Hard Seltzer

Hard seltzer’s late summer slowdown has pushed several financial services firms to adjust their forecast for the sparkling segment’s performance. “We are incrementally more cautious on the beer and hard seltzer category based on feedback from our beer distributor contacts in our new proprietary ‘Beverage Bytes’ survey,” Goldman Sachs equity research analyst Bonnie Herzog wrote in a report published today.

Los Angeles-based Nectar hard seltzer almost failed before it launched.

Hard seltzer’s popularity hasn’t waned with college-aged consumers, who ranked White Claw and Truly among their favorite brands in a study conducted from July 2-8 by the Generation Lab, a polling and research firm that specializes in tracking youth views and behaviors.

Production has begun at City Brewing’s Irwindale, California-based facility, five months after the brewery’s acquisition from Pabst Brewing, the company announced today.

The rise of ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails isn’t going anywhere this fall, according to e-commerce beverage alcohol delivery platform Drizly in its BevAlc Insights’ “Top Predictions for Fall 2021 Sales” report.

Massachusetts-based hard seltzer brand Willie’s Superbrew was midway through a call with the supermarket chain Harris Teeter when the buyer interjected…

The beer category didn’t see fireworks in off-premise retail sales this July 4, market research firm NielsenIQ reported. “For the biggest beer holiday of the year, the category had lackluster performance in the off-premise channels this year, with dollar sales down -5.1% compared to last year, and up +7% compared to 2019, which was driven in great part by beyond beer segments,” NielsenIQ vice president of beverage alcohol practice Danelle Kosmal wrote.

Boston Beer Company adjusted its full-year forecast for shipments and depletions growth after a significant slowdown in the hard seltzer segment in the second quarter. The company previously projected full-year growth of 40-50% in shipments (sales to wholesalers) and depletions (sales to retailers), but has trimmed that projection to 25-40%. Its depletions increased 24% during Q2, decelerating by half from Q1’s growth of 48%, according to remarks from founder and chairman Jim Koch in the quarterly earnings release. “To be totally honest, we’re surprised at the sharpness and the suddenness of the change in trajectory,” Koch said during a conference call with investors and analysts.

Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, which Coke launched this year in partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Company, is now available in 17 markets worldwide with plans to be in 28 markets by the end of the year.

Stone Brewing Company’s entry into the $4.5 billion hard seltzer segment — Buenavida Hard Seltzer — is now available in Southern California.

Beverage alcohol sales at some convenience stores have begun to decelerate as the on-premise channel reopens, Goldman Sachs analyst Bonnie Herzog reported in her Q2 “Beverage Bytes” survey of c-store retailers. Half of survey respondents reported no impact to alcohol sales during the July 4 holiday weekend. Meanwhile, 33% reported a moderate negative impact, and 17% reported a significant moderate impact.

Boston Beer Company and Beam Suntory today announced a joint venture to extend two of the companies’ most popular brands — Truly Hard Seltzer and Sauza tequila — across categories.

Beer industry depletions (sales-to-retailers) volumes tracked by beverage alcohol invoicing and logistics firm Fintech have increased 9% year-to-date through Week 27 compared to the same period last year, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones and Fintech director of distributors Jim Kallies shared yesterday during a quarterly review of the industry’s performance.