Sierra Nevada has revealed a slate of new products set to hit the market later this year and in 2021.
The new offerings were first announced to the company’s 200-member sales team earlier this week during Sierra Nevada’s virtual national sales meeting. Those new products include another line extension of the Little Thing franchise, as well as a deeper dive into the hard kombucha space.
After finding success with Hazy Little Thing IPA and Sour Little Thing slightly sour ale, the Chico, California-headquartered craft brewery will release Big Little Thing — a 9% ABV, 45 IBU imperial IPA — nationwide in late December. Big Little Thing will be sold in 12 oz. 6-pack cans, 19.2 oz. single-serve cans and on draft.
Hazy Little Thing has quickly become the second best selling IPA in the U.S., trailing just Lagunitas IPA, while Sour Little Thing is now the third best sour beer in off-premise retailers.
A year after rolling out Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha under its innovation banner — the Chico Fermentation Project — Sierra Nevada will introduce three new flavors to the line.
Two of those new flavors — Watermelon, Sea Sale, Lime & Mint and Raspberry, Golden Kiwi & Elderflower — check in at 100 calories and 4% ABV hard kombuchas. Those new flavors will be sold in 12 oz. 6-pack cans.
The third new flavor — Grapefruit, Pomegranate & Cucumber — is a higher ABV play, at 7% ABV, which will be sold exclusively in 16 oz. single-serve cans.
As far as Sierra Nevada’s seasonal portfolio, the company will release Wanderland Nectarine Ale (7.5% ABV) in 6-pack bottles nationwide in the first quarter of 2021.
Wanderland will be followed by a still-unnamed hazy session IPA in the summer. The hazy session IPA, which is still under development, will supplant Sierra Nevada’s long-serving summer seasonal, Summerfest.
Sierra Nevada VP of marketing Noelle Haley also shared that the company will invest “more in paid media than ever before” in 2021, according to a press release shared by the company. Haley told Sierra Nevada’s sales force that the company should not coast on its past success and should instead “pedal like hell.”
Year-to-date through August 9, portfolio-wide Sierra Nevada dollar sales in multi-outlet and convenience off-premise retailers tracked by IRI are up 22.1%, to more than $190.4 million. Dollar sales of Sierra Nevada’s three best selling offerings — Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (+8.1%, nearly $68 million), Hazy Little Thing (+94.1%, $54.6 million) and Torpedo Extra IPA (+5%, $29.5 million) — are all among the top 15 selling craft brands, according to IRI.