Anheuser-Busch InBev offered deep dive into its innovation process yesterday, including Bud Light Lemon Tea that’s debuting and still-piloting spiked coconut water and green tea that we first reported last fall. Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer is getting an unflavored Original extension in Jul, including a draft version, as a cocktail base so bartenders can spend their time crafting special cocktails rather than slaving over vodka sodas. And unusual honey-based 3.5% ABV entry called simply “b” that’s testing in New England offers short ingredient list of just honey, water and fruit.

A few themes emerged over 2 hours of discussion and sampling at ABI’s offices in NY’s Flatiron District. For one, co is giving close scrutiny to what’s working in non-alc bevs – from coconut water to La Croix flavored sparkling waters to Bai Antioxidant Infusions – and appropriating those concepts for beer and “beyond beer” launches. For another, ABI seems resigned to consumers relentlessly flavor-hopping rather than basing purchases on brand loyalty and is whole-heartedly playing game. Also, what we’ve referred to as consumers’ Great Sugar Freakout on NA side is having increasing impact on alc side, too, for instance as Spiked Seltzer heralds its zero grams of sugar. And, for all its talk of how everything is driven by consumer insights, ABI seems to be taking pains to foster channels that let ideas bubble up organically from all corners of the enterprise rather than thru rigorous adherence to set innovation scheme. Bud Light Lemon Tea, for instance, was brainstorm of bunch of youthful new hires. “When we started down this path, the idea of beer and tea was not obvious,” as innovation vp Jake Kirsch readily allowed. But iced tea is a massive category, and all the growth these days is in better-for-you tier like PepsiCo’s Pure Leaf and ABI’s own Teavana collab with Starbucks. So idea was to borrow that idea and bring it to beer, Jake said.

Among more off-the-beaten-path entries we saw was that honey-based b drink. Devised at prompting of scientists at Univ of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, it falls into category of “melomels,” ancient brewing technique that avoid heavy connotations of more familiar mead style. “Dry and light,” package copy reassures, flagging 100-calorie contents. It’s packed in 12-oz slim cans in Cherry and Blueberry flavors and derives alcohol entirely from honey, not from malt or vodka base. It’s testing in New England metros like Boston and Worcester, Mass, and Portland, Maine, backed by local media. ABI sends $1 per case to Healthy Bee Fund.

Also in mix were Hard Coconut Water and Hard Green Tea spotted at NACS c-store show last fall under LQD Custom Liquids brand name that Beyond Beer veep Chelsea Phillips said might just be placeholder. Out of innovation crew at 10 Barrel in Ore, it’s attempt to flip formulation stance from “give me less of the bad” to basing entries on good-for-you ingredients, in this case coconut water and green tea.  They’re piloting in Calif.

Broader idea, per AB cmo Marcel Marcondes: ABI needs to drive category’s growth. That means being more “consumer centric,” which in turn required radically changing all internal processes, broadening sources of ideas and lessening stigma of failure. Under rubric of Project Apollo 11, co has reduced new product development cycle from 2 years to as little as 3 mos.

Everything is driven by “endless runs” of consumer insights, including tech-enabled contacts with 5K consumers per week to suss out trends and usage occasions down to regional level, as innovation vp Jake Kirsch noted. Hundreds of ideas are winnowed down to manageable # that can be piloted at small scale, much like VC’s view (Venture Capital) that lotsa portfolio bets will yield 1 or 2 big winners that outweigh failures. Lessons learned from the failures can, of course, yield the next winners.  Ideas bubble up from all over, whether experimental group sited at 10 Barrel’s brewery or youthful new hires who came up with idea of Bud Light  Tea. Innovation engine is stoked via activities like annual iWeek, offsite gathering of 100 innovation-focused people from within and outside ABI.  All the entries in some way participated in 1 or more of 3 broader trends that dominate food/bev space these days: premiumization, health & wellness and purpose-driven brands.

