Non-alcoholic offerings and variety packs were common threads in the 2024 brand plans across the Duvel USA family, which the company’s leadership presented to wholesalers via livestream Thursday.
In a very meta pre-recorded video, EVP of sales and marketing Bobby Dykstra hosted a TV watch party for Duvel USA’s leadership team, which consisted of brand presentations styled after popular TV shows. Duvel USA president Seraf De Smedt popped in on his way to the golf course after declining to stay for what Dykstra told him was a strategy planning session.
De Smedt summarized recent performance of Duvel USA’s craft brands:
“We haven’t exactly seen the growth rates that we have grown accustomed to in years past, but we believe that by continuing to commit to high quality beer, we’re well positioned for growth with both Boulevard and Ommegang for years to come,” he said.
Duvel USA’s portfolio includes Kansas City, Missouri-based Boulevard Brewing, Cooperstown, New York-based Brewery Ommegang and Belgian imports Duvel and La Chouffe. Last year, Boulevard and Ommegang’s volume was roughly flat at 177,000 barrels of beer, down slightly from 177,500 barrels in 2021, according to data in the Brewers Association’s (BA) May/June issue of the New Brewer.
Below are highlights of innovation and brand plans for the Boulevard family, including Quirk Hard Seltzer and Fling Craft Cocktails. Stay tuned for news about Brewery Ommegang, Duvel and La Chouffe.
Smokestack Series
Boulevard innovations for 2024 tap into broad consumer trends in the beer space, including plays at both ends of the ABV spectrum and bolt-on additions to popular brand families.
The company is building out SKU options for Tank 7, its popular American saison. Tank 7 12 oz. can 12–packs and 6-packs will roll out in Q1, “intended as an incremental package for developing Tank 7 markets,” with 12 oz. bottle 6-packs remaining the brand’s priority, Boulevard brand manager Adam Hall said.
Dank 7, the Belgian IPA companion to the brewery’s popular American Saison Tank 7, will be promoted to year-round status in March 2024 with 12 oz. can 6-packs. Both Tank 7 and Dank 7 will be joined by special release Tropical Tank 7 in a new variety 12 oz. can 6-pack, the Jackpot Mix Pack.
Boulevard’s barrel-aged family will return in 2024 with five rotating releases:
- Plaid Habit Canadian whisky barrel-aged imperial brown ale in February;
- Chardonnay Cask Saison in May;
- Cabernet Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout in July;
- A barrel-aged mix 6-pack in September;
- And a barrel-aged dessert beer in October.
Space Camper
Hoping to seize on the momentum of double, triple and imperial IPAs, the company is adding Space Camper Quantum Hop IPA (9.5% ABV) to its space-themed IPA family. Quantum Hop will be available in 12 oz. 6-packs and 19.2 oz. single-serve cans, with one-time-only draft release in January to drive trial for the package launch.
Quantum Hop will be a shelfmate to flagship Space Camper IPA, which debuted five years ago with a sampling activation at Planet Comicon, Kansas City’s annual pop culture festival. The Space Camper line’s connection to Planet Comicon will continue in 2024 with a limited release Comicon variety pack and consumer sweepstakes.
Unfiltered Wheat
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat, “the beer that built the brewery,” has spawned a family of fruited variants that will grow again in 2024, Hall said.
“The wheat rebrand was fully embraced and fruited variants have helped the brand grow by inviting new generations of beer drinkers to our most popular beer,” he said.
Non-alcoholic Lemon Wheat will begin shipping in December and will remain available year-round, with sampling pushes timed with Dry January and Sober October.
Other wheat family news includes the launch of a peach variant next summer, hot sauce-themed partnerships to highlight the beer’s refreshing flavor and the return of the brewery’s Unfiltered Fridays on-premise activations.
Quirk Hard Seltzer
Bucking nationwide hard seltzer trends (-15.4% in dollar sales year-to-date through September 10 in off-premise retailers, according to Circana), the company’s Quirk Hard Seltzer has increased sales +20% in 2023, Dykstra said. The brand is No. 3 in the Midwest and No. 1 in its home market of Kansas City, he added.
Quirk, which launched in 2020, now accounts for one-third of Boulevard’s business, Boulevard brand director Ali Bush said.
To continue that momentum, Quirk will introduce the Fountain Fizz variety pack in March, drawing inspiration from classic soda shop flavors.
“As we’ve seen in Quirk’s first few years, introducing fresh, unique innovation is key to maintaining the attention of seltzer seekers,” Bush said.
The pack will include Lemon Thyme Limeade, Clementine Cream Pop, Ginger Grape Fizz and Black Cherry Vanilla, all 4% ABV. To accommodate the new variety pack, Boulevard will merge the two most popular flavors from each of its citrus and tropical packs into a new Splash of Citrus pack in April.
To capitalize on the popularity of higher-ABV, large format single-serve cans, Quirk is “going full throttle” with the introduction of Raspberry Rocket Booster, an 8% ABV version of its popular summer release Raspberry Rocket Pop. Raspberry Rocket Booster will be available year round in 19.2 oz. cans targeting the convenience and liquor channels.
The company will launch 19.2 oz. cans of Pineapple Orange Whip for year-round release and 19.2 oz. cans of Raspberry Rocket Pop from March-August.
In 2024, the Quirk family tree will grow a new branch, this time in the flavored malt beverage (FMB) segment, which has increased dollar sales +18.3% YTD through September 10 at Circana-tracked multi-outlet grocery and convenience stores.
QuirkTails cocktail-inspired FMBs will bring “a familiar proposition with a quirky twist,” Bush said. The 5.9% ABV, brightly colored FMBs have “a lower level of carbonation” than Quirk Hard Seltzer. They will be available in 12 oz. bottle 6-packs of three flavors: Raspberry Lemon Drop, Mango Mandarin Marg and Pineapple breeze.
Fling Craft Cocktails
Fling Craft Cocktails, Boulevard’s spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail family, will be streamlined to focus on three cocktails, Bush said: Tequila Paloma (9% ABV), Vodka Lemonade (7.5% ABV) and Margarita (9% ABV).
Each is available in 12 oz. can 4-packs and the forthcoming Resort Pack variety 6-pack, which will launch in February.