Read the latest beyond beer news relating to companies involved with RTD cocktails, hard cider, hard seltzer, hard kombucha, spirits, cannabis, and non-alcoholic products. Take a comprehensive look at developments in these evolving sectors, offering valuable insights into the innovations, trends, and market forces shaping the world of beer and beyond.
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Former Angry Orchard head cider maker Ryan Burk has joined Blake’s Beverage Company as VP of quality and innovation. Burk has been advising Blake’s and its portfolio of brands – Blake’s Hard Cider, Austin Eastciders and AVID Cider Co. – for a couple years, including through the launch of its most recent innovations.
Allagash Brewing is launching its first non-alcoholic (NA) offering this week with the release of Allagash Hop Water. Hop Water will exclusively be sold in 12 oz. can 6-packs at the brewery’s tasting room in Portland, Maine, starting later this week.
The once-booming flavored malt beverage (FMB) segment is “showing some concerning declarations over recent weeks,” Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) founder Bump Williams noted in a recent report. FMB volume gains dropped by half – from +2.2%, to +1.1% – from the four-week period to the one-week period ending May 18, according to NIQ retail measurement data cited by BWC.
Flavored malt beverages have delivered more dollar sale growth in the off-premise retail channel than any other segment in the beer category in 2019, according to market research firm IRI. Innovation leaders from Molson Coors, Deschutes Brewery and beer-driven on-premise chain Taco Mac discussed the shifting beer category during the Brewbound Live business conference.
Off-premise dollar sales of hard seltzers are on pace to hit $1.5 billion by the end of 2019, Nielsen’s beverage alcohol practice team shared earlier this month during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica. Nielsen’s beverage alcohol practice team members Danelle Kosmal and Caitlyn Battaglia shared that hard seltzers now account for 5% of all beer category dollars.
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Sycamore Brewing added distribution to Virginia this month, vice president of sales Archie Gleason told Brewbound. Night Shift Brewing will begin distribution to New Hampshire in 2020, according to a Facebook post from Amoskeag Beverages.
Alabama’s Straight to Ale and Druid City Brewing merge. Truly Hard Seltzer will be offered on American Airlines flights. Kombucha brewer Local Roots acquires Latitude 33’s production facility. Anheuser-Busch InBev returns as official beer sponsor of the NHL and launches larger partnership with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
Canadian Cannabis company Canopy Growth Corporation announced today the appointment of David Klein as CEO, effective January 14, 2020. Meanwhile, Constellation Brands has named Garth Hankinson as Klein’s replacement.
The tidal wave of hard seltzers shows no signs of slowing down, market research firm Nielsen’s beverage alcohol practice team shared Thursday during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica.
White Claw maker Mark Anthony Brands plans to spend $385 million — $135 million more than the previously projected $250 million — to build production facilities in New Jersey and at a still-undisclosed location in the western United States, founder and CEO Anthony von Mandl shared during the Beer Insights Seminar conference in New York on Monday.
Fermented Sciences, the maker hard kombucha brand Flying Embers, announced this week it has raised $25 million in a Series B round co-led by PowerPlant Ventures and Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF). Also, Austin, Texas-based spiked seltzer maker Shotgun Seltzer announced today it has received a $1 million investment from Unorthodox Ventures.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: Drake and Canopy Growth partner to launch More Life Growth Company; Walmart offers curbside pickup of alcohol in 29 states; JetBlue to offer Truly Hard Seltzer; and more news bites.
Phusion Projects officially rolled out its first Four Loko branded hard seltzer to retailers today, after going viral on social media over the summer. A-B announced today that Bud Light Seltzer will launch in the first quarter of 2020 in four flavors: Black Cherry, Lemon Lime, Strawberry and Mango.
Boston Beer Company reported strong earnings during its third-quarter earnings call Tuesday evening. The company reported depletions (sales-to-retailers) growth of 30%, 24% of which came from Boston Beer’s core brands and 6% of which came from Dogfish Head offerings.
Anheuser-Busch InBev reported today global revenue growth of 2.7% for the third quarter of the year, driven by an increase of 3% in revenue per hectoliter due to premiumization and strong growth in Mexico, South Africa and Colombia. Volumes worldwide decreased 0.5%; A-B’s own beer volumes were down slightly more with a 0.9% decrease. However,… Read more »
Consumers are considering health and wellness more and drinking less but willing to spend more on alcoholic beverages when they do drink, members of market research firm Nielsen’s beverage alcohol team shared during last week’s Brewers Association Power Hour webinar. Here are three takeaways from Nielsen’s latest update on craft’s mid-year performance. Consumers More Mindful… Read more »
Boston Beer Company is upping the ante as it tries to unseat Mark Anthony Brand as the beer category’s top hard seltzer producer. The company — which makes the Truly Hard Seltzer, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard hard cider and Samuel Adams beer offerings — announced today the reformulation of all 13 Truly flavors in an effort to make them “crisper and more refreshing.” Boston Beer also revealed plans to release a Truly-branded line of lemonade hard seltzers in 2020