Here’s rundown: Michelob Ultra Pure Gold was developed in just 9 months, despite challenge of finding sources of organic barley, launching last Feb and dialing up effort this year with full USDA organic certification. . . New Michelob Ultra Infusions drew direct inspiration from Bai Antioxidant Infusions and legion of flavored waters on NA side, maintaining low-carb credo of brand but accommodating consumers’ desire for taste of real, exotic fruits . . . Bud  Light Lemon Tea employs real black tea and real lemon peels, brought challenge of balancing tea notes with beer, seeking alternative to spiked teas containing 3X the sugar. With 8 g of sugar, it contains less even than many premium NA teas, Jake noted. But it’s caffeine-free . . . Budweiser Discovery Reserve last week added 4th entry since lineup’s debut in fall 2017, American Red Lager inspired by all malt entry dating back to 1969, year of Apollo moonshot. It builds off collab with Jim Beam called Copper Lager . . . Below superpremium tier, Chelsea had further innovations to show. Out in late Feb, Natural Light Naturdays is avowed “lawn mower beer” in 12-oz cans adorned with pink flamingos that bring sweeter strawberry lemonade flavor.  Counterintuitively, pink-hued packs seem to be no turnoff to the guys who’re doing much of the beer purchasing in early-20s cohort, Chelsea noted . . . Update last Jul of Spiked Seltzers line under Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzers, with ABV dialed down from 6% to more sessionable 4.5%. Flavors and mouthfeel are inspired in part by La Croix sparkling waters. Idea is to source volume from wine & spirits segment by giving partygoers an alternative to schlepping bottles of vodka and club soda . . . Under Stella Artois banner, hibiscus-flavored Stella Spritzer piloted in Feb in Washington DC, where it seemed to work well in luring older female drinkers from wine, so it goes out more broadly this summer . . . Wine-cocktail-inspired Ritas Spritz, out in Feb and brewed by all-female team, targets lapsed drinkers who felt core Ritas line was too sweet with lower-sugar line at 6% . . . Since Golden Road Brewing founder Meg Gill views fruit beers as  being her wheelhouse, she got nod to create Golden Road Aguas Frescas, 4% ABV entries with 10% fruit juice. . . ABI also highlighted restaged Kombrewcha hard kombucha brand, now a canned entry at more elevated 4.4% ABV and extended from NY to more kombucha-involved Pac NW region.

Note: Bud Light Orange reintroduced  Feb 28, 2019, sez AB and had been off shelves for months. But some still in IRI data set in intervening periods.

No end to cannabis-alcohol contact points.  In Canada, where much-anticipated edibles/bevs will hit market in Oct this yr, group of cannabis producers just formed alliance, curiously not including Constellation’s partner Canopy yet. Cannabis Bev Producers Alliance “wants cannabis-infused drinks to have similar guidelines to alcohol when it comes to branding and marketing,” reports The Spirits Business.  Right now, cannabis regs require plain packaging, with “strict limits on the use of logos, colors and branding.”  Alliance also wants ability to produce cannabis-infused bevs in same facility where they make alc bevs.  Draft regs currently require separate facilities.  In case you think this is easy, Health Canada, key public health agency, “currently reviewing 7,000 submissions on the regulation of edible products,” Drinks Biz points out.  Final rules expected in late summer. 

Canopy’s co-CEO Mark Zekulin, far less public than partner Bruce Linton, laid out some key aspects of their Constellation relationship in talk with MarketWatch.  Among ’em: Constellation’s expertise in running bottling plants (“we don’t know anything about bottling”) to match Canopy’s knowledge about “how to make cannabis drinks.”  Regarding Canopy’s recent deal to invest in US cannabis co Acreage, Constellation helped with doing analysis faster, using its “more advanced organization structure,” Mark said.  He’s confident federal cannabis legalization coming in US “sooner rather than later,” but still “could be three years or five years.” In any case, Canopy poised to “help” Acreage with licensing, branding, intellectual property and “tools to separate themselves from the pack even more in the US.”  Working to shorten that US timeline: “Cannabis companies spent $2.7 million on lobbying last year − a six-fold increase over just two years ago,” to change fed drug policy, reports Politico.  Those companies include Constellation, natch. “Arrival of corporate giants and K Street firms represents a tipping point for the mainstreaming of marijuana legalization in Washington,” Politico suggests, even while headwinds remain.

