Tilray Brands has a busy slate of new products set to hit retail in the coming weeks and months.
U.S. beer division president Ty Gilmore and new CMO Prinz Pinakatt shared details on the new products with Brewbound, as well as the company’s overarching business strategy, built on three pillars:
- Regional jewels that can win in their home markets;
- National brands, such as Shock Top and 10 Barrel’s category-crossing Pub platform;
- Innovation items that fill whitespace in key segments and flavors.
Gilmore stressed that Tilray will move fast from idea to market execution, with the expectation of getting new products in market in a 90-day window. Several of the new offerings they discussed with Brewbound fit that bill.
“We’re doing innovation in two or three months, what a lot of companies do in five or six years,” Gilmore said. “So we’re mindful of that. But we also know that we compete in the CPG space, and that’s what consumers want, that’s what consumers demand.”
Here are highlights of what’s showing up now from Tilray.
Shock Top Gets an Infusion of New Life, Hard Tea Line Extension
The Shock Top brand needed an injection of “some life” and Tilray is giving it some, Pinakatt told Brewbound. As such, the company is refreshing the brand’s look and adding to its core in an attempt to appeal to new legal-drinking-age consumers.
This includes adding Shock Top Mango to the year-round lineup with Shock Top Belgian White, and resuming the brand’s seasonal program with Shock Top Blueberry (out now), Lemon Shandy (later this spring) and Pretzel Wheat (in the fall).
Shock Top will also go beyond beer in April with the launch of Shock Top LiiT, a 9% ABV non-carbonated hard tea.
Shock Top Liit will be available in three flavors – Peach, Raspberry and Original Lemon – and sold in 12 oz. can 6-packs, variety and 19.2 oz. singles.
“The packaging is amazing, the liquid is similar in the sense to [SweetWater] Gummies [IPA] where it’s above 9% ABV, but you don’t taste that high alcohol that you do with brands that tried to play in that space numerous years ago,” Gilmore said.
Non-Alcoholic Offerings: Runner’s High, Liquid Love, Montauk NA
Tilray is launching Runner’s High, a non-alcoholic (NA) beer brand that will launch in 12 oz. can 6-packs in three flavors: Golden Wheat, Raspberry Wheat and Dark Chocolate.
“We think there is a space for a No. 2 player that’s going to push the category that’s not a me too by just taking a big brand name and throwing that on on a package and saying, ‘Oh, we have a non-alc,’’ Gilmore said.
Runner’s High will be tested in the Southeast, Northeast and Pacific Northwest before potentially expanding wider.
“Think big, start small, scale fast,” Pinakatt said.
Pinakatt added that the NA beer is aimed at consumers with “a truly athletic mind” who are looking for a post-workout NA beer. He added that some of the offerings feature terpenes and low-calories and low-carbs.
Additionally, Tilray is launching a new-to-world canned water brand, Liquid Love, in 19.2 oz. single-serve cans. Pinakatt described Liquid Love as a “water-plus proposition that looks at the world in a more optimistic way than some other players in this space do, that not only has a better taste profile but also some functional benefits,” such as electrolytes or ginseng.
Tilray will also leverage the Montauk brand for the release of a NA IPA in 12 oz. can 6-packs. The beer is expected to play into the brand’s sponsorship deal with the New York Mets at Citi Field.
10 Barrel Pub Beer Expands to Cerveza, FMBs
Following the success of 10 Barrel Pub Beer, Tilray is building upon the Pub platform with a Smirnoff Ice FMB challenger brand, Pub Ice, Pinakatt said.
Pub Ice will come in three flavors – Original, Screwdriver and Fruit Punch – and be sold in single-flavor 6-pack bottles, and variety 12-pack bottles and cans.
In addition to the FMBs, the Pub brand will launch Pub Cerveza on April 22, Gilmore said.
“We don’t think you have to have a Mexican import at $20.99 or $21.99 or $22.99,” Gilmore said. “We think there is a consumer out there that likes cheap fun that can get that at $18.99, $19.99, $17.99, if we need to lean in. And we’re gonna have some fun with this.”
Gilmore envisions retailers with end caps filled with Pub Beer, Pub Cerveza and Pub Ice awaiting consumers who can fill their basket with each.
“There are enough pockets of growth in the category for us to tap in, and we as Tilray Beer have the ability to to show and lead the category and Pub Beer ad the Pub platform is one of those ideas of where we show a beer brand can stretch way beyond beer,” Pinakatt said.
SweetWater Gets a Brand Refresh, 420 Line Extensions
Tilray is refreshing the packaging for SweetWater, its Atlanta-based flagship brand, and extending its 420 brand family, Pinakatt said. The new packaging presents a more unified billboard on shelf with fewer colors and a more iconized version of Fletcher the fish.
Part of those plans include the release of a 420 variety 12-pack this week, featuring 420 Extra Pale Ale, Mango Crush, Citrus Haze pale ale and Extra Chill pale ale.
Additionally, SweetWater recently released a line of cocktail-inspired flavored malt beverages (FMBs), including Wildberry Punch, Sweet Tea Lemonade, Mango Sunrise and Strawberry Peach Smash. Gilmore described the flavors as Southern-style cocktails.
HiBall Resurrected as 10% ABV FMB
Tilray is resurrecting the once-defunct HiBall brand as HiBall Hard Ball, a 10% ABV FMB that will be sold in 16.9 oz. resealable plastic bottles similar to Gatorade or Body Armor. The non-carbonated drink will come in three flavors Pineapple, Blue Razz and Punch in an attempt to appeal to LDA to 30-year-old consumers who grew up on sports drinks.
“We think there is a space for us to go and work with BeatBox and help build that category,” Gilmore said. “We feel there is a way to use vessels as a way to continue to recruit and make beer and beverages fun again.”
Pinakatt added that the moment of exponential growth for various categories has followed the introduction of a new packaging style, not a new flavor or brand.
“Consumers dial into that because it adds convenience or it caters to a specific occasion,” he said. “Our goal here is to provide an experience that is disruptive because it’s different, but also adds value to the consumer experience from a convenience point of view.”
HiBall Hard Ball will begin shipping in May.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the forthcoming Montauk non-alc beer will be an IPA.