Firestone Walker’s new high ABV Mind Haze Rage line of “lemonade-infused turbo radlers” are now arriving on retail shelves.
The 8% ABV radlers come in three flavors – Original Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade and Grapefruit Lemonade – in a “Rad Pack” 12 oz. can variety 12-pack, which will go to Duvel USA-owned Firestone Walker’s full footprint.
Original Lemonade 19.2 oz. single-serve cans are expected to follow in the spring west of the Mississippi River.
Firestone Walker co-founder David Walker and CEO Nick Firestone “made it very clear” to their team that they “want to be brewers” and “win with beer” rather than pursue segments such as ready-to-drink cocktails and flavored malt beverages, CMO Dustin Hinz told Brewbound. Beer innovation such as Mind Haze Rage is the brewery’s answer to flavor trends, while maintaining that beer focus.
As Brewbound reported in September, Firestone Walker revealed the Mind Haze Rage style extension of the company’s hazy IPA brand, which first launched in 2019, during its wholesaler meeting. The company added a pair of higher ABV options to the Mind Haze family last year, including Brain Melter (8.5% ABV) and Cosmic Crusher (9.5% ABV), which increased sales +8.6% for the franchise.
Mind Haze Rage will roll out across 7-Eleven’s footprint, along with Circle K in the southwest, Firestone Walker chief sales officer Tony Amaral shared with Brewbound. He added that he’s seen a “slow trickle” with national accounts this year but they’re “coming in in a big way.”
Mind Haze Rage is aimed at appealing to millennial and Generation Z consumers seeking more flavor in a beer-based product.
“There’s a huge swath of the market and drinkers that are looking for flavor,” Hinz said. “It’s brands, not categories, and it’s flavors, not styles.
“We’ve got to start thinking differently as an industry, not just about brands on shelves and look at the price and all these other issues, but at the end of the day, what does the customer want?” he continued. “They want exciting brands that stand for something clear and enduring. They want things that taste great and at a variety of ABV levels that satiate that drinking occasion.”
Mind Haze Rage is aimed at meeting those moments by appealing to consumers who are not yet Firestone Walker drinkers. Hinz said the goal is “zero crossover out of the gate” between the Turbo Radlers and the Mind Haze IPA family.
Helping introduce the new line will be 1990s stylized retro ads, which will run throughout the year on connected TV, including ESPN, as well as streaming services such as Hulu and digital media.
“We’re layering in really disruptive, fun marketing that I think speaks to the drinkers that we want,” Hinz said.
“At the end of the day, it’s just beer. It’s meant to be fun, so let’s have some fun with it,” he continued.
The plan is to take Mind Haze Rage to sampling opportunities with flagship 805 Blonde Ale and fruit-forward Cali Squeeze at Firestone Walker-sponsored moto and surf events, such as the World Surf League, Born Free Motorcycle Show, and Paradise Road Show classic car, hot rod and motorcycle show, Hinz said. Looking at those three brands within the portfolio, Hinz believes the company has versatility to reach modern consumers.
“What other brewery that is of our stature is trying to play domestic, import, hazy, flavor, now flavor-forward Cali Squeeze and IPA?” Hinz asked. “We’re juggling a lot of chainsaws here, and it’s intentional, and we think it’s going to pay off long-term.”
The launch comes on the heels of Firestone Walker finishing 2024 down down “low-single digits,” Amaral said. Firestone Walker finished 2023 as the fifth largest Brewers Association-defined craft brewery, with 479,821 barrels of beer, the most recent year in which production numbers are available.
2024’s declines are primarily attributable to the 805 “behemoth,” Hinz added. He pointed to +20% growth for 805 Cerveza, a strong start for 8Zero5 non-alcoholic beer, and nearly +40% growth for Cali Squeeze.
“All that green can kind of be hidden by a little bit of struggle with Blonde,” Hinz said. “There’s way more green than red at Firestone.”