Beyond Beer

Between non-alcoholic spirits, beers, wines and mocktails, the options for consumers have boomed over the past few years, but the rise of this category has also presented a challenge for retail buyers – raising questions of where in the store these zero proof products belong. Now, as retailers expand their NA offerings, some stores such as Washington-based Town & Country Markets, are creating sets exclusively dedicated to the new wave of non-alcoholic adult beverages.

Matt Brown had worked with entrepreneurs for more than 20 years, but it was his first beverage client who lured him into craft spirits. Now, the business advisor and entrepreneur is all in, with two partners who are focused on investing in craft spirits brands that have stories that make a splash.

Another independent canned cocktail maker boarded the “mother ship” last week when Constellation Brands announced the full acquisition of Austin Cocktails. It’s a move that’s in-step with the other global beverage companies picking up fast-growing RTD producers — but observers in the industry caution that the deal may not be the harbinger future RTD acquisitions.

Boston-headquartered fruited hard seltzer maker Willie’s Superbrew has laid off most of its staff and is considering a sale of the brand, according to Good Beer Hunting.

Waterbird Spirits, the Charlottesville, Virginia-headquartered spirits maker, which specializes in canned ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, is the first beverage-alcohol brand in the country to use resealable lids on 24 oz. single-serve cans, effectively opening up the convenience store channel more widely to spirits-based RTDs.

Wings & Arrow, the brand house of Ashland Hard Seltzer and Villager Spirits canned cocktails, has closed a $10 million funding round, which will help support production of its existing and upcoming beyond beer offerings.

Anthony Spina and Matt Sievers – who’ve worked on brands such as Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Pabst Blue Ribbon – have launched their own endeavor: Primer Electrolyte Charged Hard Seltzers.

San Diego-headquartered JuneShine released its first commercial campaign today, promoting its recently launched ready-to-drink, spirits-based canned cocktails with the tagline of “Dodge the Sugar.” Beer buyers’ behavior has “continued to revert to pre-pandemic trends” for the third consecutive month, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) March Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI).

Off-premise dollar sales of ready-to-drink canned cocktails (RTDs) and hard seltzers have more than doubled in the past three years, increasing +155% since 2019 (through January 8, 2022), according to NielsenIQ data, shared by the Beer Institute’s (BI) VP of research Danelle Kosmal during a webinar Thursday.

Leaders within the craft cider industry share how regional cideries are growing in 2022. American Cider Association executive director Michelle McGrath, Schilling Cider co-founder and CEO Colin Schilling, Swilled Dog Hard Cider & Spirits co-founder and CEO Brooke Glover, and ANXO Cider co-founder and president Sam Fitz discuss the state of the industry, retail gains and much more.

A bill introduced in the New Jersey state Senate last month proposes the creation of a new tax class for flavored malt beverages (FMBs). The bill would tax FMBs at $4.40 per gallon, far closer to New Jersey’s rate for distilled spirits ($5.50 per gallon) than for beer ($0.12 per gallon).

OldKnow Beverage Co. launched Verte Absinthe Spirited Seltzer last month, an absinthe-based ready-to-drink canned cocktails (RTD) that the Rabun Gap, Georgia-based company believes is the first on the market.

Cleveland-headquartered Great Lakes Brewing Company has hired long-time Boulevard Brewing brewmaster Steven Pauwels as its first chief operations officer, the company announced Thursday. Pauwels’ first day with Great Lakes will be April 4, a Great Lakes spokesperson shared with Brewbound.