New Belgium has completely made over its flagship Fat Tire – the amber ale that launched the brewery and introduced a generation of drinkers to craft beer – from its composition to its packaging.
The rollout of the restyled beer is expected to be complete nationwide by mid-February, VP of marketing Kyle Bradshaw told Brewbound. With new packaging and a lighter, brighter liquid comes a renewed spotlight on New Belgium’s sustainability efforts, which includes donating $1 per barrel sold to climate organizations, according to a press release.
“There’s a challenge to recharge heritage brands and what we hung our hat on from the beginning was, we want to do something that’s big, and not just play around the edges,” Bradshaw said of the scope of the project. “We knew doing something big, that’s the type of thing that’s going to renew interest and generate new interest in Fat Tire.”
In recent years, Fat Tire, once a craft beer standard-bearer, has played second fiddle to its siblings in the Voodoo Ranger brand family. Fat Tire was New Belgium’s best-selling beer and the No. 11 craft brand in multi-outlet grocery and convenience stores in 2019, according to market research firm IRI. That year, the brand declined -9.1% in dollars and -8.6% in volume compared to 2018. It accounted for 1.34% of all craft beer dollars spent at IRI-tracked off-premise chains.
In the first 11 months of 2022, Fat Tire dropped to the No. 17 craft brand overall and is now New Belgium’s third-best seller behind Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA and Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA.
Last year, Fat Tire recorded declines in dollar sales (-15.6%) and volume (-19.7%) compared to 2021, outpacing the craft amber ale segment (-14.5% in dollars and -18.9% in volume). Amber ales account for 1.85% of all dollars spent on craft beer at IRI-tracked retailers.
The word “amber” has been removed from revamped Fat Tire packaging, which touts the beer – now only described as an ale – as “alternatively powered,” “high quality” and “low impact.”
“Drinkers are less and less concerned about styles,” Bradshaw said. “And one thing to call out is the beer has changed, and at the same time, it is reminiscent of original Fat Tire, so the new recipe does include the original malt bill.”
New Fat Tire features “subtle caramel and floral notes and a much crisper finish.” Still, the beer pours a lighter color than the 1991 version of the recipe, and although it “probably still fits the characteristics of an amber ale” it could also be classified as “potentially a golden ale,” Bradshaw said.
Golden ales, nearly 2.5 times as large a style as amber ales, have posted less steep declines than amber ales (-7.9% in dollars, -11.5% in volume). Through late November, golden ales accounted for 4.56% of craft beer dollars spent at IRI-tracked outlets, making the style the craft segment’s sixth largest.
The plan to reimagine Fat Tire, likely spurned by flagging sales, was set in motion between 12 to 18 months ago, Bradshaw said.
“It was about doubling down on what’s always worked for the brand, and so that resulted in two big steps forward that we’re obviously unveiling now,” he said. “The first was making a crisper, brighter Fat Tire that we think surely broadens the appeal.
“It’ll bring in even more fans of Fat Tire,” Bradshaw continued. “And then the second piece was debuting a new look and new design that really clearly highlights our ongoing investments in climate solutions and climate action.”
Those actions include “investing in aggressive carbon reduction initiatives,” “innovative tools that enable customers to take direct action” as a means of “holding big corporations responsible for the majority of global emissions accountable,” gaining certification for brewing the country’s first carbon neutral beer and giving away the plans to do so to other breweries, and advocating for climate policy, according to the press release.
New Belgium isn’t the only craft beer pioneer to make over a beer that once put it on the map in order to appeal to changing drinker preferences. Last fall, Boston Beer announced it was “reimagining” its flagship Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Founder and chairman Jim Koch described the new version to be “brighter, smoother, cleaner and to me, easier drinking.”
Fat Tire’s new packaging departs from its original red and blue color blocking, but retains the brand’s classic bicycle, and places it in front of a mountain peak and a rising sun. The scene is set inside a blue oval on a white background.
For the redesign, New Belgium’s in-house design team partnered with Austin, Texas-based Land, whose portfolio includes beverage producers Madre Mezcal, Stumptown Coffee and lifestyle brands Warby Parker and Patagonia, among others.
“They were a great partner – they challenged us and there’s a lot there that draws on Fat Tire’s heritage,” Bradshaw said. “There’s some timelessness with the design. We like to say there’s a lot of soul that’s coming through the typography and the imagery and we focused a lot on trying to bring forward those climate commitments, making that a part of the communications.”
The beer and packaging were run through a gauntlet of consumer focus groups, as well as wholesaler and retailer partners, who are “feeling good” about Fat Tire’s evolution, Bradshaw said.
“None of this was done in isolation,” he said. “We’ve had lots of conversations with loyal Fat Tire drinkers, with new Fat Tire drinkers, just to assess the recipe changes, the packaging changes.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that people were really excited about the new recipe, and also really excited about the packaging,” Bradshaw continued. “They felt the design just put Fat Tire in more of a modern lens. It felt cooler.”
Fat Tire may be taking a backseat to its skeleton-clad siblings in the Voodoo Ranger family, which have recorded $324.9 million in off-premise sales at IRI-tracked retailers in the 52 weeks ending November 27, but the brand is still gargantuan on its own. In annual volume, Fat Tire would land among the top 20 largest craft brewers if it were its own brewery, Bradshaw said.
With a beer so massive both in volume and cultural significance, revamping the 32-year-old icon “feels like a big risk,” even with the positive feedback.
“It’s been so much about emphasizing what the brand’s always represented, so when you start to look at it through that lens, it doesn’t feel like this giant leap,” Bradshaw said. “We’ve kept consumers close, we’ve kept our customers close, so everyone’s feeling really, really excited to have this hit the market.”