Athletic Brewing Taps Run Wild IPA for First Time
Athletic Brewing’s non-alcoholic (NA) beers may soon be on tap at a bar or restaurant near you.
The Connecticut-based NA brewery posted a photo on Twitter this week of co-founders John Walker and Bill Shufelt “headed down to NYC to deliver our first kegs.”
Our co-founders, Bill & John, are headed down to NYC to deliver our first kegs! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/UGNOdTqkxH
— Athletic Brewing (@AthleticBrewing) March 15, 2023
Athletic’s flagship Run Wild IPA will be the first draft offering, a company spokesperson told Brewbound. The initial round of keg distribution will be in the areas surrounding Athletic’s two breweries, including San Diego, New York and “parts of Connecticut.”
Asked on Twitter if Athletic would be available on draft in Boston, the official Twitter account responded: “It’s imminent! We’ll be out with draft locations soon.”
The brewery celebrated the news with happy hour events at three Brooklyn establishments serving Athletic on tap – Spritzenhaus44, Kilo Bravo Bar and Radegast Hall & Biergarten – along with Athletic team members and representatives from Union Beer Distributors, according to the spokesperson.
Walker and Shufelt previously told Brewbound they were “working on a draft program,” as their on-premise presence had previously only been in cans. The option was brought up in a conversation about Athletic Lite, the brewery’s NA light beer launched last March. At the time, Shufelt said Athletic Lite had the potential to be “a big on-premise beer.”
“Keeping NA beer safe and compliant is critical in nature,” Walker told Brewbound. “And so we’re spending a lot of time researching and diligencing an effective keg program so that we can deliver that.”
“A majority of consumers, whether it’s a bar or restaurant, only have one alcoholic drink per, if they’re drinking,” Shufelt said. “So there’s a huge amount of potential volume left on the sidelines, for sure. We’re seeing stats upwards of 60% of people are more likely to attend a bar or restaurant if they have a good non-alc menu as well.”
New Belgium Files Label for Voodoo Ranger Hard Tea
The hard tea wars of 2023/2024 might be heating up even more if New Belgium follows through with plans for a Voodoo Ranger-branded hard tea line.
MyBeerBuzz shared certificates of label approval filed with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for Voodoo Ranger Hardline Tea and Voodoo Ranger Hardcharged Tea, likely due to New Belgium still working out the brand’s name. The hard iced tea “with a shot of lemon flavor” is 7% ABV and will be packaged in 24 oz. cans.
A New Belgium spokesperson told Brewbound that the hard tea is “a project we’re taking a look at and will share more when we can.”
So this may be something – or it may amount to nothing. Notably, the label approval says the brand is being produced by City Brewing in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The hard tea wouldn’t be the only new brand New Belgium is producing in the Badger State. The company launched Wild Nectar Hard Juice, a 5% FMB in four states this week. According to the cans, the offering is being produced at Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, Wisconsin.
Molson Coors Rolls Out Coors Light Campaign with Dickie V for March Madness
Just in time for the NCAA tournament tip off this week, Molson Coors launched a new Coors Light campaign featuring ESPN college basketball commentator Dick Vitale.
In a 15-second spot, Vitale is in a trailer, presumably prepping for a broadcast, and watching a game in his decidedly unchill manner. A can of Coors Light is delivered to Vitale as a narrator explains that Coors Light is going to help him stay chill all month long with “mountain refreshment.”
In a second 30-second spot, Vitale is in a sports bar handing out “Chillolipops,” Coors Light flavored non-alcoholic popsicles, to unchill sports fans.
The Coors Light ads featuring Dickie V will run on television, online, social and digital throughout the NCAA tournament, including on CBS, Turner Sports properties (TNT, TBS, TruTV), and NCAA live streams. Molson Coors is investing 20% more in marketing in the campaign compared to last year’s March Madness programming.
Molson Coors also rolled out its new “Tastes Like Miller Time” campaign for Miller Lite on Thursday during the round of 64 games. The ads try to capture those special moments in bars and with friends.
Molson Coors is increasing its March media spend +25% year-over-year, including during the Final Four. The campaign will also target local communities, with local assets in more than 50 markets, including out-of-home, retail integrations and more.
Monday Night’s Charlotte Taproom to Open Late Spring
Monday Night Brewing’s Charlotte, North Carolina-based taproom, its fifth location, is nearing its opening date, scheduled for later this spring, the Atlanta-headquartered craft brewery announced this week.
Monday Night Brewing Garden Co. will open later this spring and “will offer a wide range of award-winning beers in addition to a full pizza kitchen and bar offering specialty cocktails,” according to a press release.
“It’s really fun to see this taproom coming together,” CEO Jeff Heck said in the release. “While all of our taprooms embody the Monday Night mission of quality, craftsmanship and connection, we want each location to authentically reflect the unique personality of its host city.
“Charlotte’s South End is such a vibrant and dynamic community, so it’s exciting to see Garden Co. starting to bloom there,” he continued. “We can’t wait for locals and visitors to drink and eat with us very soon.”
Charlotte’s craft beer community has boomed in recent years, enough to support the foundation of the Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance (CIBA), a local guild dedicated to furthering the industry. Since hiring its first executive director in 2021, CIBA has grown to include nearly 50 members.
Several out-of-town breweries have selected the city as a location for satellite taprooms, including San Antonio, Texas-based Weathered Souls; Asheville, North Carolina-based Hi-Wire; and craft rollup Artisanal Brewing Ventures (Southern Tier, Victory, Sixpoint, Bold Rock).
Monday Night’s Charlotte outpost will be run by general manager Amanda Buckley and assistant general manager Lauren Cooper. To create the taproom, Monday Night converted a former mechanic shop into an 8,000 sq. ft. taproom on one acre of land that will include outdoor seating, fire pits and games.
With the opening of the Charlotte location, Monday Night will begin distributing in North Carolina, marking the brewery’s fourth state. Monday Night also distributes in its home state of Georgia and Tennessee and Alabama, where it operates taprooms.
Monday Night announced plans for the taproom last summer. See previous Brewbound coverage for more details.
In 2021, Monday Night’s production output increased +3%, to 23,000 barrels of beer, a record for the 11-year-old brewery, according to the May/June edition of the New Brewer, published by the Brewers Association (BA). BA data does not include production volume of non-beer products, so Monday Night’s Narwater craft hard seltzer line is excluded from its output.