The fourth flavor of Boston Beer Company and PepsiCo Beverages’ Hard MTN Dew will be Baja Blast.
The tropical fruit flavor will join MTN Dew Original, Black Cherry and Watermelon in a 12 oz. can variety 12-pack, releasing in late February.
“Baja Blast has been a fan-favorite flavor for almost 20 years,” A Hard MTN Dew spokesperson told Brewbound in an email. “We were overwhelmed by the number of requests we received to include the tropical flavor in the Hard MTN Dew line-up, and we’re excited to give fans of legal drinking age exactly what they’ve been craving.”
Boston Beer and PepsiCo announced Hard MTN Dew last August – a 5% ABV flavored malt beverage (FMB) inspired by the classic flavors of the MTN Dew soft drink. Unlike its inspiration beverage, the 100-calorie FMB is caffeine-free and has no added sugar, and will be sold in 24 oz. single-serve cans along with the variety pack.
Boston Beer president and CEO Dave Burwick was “instrumental” in the original 2004 creation of Baja Blast MTN Dew, when he was then serving as PepsiCo’s chief marketer, according to a spokesperson. The soft drink was initially exclusive for the fast food chain Taco Bell, and is now distributed in bottles and cans, with several spin-off flavors.
Hard MTN Dew will be developed and produced by Boston Beer, while PepsiCo has set up a new entity – Blue Cloud Distribution – to sell, deliver and merchandise it.
This will likely not be only alcoholic-beverage foray for PepsiCo. The company filed a trademark application in June for its Rockstar brand in the beer and “alcoholic fruit cocktail drinks; alcoholic malt beverages, except beers; hard seltzer” categories.
Many beverage producers have explored the adult beverages category in the past year. This week, Coca-Cola announced a partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Company to create Simply Spiked Lemonade. The two companies also collaborated in 2021 to launch Topo Chico hard seltzer.
Other offerings from the trend include: Bang Hard Seltzer (formerly Bang MIXX) from Vital Pharmaceuticals-owned Bang Energy; Spindrift Spiked from Massachusetts-based sparkling water producer Spindrift; SunRise Hard Seltzer, launched through a collaboration between Heineken USA and AriZona Iced Tea-maker Hornell Brewing.
US Launch of Guinness 0.0 Set for March
Diageo will launch Guinness 0.0., the non-alcoholic version of its flagship beer offering, nationwide in the U.S. this March.
The beer has proven to be popular in the U.K., with demand “far outstripping supply,” Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes noted during the company’s earnings call Thursday.
“The demand is way beyond what we expected on Guinness 0.0,” he said. “So over the course of the next year, we hope to get back into a position of supply.”
When reporting the company’s Q2 results, Diageo CFO Lavanya Chandrashekar noted that the company has “some pricing action on Guinness” and “will continue to evaluate pricing opportunities on a case-by-case basis, both in the U.S. as well as in other parts of the world.”
Menezes added that Guinness’ “recovery is happening fast as conditions improve” and “is in healthy shape in Europe” and “seeing very good momentum” in both the on- and off-trade. The brand is also “strongly growing in the U.S.”
Financial documents filed by the company show that Diageo Beer Company USA increased net sales 1%, as Guinness’ recovery “in the on-trade was broadly offset by a decline” in FMBs. “Growth in Smirnoff Ice was more than offset by a decline in seltzers.” Those documents show that Lone River Ranch Water posted £11 million (around $14.7 million USD) in sales and received £8 million in marketing spend (around $10.7 million USD) for the six months ending December 31. The brand recorded an £8 million (around $10.7 million USD) operating loss, the company reported.
Diageo Beer Co. has a goal of reaching $1.5 billion in net sales by 2025, and Lone River Ranch Water will be a big part of meeting that goal, Diageo Beer Co. president Nuno Teles said during the NBWA Annual Convention last year.
San Diego Brewers Guild Announces 2022 Board of Directors
The San Diego Brewers Guild (SDBG) has announced its 2022 president and board of directors.
Rick Chapman, owner and co-founder of Coronado Brewing Company, will serve as president, while Haley Smith, marketing director at Belching Beaver Brewery, will be vice president.
Four new members will join the board: Erik Fowler, education and engagement manager at White Labs Brewing Co.; Jake Nunes, beverage coordinator at Burgeon Beer Co.; Tim Parker, founder of Chula Vista Brewery; and Tom Kiely, general manager at Thorn Brewery.