Driving Issues; Impairment vs Detection  One cannabis policy sticking point has been difficulty in identifying drivers who are actually impaired by marijuana.  Since THC lingers in the body a lot longer than alcohol, its mere presence doesn’t tell you much, if anything about impairment.  And yet there remains a lot of focus on simply detecting THC.  For example, Newsweek featured a recent small study in Washington that found 14% of drivers with children in the vehicle tested positive for THC, while 17% without kids in the car tested positive.  “This is a different pattern than we see with alcohol,” one of the study authors said, as “drivers transporting children were much less likely to test positive for any alcohol, compared with drivers not transporting children. The possibility that some of the drivers in this study were impaired is of concern.”  Our emphasis, and again, the focus was not impairment.  Then too, Calif co Hound Labs about to intro “the first dual marijuana and alcohol breathalyzer,” Fox News reports.  It “provides instant analysis of how much THC…an individual has in their system.”  Already tested by “multiple law enforcement agencies,” said company co-founder, “it’ll be out on the streets and in the workplace later this year.”  But it isn’t measuring impairment.  Indeed, many state laws do not differentiate between presence and impairment.  So, once these tools become more widespread, the real test may be if those laws hold up in court.    

Only Mainers Need Apply; Craft Brewing as Model for Cannabis in Maine  Launch of legal recreational cannabis delayed in Maine for several yrs, but it’s coming.  Among regs in “long awaited draft rules” released earlier this week: a state residency requirement for growers, producers and retailers, reports Greenstate.  Sound familiar?  “Putting state residents first would allow the state to develop a ‘craft cannabis’ market,” according to pro-legalization lobbyist David Boyer of Marijuana Policy Project.  “The draft rules allow for Maine’s existing businesses to operate and give the little guys a shot.  The market will grow, just as it has for craft brewing.”

Several striking comments from Brewers Assn economist Bart Watson in brief remarks at the Meeting of the Malts put on by Brewers of Pennsylvania yesterday in Hershey.  “I would predict in 2 years there will be 10,000 brewers,” said Bart. Acknowledging “some people fear that,” Bart said “everybody needs to prepare” because “it’s coming.”  Right now there are 7400 breweries or so, with about 3 opening a day.  Most are tiny as median craft brewer only sells 400 bbls. That’s right, fully half of craft breweries below 400 bbls.  And that’s where the growth is, Bart noted.  Taking another look at how 1 mil bbls of craft growth was divvied up among 7K brewers in 2018, about 25% of that from 800-1000 brewers that just opened last yr and averaged sales of 250-300 bbls.  Another 25% from breweries in their 2d yr that may have been all incremental for half the yr or more.  And another big chunk from breweries that opened in last 4 yrs and are still expanding territories and/or in rapid growth mode.  But at least craft growing overall and part of the growing high end, segments which are now collectively bigger than premium and premium light. The high end will still grow at least another 15-20 share, Bart also predicted, to get to closer to 2/3 of biz, where premium/premium light peaked. 

“Age Into Beer Rather Than Out of Beer”  Total beer ain’t growing and Bart laid out key reasons in very simple, rational economic terms.  It’s because of “demographics” and “pricing.”  “We’re getting older” as a society and older consumers drink less beer.  Bart doesn’t see that changing. Then too, beer “taking a lot more price” than wine and spirits, Bart said, and “a certain percent of consumers are just substituting.”  Bart doesn’t see “pricing decisions” of large brewers changing much either.  So beer will have tuff time growing.  But “craft can be a place to grow,” even if it’s “sliced up in more ways than we’ve ever seen.”  And here’s one final interesting demographic stat to support that: while consumers 35-44 drink less than those younger, they don’t drink less craft. Craft and older drinkers are both more affluent on avg.  So Bart’s hope is that consumers can “age into beer, rather than out of beer” and craft can be part of “beer’s return to health, now driven by the high end.”  (This article also appeared in Craft Brew News.) 

Despite mixed set of analyst reports, Boston Beer stock jumped big time outta the gate this morn. It then pulled back tho still up 4% at presstime. Initially up 9% following yesterday’s big growth #s and raised depletions guidance.  But Boston explicitly did not change earnings guidance and made no bones that it would give some of big shipments gain back as yr went on and that it’s investing heavily to get growth. Still, “hard to bet against Jim,” headlined Macquarie’s Caroline Levy, raising her target price to $325.  Tho she acknowledged  “gross margins will continue to suffer from higher third party production” in 2019, “we see opportunities for significant improvement in FY20 and beyond” after SAM installs new can line, she added.  Twisted, Angry Orchard and Truly can grow 25% this yr, 14% next yr, while Caroline expects Boston’s beer to decline 4% a yr over next 3 yrs (would be an improvement). “Truly is legit… but valuation seems spiked,” headlined RBC’s Nik Modi.  Latest qtr “should put a lid on concerns that Truly is going to see a dramatic decline in its trajectory due to increasing competition.”  Truly Boston’s “key growth driver” in Q1.  But stock “overvalued” in Nik’s view, “particularly given near term gross margin pressures and lack of visibility on top line growth sustainability.”  Similarly, Goldman Sachs Judy Hong sez first qtr “strength unlikely to be sustained” and “we see volume guidance as overly optimistic” as Twisted “could…see more modest growth” and beer “unlikely to improve.”

