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Beer pricing continues to rise at a relatively typical 1-2% clip in available CPI and tracked scan data, and craft beer's no different. Up 1.6% to over $45/case in NIQ data YTD thru May 9. But several instances of increased promo activity leading up to Memorial Day weekend caught CBN's eye in top chains across the country. Big Wave 12pks 40% Off in FL Walmarts; Sets Up for a Spike in May Scans, at a Cost In FL, AB's Kona Big Wave has been on rollback statewide in largest chain grocer Walmart thruout most of May with one of the steeper discount prices we came across; Big Wave 12pks are going for just $11.87, off $8.25, more than 40% from its usual price. That's as Big Wave sales slowed in tracked off-prem channels this yr, declining 2% by $$ thru mid Apr in Circana multi-outlet + convenience data. Perhaps it's set to see a big spike in May with increased promo activity, but Big Wave avg price/case already down 1% YTD thru Apr 19.Cigar City Tampa Discounts Driving Recent Spike? Gotta note, the only other craft brand with nearly as big a discount CBN saw was Cigar City Jai Alai and Florida Man double IPA 6pks in Tampa stores. They're available for $7.42 per 6pk, ~$4.80 off from its typical price. That helps explain why Cigar City sales suddenly surged up strong double-digits in recent periods, listed as a top growth brand in NIQ data for 4 wks thru May 9 (see last issue).Shock Top 6pks, Landshark 12pks and Heineken 0.0 6pks on BOGO at Publix This Memorial Day weekend's BOGO (buy one, get one) brands at Publix are another unusual cast. Across FL and SC stores, folks can find Tilray's Shock Top Belgian White and seasonal 6pks, AB's Landshark Lager 12pks and 6pks of Heineken 0.0 and new 0.0 flavors on BOGO. Last yr it was Landshark 12pks, Good Boy John Daly Vodka RTD 8pks, Tilray's Runner's High NA 6pks, and Sierra Nevada 12pks. So Publix continues to focus on smaller brands for its BOGO deals in recent yrs. While Landshark is consistently on deal at Publix, these promos tend to impact trends for other brands significantly in natl scans.Rhinegeist Goin' Extra Low with Cincy Light in Cincy Kroger Rebate; 10 Barrel Pub Lager 18pks in OR; Outlaw 30pks Cheapest Around in Jewel Osco Some regional craft lagers are playing at extra low price points for the holidays. In its hometown Cincy Krogers, Rhinegeist's Cincy Light Lager 24pks were on sale for $13.99 with a $10 rebate. That was $5 lower than Bud Light, Miller Lite or Coors Light 24pks on sale for $18.99 with a $5 rebate, and $12 cheaper than Mich Ultra suitcases. Similarly, Tilray's 10 Barrel Pub Lager 18pks are on sale for just $10.98 with a $5 rebate. But no pack went lower than Tivoli's Outlaw Light Lager in Chicago Jewel Osco stores, where 30pks of Outlaw Light were on sale for just $12.99. A couple bucks lower than competing subpremium lagers from larger brewers like Busch Light, PBR and Miller High Life.Low-Priced Craft 12-15pks in Chicago, Detroit/Ann Arbor A few more craft-centric deals caught our eye in Chicago and Detroit/Ann Arbor chains. Sam Summer 12pks, along with Twisted Tea 12pks and Sun Cruiser 8pks, were on sale for just $6.99 at an Ann Arbor Kroger with a $10 rebate. (Twisted Tea and Truly 12pks were also on sale for $7.99 with a $10 rebate in Cincy Krogers.) Not far behind, Jewel Osco in Chicago has Blue Moon, Leinenkugel's, Stella and Seagram's Escapes 12pks at $8.99 each when you buy two. At Binny's in Chicago, Southern Tier's Overpak'd 15pks are more than half off at just $9.99. That's $5 below Founders 15pks, which were on sale for $14.99, as were 12pks of Founders Easy Drinking Beer. SoTier's 15pk was the biggest discount CBN saw in craftland. But other Artisanal Brewing Ventures packs were more moderately discounted in Chitown stores, like Victory Monkey Mix Pk on sale for $17.99.West Coast Snapshot: 6pks in LA Albertsons/Vons; 12pks in Oakland Safeway; 19.2s in Portland Lookin' at some of the typical deals on the west coast, CBN spotted a group of craft 6pks on sale for $10.99 at Los Angeles Albertsons and Vons stores from Firestone, Pizza Port, Coronado, Madewest, and Hop Habit. Twelve pks of JuneShine hard kombuchas, Karl Strauss hard sodas and AriZona hard teas were $12.99 each there too. In San Fran/Oakland Safeways, top CA craft cos Firestone, Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas have 12pks on sale for $12.99 when you buy two. Just $1 above Modelo, Corona, Pacifico, Stella and Heineken 12pks. In Portland, OR Safeways, craft 19.2s are featured for $2.50 each from Trailhead IPA, 10 Barrel Pub Lager and Widmer Hefe. And Arizona Walmarts had Lagunitas 6pks on sale for under $10 a pop.

Memorial Day Craft Deals: Kona Big Wave in FL Walmarts, Shock Top Publix BOGOs, Low-Priced Lagers, Big IL/MI Discounts, West Coast Snapshot

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