Monster Brewing-owned Cigar City has debuted new packaging for its flagship Jai Alai IPA.
The new artwork features Jai Alai in larger, brighter font. Refreshed cans of Jai Alai in 12 oz., 16 oz. and 19.2 oz. sizes, as well as 6- and 12-pack cartons, are rolling out “this summer.”
“We know Jai Alai is the most balanced IPA in its category but are also navigating a crowded IPA landscape at retail,” Monster Brewing VP of marketing Justin Clark said in the release. “We intentionally approached this as a refresh rather than a rebrand.
“Our intention is to maximize Jai Alai’s existing brand equity to impactfully stand out on shelf,” he continued. “The brand’s identity is rooted in its green/orange color palette and retro typeface, so we did not want to make changes that might risk losing the fans we’ve earned over the years to any sort of confusion.”
Dollar sales of Jai Alai were flat in the 52-week period ending June 15, at total U.S. multi-outlet grocery, mass retail, convenience and liquor stores, according to market research firm NIQ. Volume declined -1.1%.
Tampa, Florida-headquartered Cigar City is seeing “solid growth” for Jai Alai in its home state, as well as throughout the southeast, including in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana, a Monster spokesperson told Brewbound.
In addition to the Jai Alai brand refresh, Cigar City is renaming and revamping Jai Low, the sessionable sibling to Jai Alai that debuted in 2020. Jai Alai Light – which boasts the same 120 calories and 4% ABV as Jai Low – will roll out next month.
“Despite its clever play on the Jai Alai name, consumers often confused Jai Low with Jai Alai on store shelves,” the spokesperson said. “We received the same feedback from Jai Alai IPA drinkers. We reevaluated the entire Jai Alai brand family as part of the refresh, examining the strong opportunity for a low-ABV and reduced calorie option. Based on consumer feedback, we understood both the packaging and name had to clearly differentiate it from the IPA.”
Jai Alai Light will be available in 12 oz. can 12-packs and in a new Jai Alai variety pack. Variety 12-packs will include six cans of Jai Alai and three each of Jai Alai Light and Jai Alai Double IPA (10% ABV).
The move to include “light” in the beer’s name could prove to be a wise one. Light beer is the only style in the craft segment to record double-digit growth year-to-date (YTD) – albeit off a small base – and one of few to be in the black at all.
Dollar sales of light craft beers increased +13.3%, to $1.56 million, YTD through June 16 at multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores tracked by market research firm Circana. Volume, measured in case sales, increased +23.5%.
Earlier this year, Monster transitioned Cigar City’s Tampa production hub into a cross-category innovation center. The switch resulted in the elimination of 12 positions, including that of long-time original brewmaster Wayne Wambles, who acquired Brevard, North Carolina-based UpCountry Brewing in May. Wambles has begun brewing and self-distributing beer under the Griffon & Sphynx brand, named for his three pets, according to All About Beer.
Monster Brewing, formerly known as CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, is the parent company of Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Deep Ellum, Squatters, Wasatch and Perrin. Monster acquired the roll up in January 2022, and added the Beast Unleashed, a flavored malt beverage (FMB) brand, and Nasty Beast hard tea in 2023. The company has since closed two Texas brewing facilities: the Oskar Blues outpost in Austin and Deep Ellum’s operations in Dallas.
Monster’s FMB branch is the 18th largest beer category vendor in multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores year-to-date (YTD) through June 16, according to market research firm Circana. Dollar sales of the Beast Unleashed and Nasty Beast increased +81.2%, to $55.4 million, in the period.
The company’s craft beer portfolio remains separate in Circana data, and is the 25th largest beer category vendor. Dollar sales of the former CANarchy brands declined -7.8% YTD, to $39.1 million, according to Circana. Volume in off-premise, Circana-tracked channels declined -9.2% in the period.
Combined, Monster’s craft breweries’ output declined -11%, to 325,000 barrels of beer, roughly 1.39% of all independent craft volume, according to the Brewers Association (BA). The collective was the nation’s ninth largest craft brewery by volume, according to the BA.
Jai Alai is the second major flagship brand under the Monster Brewing umbrella to undergo a refresh. Oskar Blues flagship Dale’s Pale Ale was redesigned and line extended in May 2023.
Watch Monster Brewing chief commercial officer Chris Russell discuss the move during a conversation from the 2023 Brewbound Live business conference.