Included in that growth were a few notable bright spots. Whitney tells Brewbound.com that Sierra hit 50 percent growth for its Torpedo Extra IPA and 5 percent growth on sales of its flagship offering, Pale Ale, which he said makes up roughly 70 percent of the company’s overall production.
The growth of Pale Ale comes at a time when some of the country’s largest craft brewers are struggling to grow share with their flagship beers, according to Whitney.
So why is Pale Ale bucking the trend?
“As economic times have gotten tough, we haven’t resorted to discounting or become super promotional,” Whitney said. “We are still all about the beer.”
Whitney said Sierra Nevada customers appreciate the company’s authenticity.
“The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale drinker is our bread and butter,” he said. “But it is also a person who is drinking a lot of other things. It is someone who is loyal, but maybe not as loyal to Sierra Nevada as a New Belgium Fat Tire or Samuel Adams Lager drinker might be to those brands.”
And in an effort to provide additional purchasing opportunities for those Pale Ale customers, the company added cans to its mix, a move which Whitney said helped contribute to the 5 percent growth figure.
But cans weren’t the only change Sierra Nevada made in 2012. The company also focused its attention on redesigning the look and feel of its website and created a new promotional video to help tell the story of the brewery.