Beer Marketer's Insights
Claiming a 24-pt jump in ACV over past year that will next see it roll out thru Kroger's various banners, Perfect Hydration Alkaline Water has revamped its PET bottles with sleek look and added resealable aluminum bottle format, as visitors to NACS show opening tomorrow in Las Vegas may encounter. With portfolio that includes 100% rPET bottles, aluminum cans and now aluminum bottles, brand operated by Golden West Food Group as of this month is claiming broadest packaging array within alkaline segment.
CleanCo has inaugurated Sober October period with revamp of its packaging in US and move from 0.4% ABV all the way to zero. "While our existing range was officially non-alcoholic at 0.4% ABV, the move to 0.0% ABV is a natural evolution for us," said founder Spencer Matthews, a familiar TV figure and podcaster in home market of UK. "It allows us to better meet the needs of those who want to abstain from alcohol completely for health, personal or religious reasons, or frankly just because they want to." The change was made across its range of Clean G (alt-gin), Clean R (alt-spiced rum), Clean T (alt-tequila), Clean V (alt-vodka) and Clean W (alt-whiskey) portfolio, all designed to be 1:1 replacement for their alcoholic equivalents. They go out at $29.99 per 700-ml bottle.
Butterfly PE Firm Agrees to Buy Duckhorn Wines for Nearly $2 Bil in Deal to Take Company Private
Another billion-dollar wine deal, even as the segment continues to struggle. PE firm Butterfly Equity announced deal this morn to buy The Duckhorn Portfolio for ~$1.95 bil, a California-based wine co with premium portfolio of brands including Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy and recently acquired Sonoma-Cutrer. All-cash transaction would take the co private and send Duckhorn stockholders $11.10 per share, more than double its closing price on Fri and a 65.3% premium vs its weighted 90-day avg.
Boston Beer "Volume Still Down in" Q3; Guidance "Likely Moved" to "Lower End of Range," Sez Brett
Boston Beer volume down 4.6% in 3d qtr in Circana multi-outlet + convenience, showed Consumer Edge's Brett Cooper in report this morn. That compares to down 4.2% in first half in these channels. (Editor's note: Boston Beer's all channel depletions down 2% thru Jul 20.) Twisted volume up 7.8%, while Truly dropped 24%, Sam Adams down 8% and Dogfish Head down 11% (down 16% in first half) in Circana MULC. Angry Orchard improved to a 6% drop (down 10% in first half). And Hard Mtn Dew still down 19%, even as it expanded to new states, following a 31.6% drop in first half.
Beer trends improved by over 2 pts in Sep scans vs soft Aug. Yet with nearly 9 mos in the books, beer $$ were down 1.2% with volume down 3.4% in NIQ off-prem channels. That's outpacing wine ($$ down 2.1%) while lagging spirits (+0.4%) in these channels YTD thru Sep 28.
Sour beer pioneer and founder of MI-based Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Ron Jeffries, passed away earlier this week, several news outlets reported after son Daemon Jeffries confirmed on social media. "Ron was not only a loving family man but also a creative genius and lifelong learner" who "dedicated his life to sharing his knowledge, serving as a mentor in the brewing," Daemon shared.
Platform Beer Co-Founder Paul Benner Named US CEO of UK-Based Home-Brew Device Co, Pinter
After Platform sold to AB and ultimately shut down its production facilities, Platform co-founder Paul Benner has moved on to join UK-based home-brew device company Pinter as its new CEO of the US, reported The Plain Dealer. Home-brew kits have come and gone in US, but Pinter appears to be ramping up presence, looking to make a national push under Paul's leadership.
BA Hires Lacey Gautier as New VP of Meetings and Events; Previously Oversaw Natural Products Expo
The Brewers Assn may still be searching for Bob Pease's president/CEO backfill, but it now has a new VP of meetings and events to take the reins from longtime leader Nancy Johnson. Coming into role is Lacey Gautier, who officially started Oct 1 and is based in Boulder, CO overseeing all the association's events, conferences and competitions. That of course includes the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America, the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup and National Homebrew Competition.
After filing for bankruptcy in June 2023 and seeking a buyer for its facility, O'Fallon Brewery ultimately shut down operations and plans to auction off its equipment, St Louis Post Dispatch first reported and several local news outlets followed. Auction is taking place on BidSpotter, opening on Oct 16 and running thru Oct 23 at 1pm. Recall, O'Fallon built out a ~40K sq-ft brewing facility back in 2014-2015, turned to contract brewing in recent years and was one of the earliest established craft brewers to invest in non-alc production. O'Fallon was founded in 2000 by Tony and Fran Cardonna before they sold the co to former AB exec Jim Gorczyca in 2011.
Next shoe in new wave of challenges to state alc bev laws on dormant Commerce Clause grounds dropped this wk. Iowa can no longer allow in-state wineries to self-distribute to in-state retailers but bar out-of-state wineries from the same privilege, a district ct judge in the state ruled. A state law requiring permittees to be based inside IA discriminates against out-of-state players and the state presented neither enough "concrete evidence" nor any "non-discriminatory alternatives" to let the law stand, the judge wrote. While the ct did uphold other provisions of state law related to defining "good moral character" and corporate residency, functionally, the state must now stop enforcing the requirement that wineries seeking a distribution permit be "located within the state."