Dear Client: Truly Hard Seltzer is trying to build a megabrand, with a megastar: Boston Beer is announcing a two-year deal between Dua Lipa and Truly, to launch the brand’s new “No One is Just One Flavor” campaign. The platform “celebrates” the many flavors (27, and counting) of Truly and how they appeal to “the … Continue reading “Shooting for Megabrand Status, Truly Brings on a Megastar: Dua Lipa”

Dear Client: Grupo Modelo is speaking out about the suit it filed in February against New York-based Constellation, to whom it licensed the Mexican brand for sale in the U.S. Recall, the dispute is over Constellation’s use of the Corona brand as a seltzer, rather than as a Mexican cerveza, as per agreement (Grupo contends).   … Continue reading “Grupo Modelo Corona Seltzer Suit Heats Up: It’s “About Our Mexican Heritage””

Dear Client: Whew!  It’s been a busy couple of weeks over here at BBD.  Let’s review: -Yuengling signs up the blue-silver network for their expansion into Texas in partnership with Molson Coors.  -Constellation acquired a minority stake in La Fete du Rose. -Boston Beer is establishing a subsidiary to start investigating cannabis-infused NA beverages in … Continue reading “The End of the Brito Era”

Dear Client: Boston Beer is finally getting into non-alcoholic cannabis beverages in a big way.  The company announced today that it has tapped Paul Weaver to head a cannabis-facing subsidiary based in Canada, where the industry is federally legal. This new “hub” will be the company’s center of non-alcoholic cannabis beverage research and innovation. But … Continue reading “Boston Beer Starts Cannabis Beverage Subsidiary in Canada”

Dear Client: Startup spirits companies keep finding “white space” for new RTDs.  The latest? A San Antonio company is launching another Ranch Water product, with “2 shots of premium tequila per can.” It’s “distilled, canned and packaged in Mexico, then imported into the United States.” It’s called Epic Western Cocktail Company, and it’s introducing its … Continue reading “YETI Capital-Backed Ranch Water Hitting Texas with Red Network”

Dear Client: Maybe it was the comps, maybe it was volume shifting back to the on-premise, or perhaps people simply weren’t buying as much beer in the off-premise. Whatever it was, it made for an ugly month of beer scans in April. Total beer volume was down 9.6% for the four weeks ending May 1 … Continue reading “Hard to Grow in Scans if You’re Not a Hard Seltzer, or Top Import”

Dear Client: Nowadays, it has become more shocking to hear a big beer brand family say it won’t get into seltzer than to hear one announce their entrance into the space. Of the top six brand families in off-premise beer, only two have resisted the urge to dip their toe into seltzer, at least so … Continue reading “Miller Vows to “Never” Roll a Seltzer in New Marketing Stunt”

Dear Client: A-B’S BEYOND BEER MARKETING VP MOVING ON; CHANGES AFOOT Anheuser-Busch told distributors it was making changes to its marketing leadership lineup this morning — but it has nothing to do with Michel Doukeris’ departure to lead ABI this summer, we’re told.  Lana Buchanan, who has been VP of marketing at A-B’s Beyond Beer … Continue reading “Top Leaders Leaving Big Breweries”

Dear Client: Keeping up with the latest happenings in hard seltzer this year has been tough. What was already a furious innovation cycle, has been kicked into overdrive through the opening months of the year, making it challenging to keep track of what companies are snagging what in the segment.  Fortunately, Kevin Grundy and his … Continue reading “The Latest Standings in Seltzerland”

Dear Client: The long-rumored succession plan at ABI has come true. ABI announced today that Carlos Brito will step down after 15 years as CEO and 32 years at the company. The company’s board of directors has “unanimously elected” current U.S. chief, Michel Doukeris, to succeed Brito as CEO of ABI, effective July 1, 2021. … Continue reading “Brito Stepping Down, Michel Moving into the Big Seat”

Dear Client: Is Modelo Especial poised to pass Michelob Ultra as the #2 beer in off-premise this year?  It sure looks like a possibility.  MODELO BIGGER THAN MICH ULTRA IN LATEST FOUR WEEKS. In fact, Modelo Especial actually brought in more dollars than Mich Ultra in the latest four weeks in IRI’s multi-outlet and convenience … Continue reading “Will There Be a New #2 Brand in Off-Premise This Year?”

Dear Client: Yuengling has announced it will open the Texas market with an all-Molson Coors network. Shocker, right? Actually, read on.  Texas, which is about as large as Yuengling’s eight previous market openings, will clearly be a marquee market for the brewer. The Yuengling Company General Manager Pat Pikunas tells BBD not to expect them … Continue reading “The Real Reason Yuengling Went All MC in Texas”

Dear Client: How’s this year going for Buffalo Wild Wings, we wondered…. as the largest on-premise beer chain and harbinger of on-premise in general?  So far, beverage innovation manager Jason Murphy says, things are “trending above expectations.” “We’ve been able to sustain a lot of the off-premise business that we built over the last year, … Continue reading “Business is Back for the Top Draft Beer Account”

Dear Client: Yesterday we reported that F.X. Matt announced the completion of their $34.7 million brewhouse and tank farm expansion, with plans for another $11 million in brewery investments, and the immediate need to fill 25 positions. They expect to grow 100% this year.  A lot of their growth has been driven by F.X. Matt’s … Continue reading “The Transformation of One of Our Oldest Breweries”

Dear Client: Despite everything that imperiled their supply in the quarter — from the freeze that temporarily shuttered the Fort Worth brewery, to the subsequent cyberattack — Molson Coors’ U.S. Q1 depletions and shipments trends weren’t that far off prior quarter marks.  U.S. depletions dropped 7.3% in the quarter, with domestic shipments down 9.5%, “driven … Continue reading “Molson Coors Q1: Not As Bad As You Might Think”