America Cider Association Elects 2 New Members to Board of Directors
Two new members have been elected to the American Cider Associations (ACA) board of directors, the hard cider industry trade group announced last week.
Beyond Beer
Read the latest beyond beer news relating to companies involved with RTD cocktails, hard cider, hard seltzer, hard kombucha, spirits, cannabis, and non-alcoholic products. Take a comprehensive look at developments in these evolving sectors, offering valuable insights into the innovations, trends, and market forces shaping the world of beer and beyond.
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Hard Cider in a Chapter Primed for Growth, But Needs to ‘Claim the Throne’
The 15th annual CiderCon took place in Chicago earlier this month, drawing about 850 attendees and cider industry members to the Windy City for the American Cider Association’s (ACA) annual industry conference and trade show.
Non-Alcoholic Beer Grabs 4.2% Share of Beer Grocery Sales in January; Sales +23.5%, Volume +20%
Non-alcoholic (NA) beer claimed a record 4.2% share of beer category grocery sales during Dry January, according to an analysis by Bump Williams Consulting chief strategy officer Dan Wandel. NA beer recorded double-digit year-over-year (YoY) increases in dollar sales (+23.5%) and volume (+20.2%) in U.S. food stores tracked by market research firm NIQ for the four-week period ending February 1.
Additional Content
Downeast Cider Targeting 94,000 Barrels in 2022; Expands Portfolio with Vodka-based RTDs
Before consuming a can of hard cider from Downeast Cider House, you have to commit a cardinal sin in beer: shake the can.
Not-So-Suddenly, Sotol Makes Inroads
With both tequila’s and mezcal’s growth rates soaring, the agave spirits category could surpass vodka in a number of years, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. While not an agave spirit, another new product from Mexico is starting to build an audience: Sotol.
Sonic Hard Seltzer’s Push Toward Near National Expansion Rolls Out
Sonic Hard Seltzer — the drive-thru fast-food chain’s collaboration hard seltzer brand with Oklahoma City’s COOP Ale Works — is now available nearly statewide in 30 states as part of the spring resets.
Lunar Hard Seltzer Joins Forces With 3 Iconic Asian Restaurants For Limited Release
On May 15th, the first-ever Asian craft hard seltzer brand, Lunar, will launch the second in its series of limited-edition collaborations with iconic Asian restaurants in New York City.
Calidad Launches Agua Fresca Hard Seltzers in California and Arizona
Los Angeles-based Calidad Beer, known for its Mexican-inspired lager, launched its first brand extension today: Agua Fresca, a line of hard seltzers.
JuneShine Releases Biggest Celebrity Collaboration ‘Ever Done’ with Musician Diplo
Hard kombucha maker JuneShine released Permanent Vacation today in collaboration with DJ, songwriter and JuneShine investor Diplo.
Heineken USA Will Tap into Canned Cocktails with Dos Equis Margarita
Heineken USA is getting into the spirit-based, ready-to-drink canned cocktail market with Dos Equis Margarita, a line extension of the imported Mexican beer brand that will hit retailers in 10 states by the end of June.
Canned Cocktail Brand Five Drinks Merges into Brazil’s Better Drinks Platform
Former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive Felipe Szpigel is merging his high-end, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail brand Five Drinks Co. into a new beverage venture platform called Better Drinks, that will bring several Brazilian brands into the U.S.
New Products: Two Roads to Launch First Non-Alc Beer; Downeast Releases Vodka Soda RTDs
Two Roads Brewing Co. is getting into the non-alcoholic beer space with Non-Alcoholic Juicy IPA, the first NA beer offering from the Stratford, Connecticut craft brewery.
Brewbound Podcast: The State of Hard Cider
Leaders within the craft cider industry break scan data misconceptions and share how regional cideries are growing in 2022. American Cider Association executive director Michelle McGrath, Schilling Cider co-founder and CEO Colin Schilling, Swilled Dog Hard Cider & Spirits co-founder and CEO Brooke Glover, and ANXO Cider co-founder and president Sam Fitz discuss the state of the industry, convergence trends, retail gains and much more.
Sleeping Giant Projects Double-Digit Growth in 2022
Sleeping Giant Brewing Company had its best January and February on record this year, starting off the Denver-based contract brewer’s first year of expected double-digit growth in more than two years, Matthew Osterman, president and founder, detailed to Brewbound.
Cannabis Firm Canopy Cuts Costs, Jobs; CEO: ‘Challenging But Necessary Changes’
Facing consistent challenges on the path to profitability, cannabis corporation Canopy Growth has announced a host of cost reduction measures on Tuesday — including slashing around 250 jobs — as it targets hundreds of millions in savings by the end of the fiscal year 2022.
Ranch Water Maker Lone River Launches Margarita-Style Ranch Rita Nationwide
Lone River Beverage Company has come a long way in a short amount of time. Acquired by Diageo less than two years after launching amidst the pandemic, Lone River’s Ranch Water is now sold nationwide and leads the agave seltzer category in dollar share and rate of sale, according to latest 13-week NielsenIQ data shared by Lone River founder and CEO Katie Beal Brown.
Cold Box Battle Between Beer, Spirits Moves to State Legislatures
With sales of spirits-based ready-to-drink canned cocktails continuing to boom, battles for turf in the cold box can be tracked to statehouses across the country. And spirit makers are looking for some low-cost ammo: While beer has historically enjoyed favorable excise tax rates, spirit makers are attempting to change those laws, they say, to level the playing field for products of similar ABVs and package sizes.