Returning board members include Rawley Macias, Rouleur Brewing Co. founder and head brewer, as well as Bryan Carpenter, a CPA for LevitZacks, who will serve as treasurer, and Virginia Morrison, Second Chance Beer Co. co-founder and CEO, who will be president emeritus for one year.
“The San Diego Brewers Guild is entering its 25th year in operation, and I’m proud to be serving as president of its board of directors,” Chapman said in a press release. “Based on survey results and direct member feedback, there’s a lot of optimism in our local craft brewing community for the future. San Diego Brewers Guild will continue to push forward marketing campaigns, educational programs and special events that further showcase our region’s brewing innovation and talent.”
In 2020, 158 independent craft breweries operated in San Diego County, producing an estimated 772,204 barrels of beer – a 11% decline in production compared to 2019 (167,180 barrels), according to the SDBG 2021 economic impact report. Beer produced in the county contributed between $190-$360 million to the local economy, down from $480-$590 million in 2018 (the last reported year).
South Carolina Coalition Formed to Allow Sunday Liquor Store Sales
A new South Carolina coalition – “Cheers! Let South Carolina Decide” – has been formed in an effort to pass House Bill 3013, which would allow residents to vote whether liquor stores can be open on Sundays in their county.
The coalition is made up of business owners, community organizations, and consumers.
“House Bill 3013 is a sensible solution that gives power to local voters,” South Carolina Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, who is sponsoring the bill, said in a press release. “Our coalition isn’t asking for a broad, sweeping state-wide change – we are supporting this legislation so people in each county can decide if Sunday sales are right for them.”
South Carolinians are able to vote by county on whether beer and wine can be sold in stores on Sundays, but not whether liquor stores can. Nearly three-quarters of voters in the state (73%) reported in an August poll that “beer, wine and liquor should be regulated in the same way,” according to the release, citing RG Strategies.
360PR+ Launches New Agency Dedicated to Adult Beverages
The public relations firm 360PR+ has launched a new adult-beverage focused PR agency: Three Cheers PR.
The independently operated agency will be led by 360PR+ executive VP Rob Bratskeir, who has led campaigns for alcohol brands such as Knob Creek, Owl’s Brew, Crabbie’s Ginger Beer, Vox Vodka, and more.
“On the heels of our 20th anniversary and a successful 2021, we’re thrilled to be expanding the family of 360 agencies and to have Rob Bratskeir leading Three Cheers PR for us,” 360PR+ CEO Laura Tomasetti said in the release. “We see a real opportunity for an independent specialist agency with the kind of talent that Rob and the Three Cheers team bring to work hand in hand with today’s adult beverage marketers.”
Three Cheers clients include e-commerce alcohol delivery platform Drizly, and Maryland-based whiskey-maker Sagamore Spirit.
2022 Craft Brewers Conference Keynote Speaker Announced
Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner and president of Santa Rosa, California-based Russian River Brewing Company, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Minneapolis.
Cilurzo and her husband Vinnie were awarded the Brewers Association’s (BA’s) Recognition Award in 2017 for their contributions to the craft brewing community, which they have been a part of since founding Temecula, California-based Blind Pig Brewing Company in 1994, according to a press release.
The 39th annual CBC will be held from May 2-5 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Registration opened January 11.
Willie’s Superbrew Reveals Rebrand and Launches Hard Lemonade Variety Pack
Massachusetts-based hard seltzer-maker Willie’s Superbrew unveiled a rebrand last week, as well as a new offering: Beach-ade hard lemonade.
Willie’s co-founder and CEO Nico Enriquez and Chief brand officer Greg Owsley teased the rebrand to Brewbound in October. Owsley joined Willie’s last year, formerly working as CMO at New Belgium until 2011, when he founded the marketing consulting firm The Storied Brand.
The rebrand includes new ocean-inspired packaging, as well as a rename of its variety packs, now G.O.A.T. variety pack (featuring four popular supebrews) and Happier Hour (its cocktail-inspired pack launched in 2021).
“Besides breaking free of all the ‘milk on snow’ design mimicry in hard seltzer, we wanted our packaging to become the primary storyteller for our brand,” Owsley said in a press release. “The flavor stripes on the cans were colored-matched to actual fresh slices of fruit used in our brews, and we gut-checked every step with Willie’s family, our friends, and Nico’s beach volleyball team.”
Beach-ade is inspired by “the brand’s love of the ocean,” as well as the company’s roots of being started by a goat farmer and a surfer. The new innovation will be offered in four flavors – Lemonade, Limeade, Peach Lemonade and Half & Half – and include coconut water and sea salt, according to the release.