AB’s new seasonal Bud Light Lemon Tea slated to debut Monday “brewed with real lemon peels and aged over real black tea leaves.”  Reformulated brand getting big support and AB expecting it to make splash.  But how will it effect Bud Light Orange, which was biggest new beer brand of last yr in IRI?  Bud Light Orange seemingly doesn’t sell as much in winter mos.  So far this yr, surging Mich Ultra Pure Gold far outselling Bud Light Orange.  Last yr, Bud Light Orange got $68 mil of revs in IRI multi-outlet + convenience, compared to $60 mil for Mich Ultra Pure Gold, 0.19 share of $$ to 0.17.  This yr, Mich Ultra Pure Gold already at $21 mil of sales in IRI MULC thru 3/24, compared to just $5.1 mil of Bud Light Orange (still almost all incremental).  That’s 0.29 share of $$ compared to 0.07. So far, Pure Gold and Bud Light Orange seem headed in opposite direcitons.  To what extent will Bud Light Orange get back to bigger numbers in peak-selling season and what will trends be as it laps last yr’s big launch? And to what extent will focus shift to Bud Light Lemon Tea?

 “We don’t know how high is up” for hard seltzer, Boston Beer chairman Jim Koch acknowledged during co’s 1st qtr earnings call yesterday. He and other Boston execs actually “surprised” that seltzers continued to grow as fast as they did thruout winter mos. That’s primary cause of raised full-yr guidance and bigger-than-expected Q1 shipments gain (+32%, see last issue). Faster recent growth (depletions +12.5% thru Apr 13 vs 11% in Q1) “just looks like consumer takeaway is accelerating,” Jim said. “Strong” tea and seltzer growth currently “driving our total depletions,” so even tho Sam Adams still “heart and soul” of Boston Beer, co can now “deliver nice double-digit growth without Sam Adams contributing to it.” Indeed, now that Boston crossed that line, it has a “big advantage over the rest of the craft category,” in Jim’s view. “They’ve only got one bet,” for most part. “Their stool is only on one leg. And we’ve got four.”

Top 2 seltzer brands, White Claw and Boston’s Truly, still dominate sub-segment, “and neither one of us wants to give up any share,” Jim said. So co spending big to keep its #2 rank. Fast trends thru winter forced Boston to do “more co-packing than we thought,” causing slimmed margins in Q1. Part of that picture: Boston has “literally hundreds of temps at our brewery in Pennsylvania,” Jim shared, largely to hand-pack Truly variety pks. “It’s ugly,” he said. Equipment co purchased to automate that process comes in May, new canning line also coming in. “But it will be too late” to help for summer 2019. Will help keep costs in line for 2020. But “my hope is,” Jim said, that seltzer is “still doing just as much contract production next year because we’ve underestimated the volume again.”

Seltzer Oppy Still Big; Where’s It Comin’ From and Where’s It Goin’?  “The growth rates will come down,” Jim acknowledged on seltzer, but “if it triples in volume” and then “growth rate comes down to 50%,” he said, that’s “still a lot of cases.” Recall, both Boston and Mike’s execs bullish in late 2018 that seltzers would double in 2019. We estimate that seltzers totaled about 2 mil bbls last yr. “You want to be number one or number two,” Boston ceo Dave Burwick said on call. He and Jim see Boston maintaining #2 spot and Truly + White Claw holding on to 75-80 share of segment (tho Boston “not going to be happy ’til we’re number one,” Dave slipped in). Assume all that happens. Seltzer gains another 2 mil bbls in 2019 and Mike’s and Boston keep 75-80 share of that. Leaves 400-500K bbls of growth up for grabs for everyone else. No wonder suppliers from AB and MC down to dozens of smaller brewers bettin’ big. And what if seltzer gains continue to surprise and new entrants just add fuel to fire?

