Hard seltzers continue to dominate the talk of the beer industry this summer, and rightfully so with market research firm Nielsen projecting the industry to reach $1 billion by the end of 2019. The seltzer trend has even begun to bleed into pop culture, with a comedian coining the phrase “ain’t no laws when you’re drinking Claws,” and seltzer taking away another occasion once owned by beer — country music — with singer-songwriter Mark Leach’s ode to White Claw, “Drinkin’ Claws.” The culmination of the so-called summer of seltzer — if it actually does prove seasonal — may come on September 14, with the “Fizz Fight” in Denver.
Maui Brewing Company is rolling out a line of ready-to-drink canned cocktails and hard seltzers in hopes of offering a local alternative to products being shipped to Hawaii from the mainland, co-founder and CEO Garrett Marrero told Brewbound. The new lines, which will initially be sold only in Hawaii, offer Maui “an avenue for growth” as competition increases, he added.
In a deal that will make it the largest wholesaler of Anheuser-Busch products in Massachusetts, Quality Beverage announced today an agreement to acquire Williams Distributing. Financial terms of the asset purchase, pending supplier approval, were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in October. Speaking to Brewbound, Quality Beverage president and CEO Conrad Wetterau said the company will add 2.8 million case equivalents (CEs) in the transaction from Williams Distributing.
In this week’s Last Call: Breakside Brewing Implements Employee Stock Ownership Plan; The Brewers Association Shares Brewery Employee Diversity Data; Guns N’ Roses and CANarchy Settle Lawsuit; Anheuser-Busch Rolls Out Bud Light College Branded Packaging.
“Less isn’t more. It’s right.” That’s the motto of Five Drinks Co., the new high-end, ready-to-drink canned cocktail venture co-founded by former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive Felipe Szpigel. The tagline is apt given that Five Drinks’ offerings are made with five ingredients — or less — and packaged in 6.8 oz. cans (the average size of a cocktail pour), compared to competing brands in 12 oz. cans.
Four Loko maker Phusion Projects plans to launch a 14% ABV hard seltzer sometime in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Four Loko Twitter account teased the launch Tuesday night, posting an image of the forthcoming seltzer that quickly garnered 76,700 likes and 21,400 retweets, as of press time. Phusion Projects co-founder and managing partner Jaisen Freeman confirmed to Brewbound that Four Loko Seltzer will be introduced later this year.
The beer industry’s efforts to make federal excise tax relief for brewers permanent received a boost Tuesday when members of a bipartisan congressional task force expressed support for the cause. U.S. Senate Finance Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-OR) released a report from the Individual, Excise, and Other Temporary Tax Policy Task Force, which called for the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) to be permanently enacted.
Mass Bay Brewing Company’s search for a CMO is over. The Boston-headquartered craft beer company today announced the hiring of Jon London, who will take the post on September 3. London, who spent a decade at Boston Beer Company between 2006 and 2016, will be tasked with overseeing Mass Bay’s portfolio of brands, which includes beer brands Harpoon, UFO and Clown Shoes, as well as Arctic Summer hard seltzer and City Roots hard cider.
Nearly a week after Braxton Brewing’s VIVE Hard Seltzer brand was named the “official hard seltzer” of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, the Kentucky craft brewery today announced the launch of a co-branded “Tailgate Variety Pack.”
Baxter Brewing founder Luke Livingston announced Monday that he will retire from the brewery, effective on September 13. Jenn Lever, Baxter’s current operations manager, will take over as president of the Lewiston, Maine-based craft brewery. Livingston, 34, who founded Baxter in 2010, said in his retirement announcement that it was “time to find my next adventure.”
Odell Brewing is getting into the winemaking business. The Fort Collins-headquartered craft brewery announced plans last week to open a wine cellar and tasting room on its campus next year. Odell director of marketing Alex Kayne declined to share how much money the company is investing in the project, which is slated to break ground later this year.
Boston Beer Company is asking consumers to ditch their old alcoholic beverages and drink what they “Truly want” — hard seltzer. The company, which makes the Truly Hard Seltzer brand, today unveiled five, 15-second commercials featuring comedian and actor Keegan-Michael Key that are part of a national advertising campaign for the 100-calorie, 5 percent ABV seltzer. Those ads began airing today across television and all digital channels.
Just 14 days remain before Anheuser-Busch InBev’s deadline to make a qualifying offer to buy the remaining stake of Craft Brew Alliance, or pay a $20 million fee. The prospect of a qualifying offer of around $328 million (at a minimum price of $24.50 per share) from A-B, which already owns about 31 percent of CBA, was one of the main focuses of Thursday’s second-quarter earnings call.
In this week’s Last Call: Hops & Vines Sells to Ambiente Wine Parent Company; Braxton’s VIVE Named Hard Seltzer of NFL’s Bengals; North Carolina Governor Signs Law to Allow Pets in Breweries; Anheuser-Busch Announces Post Malone Bud Light Cans and ‘Busch Latte’ Packaging
