Beyond Beer

Everybody’s talking about RTDs, and for good reason. The ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage alcohol segment is absolutely exploding, with that growth triggering a slew of new brands and products entering the market.

Brew Talks video replay is now available. Beyond beer offerings continue to be the growth driver within the beer category. Boston Beer’s Dave Burwick, Lone River Beverage Company’s Katie Beal Brown and Manhattan Beer’s Ed McBrien discuss the opportunities within the so-called “fourth category” of offerings.

Just how big a part of the beer category could hard seltzer be by 2025? It depends on who you ask. During this month’s Beverage Forum, Anthony Von Mandl and Jim Koch, the leaders of the companies that produce the two largest hard seltzer brands, White Claw and Truly, respectively, offered differing projections, according to analysts’ reports.

Lunar co-founders Sean Ro and Kevin Wong were a couple drinks in, reminiscing about the “before times” — when COVID-19 hadn’t locked down the country, halting travel — when they thought up their next flavor launch for their up-and-coming hard seltzer brand.

Heineken and several of its subsidiaries have dropped their trademark infringement complaint against Biscayne Bay Brewing and signed a covenant not to sue the Miami-based craft brewery. “The parties have jointly agreed to resolve their trademark dispute,” a Heineken spokesperson told Brewbound.

While they may be restrictive with distribution, the Atlanta-headquartered company is anything but with their product line-up, transitioning from a craft brewery into a total beverage company.

At present, malt- and sugar-based RTDs, such as Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw and Boston Beer Company’s Truly Hard Seltzer, can be sold at beer distributors, which offer retail beer sales. Wine-based RTDs are available at Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board-run (PLCB) stores and off-premise retailers licensed to sell wine. However, spirits-based RTDs are only available via the PLCB’s stores.

Lone River Ranch Water announced the expansion of their distribution in 21 states this summer.

New hard seltzer offerings continue to play a “vital role” in driving growth of the booming segment, while several core SKUs keep “churning out growth,” Bump Williams Consulting found in the firm’s latest analysis of the $4.1 billion and climbing hard seltzer segment.

Cannabis firms Tilray, Inc. and Aphria, Inc. announced today the completion of their previously agreed upon merger, creating what they say will be “the world’s largest global cannabis company.”

With projections predicting continued segment growth for RTDs, anyone looking to enter the space will face a competitive landscape. But by studying brands who have either launched during the pandemic or have weathered the storm without faltering, there are plenty of opportunities for new premixed canned cocktails to thrive.

Suzie’s Brewery, maker of Suzie’s Organic Hard Seltzer, and Anheuser-Busch InBev agreed earlier this week to settle the Oregon company’s lawsuit against the world’s largest beer manufacturer for allegedly engaging in deceptive advertising practices for its Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer brand.

White Claw Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade maker Mark Anthony Brands has filed a lawsuit against Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bang Energy LLC alleging copyright infringement in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. In the lawsuit filed April 26, Mark Anthony argues that the defendants’ MIXX flavored malt beverages infringe on its MXD Cocktail Company flavored malt beverages and may cause consumer confusion.

Two Robbers Hard Seltzer has raised $6 million in a Series A funding round led by New York-based Brand Foundry Ventures. The company has plans to add six new markets to its footprint: Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington, D.C.