Importantly, “more than half” of seltzer volume “coming from outside of beer,” Dave pointed out. That tracks what Mike’s has said too. Some of that’s spirits, but “primarily wine,” he said, “a big win.” Of course, folks at Boston also “see it coming out of light beer.” Meanwhile, as seltzer attracts new drinkers, “the category is expanding distribution at an enormous rate” and “getting really big pull-per-point increases,” according to Jim. Truly distribution up about 50% in Nielsen all outlet data for 4 wks thru April 16, while White Claw doubling its total distribution points same period. What’s losing that space tho? Slower growing craft, Jim suggested. “Wholesalers are pruning their portfolios. And retailers are looking at doing the same thing. The growth of seltzers means they’ve got to get space from somewhere,” he acknowledged. That “may be” from craft brands not keeping up, but that’s a “trend happening in slow motion,” in his view.

Sam Goes “Back to Blue,” Tweaking Messaging; Unfilter Cider, Slim Can Vty Pks  Sam Adams brand obviously in tuff place. Boston “trying to bring enough energy back to the brand to make sure that we get the support from our customers,” or retailers, Dave said. That includes packaging overhaul. Co went “back to blue” to stand out in a “sea of colors and sensory experience” on craft shelves. New cmo Lesya Lysyj “pushing things in the right direction” to help Sam ad campaign reach new younger, 21-25 yr old beer drinkers. She has already proven “in tough categories, she can find ways to grow brands.” New recipe for Summer Ale also big positive, in Dave’s view. On Angry Orchard, currently “lapping with the Rosé launch,” Dave said, the “big overlap is behind us.” Later in yr, co launching unfiltered version of flagship Crisp Apple brand as well as a variety pk of slim cans, which will “bring the brand to positive before the year is over.” And Twisted Tea? No real commentary on call. Just quietly chugging along, up low double-digits and accelerating in early April scans.

Boston Beer posted a crazy 32%, 263,000-bbl shipments gain in first qtr, far beyond optimistic analyst estimates.  Boston had said it would boost inventories this qtr so that it would not again be plagued by out-of-stocks, especially on Truly.  But analysts expected more like 20% growth.  Meanwhile, Boston Beer depletions still very healthy.  Sales-to-retailers up 11% in the quarter, 12.5% thru Apr 13.  And Boston Beer raised its guidance for the full yr, increasing expected range of STR growth to 10-15%. Previously it was 8-13%.  This was Boston’s 4^th consecutive qtr of double digit depletions growth, noted chairman Jim Koch.  Yet “we are still seeing challenges across the industry, including a general softening of the craft beer category,” he added.  “We are disappointed with our Samuel Adams brand trends,” said Jim “and continue to work hard on our brand messaging,” plus package redesign and reformulated Sam Summer Ale. “We plan to continue to invest in the coming months to improve trends and remain focused on the longer term goal of returning Samuel Adams to growth,” Jim added.

But for now its growth is all about Truly and Twisted. Truly “continues to grow beyond our expectations,” said ceo Dave Burwick. (Recall, Boston expected Truly to approximately double this year.)  And Twisted Tea “continues to generate double-digit volume growth, consistent with 2018 full year growth trends.”  Meanwhile, Angry Orchard declined in Q1, going against last yr’s rollout of Rose. But Boston expects Angry Orchard “to improve for the remainder of the year.” 

Distribs have 6 weeks of inventory on hand on average, according to Dave.  That’s “an appropriate level based on the supply chain capacity constraints and inventory requirements to support the forecasted growth of Truly and Twisted Tea brands over the summer.”  Inventories will return to more normal levels of 3-4 weeks over the remainder of the year. 

Boston oper income more than tripled to $29 mil in 1^st qtr.  But it didn’t change earnings guidance as it once again faces increased costs to maintain rapid growth, including 2019 guidance of $20-30 mil in incremental ad, promo and selling expenses, capital spending of between $100-120 mil and “increased usage of third party breweries” to capture volume growth oppys.  “We remain prepared to forsake short-term earnings,” said Dave “as we invest to sustain longterm profitable growth.”   

