While much of Boston Beer Company’s annual business plan (ABP) meeting with wholesalers Tuesday was dedicated to beyond beer innovations (see yesterday’s coverage), “beer is still our middle name,” founder and chairman Jim Koch once again attempted to reassure everyone.
Koch likened the beer industry – particularly craft beer – when he started Samuel Adams to a “big open ocean” with just a “handful of lunatics, idiots [and] misfits.” But now that ocean is “crowded” with “almost 10,000 craft brewers” and “everybody making a lot of the same styles and competing in the same way.”
“Our challenge is to get out of that crowded ocean and hunt for white space and white whales,” Koch said. “We are like those brave whaling captains looking in more difficult, more challenging places for new opportunities.”
Although Koch once again stated that mainstream beer will likely not grow again in our lifetime, he still believes craft can grow “as it continues to get into the mainstreams and migrated away from its niche roots” despite its “evolution into a little bit of exclusivity or almost snobbiness.”
“We think that bringing some simplicity to the category and building on our expertise and credibility with wholesalers and retailers – and avoiding the me-too, copycat approach to craft beer – will give us an opportunity to support and grow and curb our beer portfolio, while exploring this white space opportunity,” Koch said.
Seasonals No. 1 Priority for Sam Adams in 2023
Samuel Adams’ seasonal offerings are a “big bet” for Boston Beer overall next year and will be the No. 1 priority for the beer brand in 2023, according to Samuel Adams director of marketing Lauren Price, who joined the company last month.
Boston Beer will lead with four offerings: Cold Snap white ale (spring), Summer Ale citrus wheat ale (summer), Octoberfest (fall) and Winter Lager (winter). Each flavor will be tweaked slightly, making some of the flavors “lighter and brighter” and “easier drinking.”
To support the seasonals, Samuel Adams will be “doubling down” on media every season “like never before,” Price said. The new strategy will begin with Cold Snap this February, with a Groundhog Day campaign featuring “Your Cousin from Boston,” which will create “a whole new tentpole for Sam.” It will be followed by the continuation of Sam Summer Fun Day, the Summer Ale campaign encouraging consumers to skip the Friday work day. Boston Beer will also refresh its summer variety pack, adding Skip Day IPA and Sunset Lager to the mix.
For the “huge season” that is fall, Samuel Adams will “continue to do what’s working,” by expanding its Octoberfest stein hoisting promotions. The company is also partnering with Friday Beers, a social media group, “specifically targeting that younger male audience that we’re looking for,” Price said.
In the winter, the Cousin will return with advertising featuring the character visiting home for the holidays.
As previously reported, Samuel Adams has also “remastered” Boston Lager. The tweaked 38-year-old flagship is already available in New York, but will go nationwide in 2023. The company is also adjusting its marketing behind the brand to attract younger drinkers.
“These younger drinkers actually think that Boston Lager is heavier than it is,” Price said. “That’s really a big opportunity for us because we also know that they’re looking for sessionability.”
The remastered Boston Lager will be supported by a new Your Cousin campaign and regional Super Bowl commercial.
Sam Adams to Expand Non-Alcoholic Portfolio in ‘23
Samuel Adams will also innovate with its non-alcoholic (NA) offerings in 2023, expanding on the growth of Just the Haze. Dollar sales of the NA hazy IPA – which won the gold medal for NA beer at the Great American Beer Festival earlier this month – are up +93% year-over-year, and the company expects the growth to continue, targeting 1 million cases in 2013.
Samuel Adams will debut updated Just the Haze packaging in 2023 and add a 12-pack SKU. The company will also debut its second NA offering – Gold Rush crisp lager – which will “kick the year off.”
60% of Wicked Drinkers New to Sam Adams
Regionally, Samuel Adams will focus on its Wicked brand family and a new Squeeze brand family in the New England and Atlantic divisions, which includes states from Maine to Virginia – the company’s largest regions by volume, accounting for half of Samuel Adams’ national volume.
The Wicked family has been an “important piece” of Samuel Adams efforts to bring new drinkers to the beer brand.
“Over 60% of Wicked drinkers are actually new to Sam Adams,” Price said. “So they’re using this product to enter our portfolio.”
Samuel Adams will expand its Wicked offerings in 2023 with a 12-pack of Wicked Tropical IPA, a 6% ABV offering previously exclusive to the Wicked IPA Party Pack variety 12-pack.
Additionally, Samuel Adams is regionally launching a new Squeeze brand family, beginning with Epic Squeeze, a citrus wheat beer. The brand features beers for “drinkers who are looking for the benefits of beyond beer,” but still want “a great tasting beer.”
“It’s sessionable, refreshing, fruit-forward and it has a variety of flavors with slightly lower ABV,” Price said.
The launch will be supported by digital campaigns, retail displays and sampling events, with a plan to “start out regionally, gain some learning, maybe optimize a bit and then expand from there.”
Dogfish Head Relying on Beer Innovations for Growth in 2023
With innovation “really driving growth in craft,” Dogfish Head is going heavy on new products in 2023, with six new offerings, Dogfish Head marketing director Jennie Baver shared.
Beginning in February, Dogfish Head will launch its first core innovation in more than two years: Citrus Squall. The 8% ABV double golden ale is inspired by the Paloma cocktail, with grapefruit juice, lime peel and blue agave.
Citrus Squall will be available on draft and in 6-packs and 19.2 oz. single-serve cans. It will be the No. 2 national priority on draft for Dogfish Head behind 60 Minute IPA, while the 19.2 oz SKU will be the No 2. Priority behind 90 Minute IPA.
Dogfish Head is also revamping its Off-Centered Art Series, its annual collection of limited-edition beers. Previously offered in bottles, the series will be in cans in 2023. Featuring new designs and a new artist, the series will have four releases throughout the year: Mandarin Mango, Punkin Ale, Crimson Cru and a new spring offering, Nordic Spring – a 6.5% IPA made with Norwegian yeast.
Additionally, Dogfish Head will expand its variety pack offerings in 2023, doubling from two variety packs annually to four. The strategy will begin in Q1 with a continually hopped 12-pack featuring 60 Minute IPA, 90 Minute IPA and two new innovations: Italian Pilsner and Shelter Pale Ale, a continually hopped version of the first beer Dogfish Head ever distributed. Citrus Squall will be featured in a new Q2 variety pack.
For 16 oz. 6-packs, Dogfish Head is increasing its releases from two annually to three, beginning with Catchy Chorus hazy double IPA in April. The 9% ABV offering is “an ode” to Dogfish Head’s decade-long partnership with Record Store Day. For the summer, the company will release Bo-de-Gose, a 5% ABV fruited sour made in collaboration with Brooklyn, New York-based Talea Beer Co. And in October, the company will bring back its spruce-infused IPA, Pennsylvania Tuxedo.
In the Atlantic region, Dogfish Head will also release a new 6-pack: Hazy Squall. The 6.5% ABV continually hopped IPA will launch in July and will also be available on draft.
For 2023 activations, Dogfish Head is bringing back its “shark attack” promotion in July, asking sales teams to get the company’s shark logo “everywhere,” supported by POS, “content creators” collaborations and the company’s “largest period of [media] spend in years,” according to Dogfish Head founder and president Sam Calagione in a promotional video shared on Tuesday.