Boston Beer Company will increase investment across its entire portfolio in 2025, the company shared with its distributor partners in nearly 30 in-person meetings held across the country over the last two months.
The investment will be made in both traditional and digital media, in addition to “new dynamic partnerships,” the company shared in a recap.
Boston Beer chief sales officer Mike Crowley told wholesalers that the company has held its share of total beer and is the No. 2 company in beyond beer. He added that over the last five years, the company’s volume is riding a +10% CAGR.
Crowley touted Boston Beer’s “diversified” portfolio, which he said appeals to the youngest legal-drinking-age (LDA) consumers compared to its competitors. While Generation X spends the most money on beer and beyond beer offerings, and both beer and beyond beer are recording faster household growth among Generation Z drinkers than wine and spirits, which is advantageous for Boston Beer.
Moving forward, Boston Beer’s commercial strategy will be built upon three pillars:
- Executing on its core brands;
- Innovating selectively and tapping into emerging trends;
- And improving “end-to-end planning by better synchronizing sales and marketing.”
Here are brand highlights from the meetings.
Twisted Tea: Now a top 10 overall beer brand and the fastest-growing brand among the top 10, Twisted Tea’s 2025 goals will be reaching new drinkers, getting into more occasions and improving retail visibility via its Tea Drop ad campaign.
Twisted Tea Extreme “is showing promise,” senior brand director Erica Taylor shared. Meanwhile, Twisted Tea Light will receive a packaging refresh.
After reporting Q3 financial results, Wall Street analysts expressed concern over slowed growth for Twisted Tea, going from double-digit growth to +8% in the quarter. In NIQ-tracked off-premise channels year-to-date (YTD), through October 5, Twisted Tea has increased dollar sales +11.3% and volume (case sales) +9.2%, according to data shared by 3 Tier Beverages.
Truly Hard Seltzer: The goal for 2025 remains to reverse the brand’s negative trajectory by investing in “a major new partnership, a new communications platform and by leaning into Truly Unruly,” the 8% ABV line extension that the company said is the “No. 1 innovation in beyond beer.”
Boston Beer leadership shared during their Q3 earnings release that Truly underperformed in Q3 versus the total hard seltzer segment, with volume declining -11% versus Q3 2023. Meanwhile, No. 1 hard seltzer shareholder Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw recorded an acceleration in growth in the quarter.
Truly dollar sales have declined -21.6% and volume -23.1% YTD. In the last four weeks, Truly dollar sales have declined -17.9% and volume -19.6%.
Sun Cruiser Iced Tea Vodka: Boston Beer will push its vodka-based hard tea brand Sun Cruiser as “a premium lifestyle brand” in 2025 and look to add distribution in on- and off-premise retailers.
Taylor touted Sun Cruiser’s “strong depletions in its launch” markets. She added that the brand is “larger and pulls faster” than competitor brand Surfside outside of that brand’s New York City and New Jersey markets.
Hard MTN Dew: By January, the flavored malt beverage (FMB) will be in more than 30 states as part of its transition into Boston Beer’s distribution network, following a move out of PepsiCo’s now-shuttered Blue Cloud Distribution arm.
Taylor made the case for Hard MTN Dew due to its powerful brand name and awareness its namesake soft drink has built; gains in points of distribution, volume and velocity since moving to Boston’s distribution network in the spring. “Expanding availability and fueling ‘fandemonium’” are the plan for 2025.
Hard MTN Dew dollar sales (-17.3%) and volume (-20%) YTD have declined double-digits in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels. However, the brand eked into the black in the last four weeks, with dollar sales increasing +2.1%, and volume nearly flat (-0.8%) versus the same four-week period in 2023.
Samuel Adams: The big bet is the launch of Samuel Adams American Light, a premium domestic light beer play. The beer will be available nationwide in 2025 and the company sees an opportunity to “trade up” consumers in the 700-million-case segment, which brand director Lauren Price pointed out “hasn’t had a successful trade-up opportunity since Amstel Light.”
Samuel Adams dollar sales have declined -4.8% and volume -7.9% YTD in NIQ-tracked channels. In the last four weeks, Samuel Adams dollar sales have declined -6% and volume -8%.
Dogfish Head: Both the beer brands and canned cocktails received packaging refreshes that better leverage the company’s “shark-and-shield logo.” Dogfish Head brand director Jon London teased “major strategic changes” for 2025, including new products to “significantly strengthen the core and a new go-to-market approach to optimize how the brand executes in its core markets.”
For the canned cocktails, the company will “improve its production capacity and drive trial with consumers.”
Dogfish Head beer dollar sales have declined -10% and volume -11.8% YTD. In the last four weeks, the craft brand’s declines have deccelerated slightly, with dollar sales -7.2% and volume -8.7%.
Angry Orchard: The top-selling cider brand will receive a new marketing platform and increased investment in 2025. The company will build on the momentum of Crisp Imperial (8% ABV) and value packs while also building Crisp Light, a 4.3% lighter offering.
Angry Orchard dollar sales have declined -5% and volume -7.5% YTD in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels. In the last four weeks, dollar sales have declined -2.2% and volume -5.1%.