Market Watch piece from last weekend with that headline is making rounds and no wonder.  But what’s most striking are the anecdotes, tone and overarching conclusions of the piece.  Quotes 27-yr old woman who works in Chicago,”has consumed alcohol for nearly a decade.  In recent months, however, she’s concluded it’s not worth the calories or hangovers…. ‘I realized that I get zero enjoyment out of drinking and it costs me more money than weed does.’”  Article cites familiar stats about rise in daily cannabis use among 12^th graders, decline of drinking among millennials, decline of mass beer brands. But tone and statements go well beyond data presented.  “The cannabis revolution is in full swing, while the alcohol industry appears to be largely sitting on the fence, drink in hand, occasionally throwing crumpled cans in the general direction of the ongoing legalization debate,” said Euromonitor’s Spiros Malandrakis, who is firm’s head of alc bev research.  “Visibly intimidated, insular and inherently conservative, large parts of the alcohol industry acknowledge and highlight the dangers to their penetration rates and profitability, but largely fail to see the huge potential behind the plumes of hazy smoke,” he added.   Even with health risks which Market Watch briefly acknowledges, “still many see it as a healthier alternative to alcohol,” it concludes, tho “many” mostly backed here by anecdotal report. 

 “Beer volume in the USA declined mid-single digit” in 1^st qtr, reported Heineken this morn.  That’s improvement from high-single digit drops last yr.  Globally, Heineken company continued up about 4% in Q1 and Heineken brand continued up 8%.  Noting “positive start to the year,” ceo Jean-Francois van Boxmeer, pointed to “volume growth across all regions.”  Net profit for Q1 up $44 mil, 15% to $332 mil. Co continues to expect operating profit up mid-single digits in 2019.

Double Digit Gains In Brazil, South Africa; Heineken in “Sweet Spot of Growth,” Sez Jeffries  About 38% of Heineken’s global volume is in Americas; grew 3.2% in Q1, despite mid-singles drop in US and rare decline in Mexico where “beer volume was slightly down, impacted by the later timing of Easter and lower promotional activity.” So where was the growth?  “In Brazil, beer volume grew double digit.”  Heineken continues to build momentum in ABI stronghold.  Also up double digits in South Africa. “We see Heineken in the sweet spot of growth given its attractive footprint and market share momentum,” said Jeffries analyst Edward Mundy.  “Heineken is a high quality compounder with an attractive emerging market presence, solid organic volume growth prospects and a balanced margin expansion,” said Liberum’s Robert Waldschmidt as quoted in Fin Times.  Unlike other top brewers, Heineken shares just recently hit record high, tho down slightly today. 

Heineken and Dos Equis Franchises Improving But Still Down in Nielsen  Here in US, Heineken USA still down mid-singles, but there are early signs that it could be beginning to regain its footing.  Down 5% yr-to-date thru Apr 13 in Nielsen all-outlet.  That’s slightly better than last yr’s 6% drop.  But its top 2 brand franchises, Heineken and Dos Equis improved more. Heineken franchise down 2.2% YTD, compared to 5.3% drop in 2018. Some of that undoubtedly is Heineken 0.0, but its sales modest so far.  Meanwhile, Dos Equis franchise down 2.8%, compared to 5.0%, so it also improved by over 2 points.  Double digit drops continue for Tecate and smaller franchises like Strongbow, Newcastle. 

Pair of very different plans for summer activity supporting biggest brands for top 2 craft brewers announced this week. Sam Adams reformulated Summer Ale prior to launch on April 1. But it’s amping up attention on “amped up” citrus character “for a lighter and brighter taste,” this week. Beer still riffs on classic German Hefeweizen style, but new version (first revise of recipe in 23 yrs, co notes) pulls in purees of citrus fruit a-plenty. New Summer Ale also among first Sam beers in new packaging. “Now lighter & brighter” called out on 6-pks, featuring some of classic Sam Adams iconography and coloring.

Meanwhile, Sierra Nevada blazing its own trail. Literally: co announced “Pale Ale for Trails” program, partnering with American Hiking Society to support National Trails Day on June 1. Sierra gathering folks for trail maintenance that day followed by celebrations at both CA and NC breweries. Also includes a pledge program, where drinkers can pledge support to clean up local trails. And initial partnership just “the first of several Pale Ale for Trails projects to be rolled out across the Summer.” Recall, Sierra launched first-ever broad-based ad campaign focused on outdoor recreation late last yr. But Trails program separate, under new CSR division helmed by founder Ken Grossman’s daughter Sierra, co points out.

Both Sam Adams and Sierra franchises continue to be under big pressure in scan data. Sam Adams franchise down 14% yr-to-date thru Apr 13 in Nielsen all outlet and Sierra Nevada down 12%.  Will these latest initiatives help?  

Reminder: Last chance to book discounted rooms for Beer Insights Spring Conference, May 15-16; room rate only available through tomorrow 4/24.  Check out our full line-up of speakers and register today.