Brewing, at Blue Moon’s brewery in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood, Ghosh said.
“They produced a beer that was just amazing, really had those big juicy flavors, something a bit different in this segment,” he said. “That’s what inspired them to actually enter it in the Great American Beer Festival back in 2020, where it won gold, so that was the impetus — like ‘oh we’ve got something pretty magical and special here,’ in an offering that’s fairly distinct in our portfolio.”
Moon Haze will be the brand’s third priority, behind flagship Belgian White and Light Sky.
Dollar sales of the Blue Moon brand family have declined -6.5%, to $231 million at multi-outlet food and convenience stores year-to-date through August 8, according to market research firm IRI. Belgian White is driving those declines (-9.7%, to $173.4 million, YTD through August 8), but the style is growing on-premise, which is not reflected in off-premise scan data. Belgian White has increased its share on-premise in 11 of the last 12 months, Ghosh said, citing on-premise research firm CGA. In its sophomore year, Light Sky’s dollar sales have increased +40.8%, to $38.8 million year-to-date through August 8, according to IRI.
The following is a conversation with Ghosh about the release of Moon Haze, how it fits in with the Blue Moon portfolio and the brand’s goals. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Why a juicy, hazy pale ale?
“We know our consumers, our loyal drinkers want more variety and are looking for something a bit more flavorful. Our Belgian White is a great beer, but it’s a little subtle in its Valencia orange taste. This is more bold and more juicy, so it offers something a bit different. That’s why we were excited to bring it to a national launch.”
Who is the target Moon Haze drinker and when will they drink it?
“We’re constantly making sure that this is complementary to our portfolio, so we’re looking at this as something that is going to appeal to a fairly wide audience of our core drinkers, that loves Belgian White and might be picking Belgian White to pair with a happy hour or a meal, but wants something a little more flavorful something to relax and unwind to complement the end of the day. Call it that core craft drinker or the Belgian White drinker that’s looking for a bit more variety, a bit more interesting flavor profile in the unwind and relax occasion. Then we have Light Sky which is great for daytime sessionability, and Belgian White for food pairing and meals.”
Light Sky launched and succeeded in the craft beer industry’s most tumultuous year. What did the company learn from that experience?
“The biggest thing we’ve learned, and especially relevant in this category, is just the importance of sampling. And this is a beer that really shines when you actually try it, because it’s so different, it’s so juicy. It’s so flavorful.
“It still has those nice hop characteristics and a little bit of the bite at the end which makes it a bit different than maybe the easier drinking parts of the portfolio. One of the things we’re going to really focus on is how do we get it sampled in key places with some of our aligned partnerships we have as a part of our broader Molson Coors partnerships, but also in bars and restaurants and making sure that that’s a key part of how people try the beer.
“Right now, we’re launching in 6-packs and 12-packs, then we’re going to be exploring bringing it to the on-premise down the road because we think that’s a great place for people to trial the brand and learn about it and experiment before they’re obviously picking it up in retail.”
When will Moon Haze be available on draft?
“Still TBD, we’re definitely keeping a pulse on the market overall. Our focus right now is really getting our flagship Belgian White back into as many bars and restaurants as we can and continuing to make sure that’s available.
“We’re confident that we’re going to continue growing with our portfolio on-premise, Light Sky with package. Once we get our core business a bit more established, understand what the next few months look like, I think that’ll be a great time to introduce Moon Haze.”
Why cans and not bottles for Moon Haze?
“Belgian White is known for its iconic bottle and plays a key role, but I think the younger, more urban consumer more and more is gravitating towards cans — something we as a portfolio are trying to catch up on when we pick up the hazy segment, particularly for Moon Haze. It’s a great place to actually lead more with a can offering.”
What kind of marketing support will be behind Moon Haze?
“Our primary focus will be through social and digital, as we think about really honing in on that craft consumer, the core Blue Moon drinker… We’re going to focus on those segments and it’s obviously more effective to reach them through digital, through social. We’ll have some PR plans, we’re going to do some launch PR.”
How will wholesalers be asked to prioritize the portfolio?
“Belgian White is going to be our No. 1 priority. There’s still so much opportunity to get this brand back on display, back in doors, back at bars and restaurants. Light Sky is going to be No. 2 because it’s still a brand that has a ton of momentum. We actually just increased our awareness from 30% to 40% with our new campaign amongst 21-year-olds to 34-year-olds with Savor Every Sip. We’re getting awareness up there so we just need to continue getting our ACV and our display availability up on that brand because people are buying it when it’s available.”
On how Moon Haze strengthens the portfolio: “I used to work on the Molson family brands in Canada, and so one of the things that I really understand is the power of that master brand and the story and the credentials. Blue Moon Brew Co. can tell a really great story, supported with different parts of our portfolio, really meeting different occasions and then creating the ability to make great displays that have a bit more impact and visibility or create the brand block on shelf, so that’s something we’re gonna definitely encourage our distributors and our regional partners to to consider as we bring Moon Haze into their portfolio.”
On storytelling through experiential marketing: “Even a lot of our loyal drinkers don’t know our background, our story, so I think there could be something there around bringing people into the RiNo experience, whether it’s virtually or actually getting people to come down to see where our roots are. Broadly speaking, I think experiential and how people touch, interact, whether it’s our iconic ritual or even with Light Sky, I think is something we’re going to explore more and more as we come into our 2022 plans.”
On Blue Moon’s approach to innovation: “We’re working through that long-term innovation strategy and you definitely will be seeing more interesting exploration from our family of brands, but making sure it has the Blue Moon equity to it.
“We’re not going to be, like, the cutting-edge craft brewery. I think there’s amazing craft breweries — micro, macro, national — that are really on the leading edge. I think we’re going to find the right styles that are natural to our DNA, that speak to that juicy orange equity we built, and then make sure we’re still accessible, but interesting. Definitely there’s going to be more innovation to come. I think it’s an important part of our growing in this segment.
“We’ve seen it with some of our competitors that are just killing it in by bringing in more flavor and more excitement. [New Belgium Brewing’s] Voodoo Ranger is the one that pops to mind. So I think there’s definitely a need for it and we’re going to continue exploring it, but in the Blue Moon way.”