Dear Client: At Molson Coors Beverage Co.’s distributor meeting last fall, the company teased a new better-for-you offering from the Coors Family of brands – Coors Peak, a 92-calorie light beer made with organic ingredients set to debut in three flavors: pure light beer, citrus and berry. Yesterday, however, the company informed distributors that they’ve … Continue reading “Molson Coors Changes the Name of Their New Organic Beer to Coors Pure”

Dear Client: Constellation has acquired a minority stake in PRESS Premium Alcohol Seltzer via Constellation Brands Ventures’ Focus on Female Founders program, the company has announced.   We gotta say, we totally called this, it seems like an obvious match. For those who have been following BBD’s coverage of fast-growing PRESS, it was started by Amy … Continue reading “Constellation Makes Minority Investment in PRESS Seltzer Through Female Founders Program”

Dear Client: The biggest surprise in beer last year had to be Natty Light’s Naturdays.   When we first caught wind of an upcoming Natty Light line extension, brewed with “strawberry lemonade flavor” and put into pink and yellow packaging bursting with Flamingos back in November of 2018, we weren’t sure what to think. Definitely didn’t … Continue reading “Naturdays Proves Budget Beer Is Not Dead”

Dear Client: BBD readers know that A-B will run a single 60-second ad for Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer during Sunday’s Super Bowl game.  Now the company is announcing that they actually have two spots, starring Post Malone and his favorite drink(s). You can actually watch them both already: Behold, #PostyStore and #PostyBar. A-B … Continue reading “Fans to Choose Which Post Malone Spot Will Run in Bud Light/Seltzer Super Bowl Slot”

Dear Client: When’s the last time you saw a Michelob Ultra ad that made you laugh?  The spots featuring Chris Pratt, maybe? Before and after that, however, you may be drawing a blank.   Well, the brand’s upcoming Super Bowl spot may just change that. The brand, synonymous with intense, sweaty marketing, will use the big … Continue reading “Mich Ultra Reaches Beyond the Physically Fit in Super Bowl Spot”

Dear Client: Last year we reported on the growth of colorful FMB, BeatBox “party punch,” which has accelerated the last year after switching from a wine and spirits network to a beer wholesaler network.  You may recall that they recently changed their name to Future Proof. The company says that has everything to do with … Continue reading “Future Proof: With BeatBox Exceeding Targets, Brizzy and Corkless Hit Chains”

Dear Client: After more than ten years, it appears that ABI’s U.S. division’s management have finally hit their stride on the sales, marketing, and innovation fronts, by recognizing that its inherent strengths lie in, first, its distribution network; second it’s scale / brewing ability; third it’s chain execution; and finally its cash resources.  A-B’s red … Continue reading “Houston: We Have Solutions A-B Leverages its Strengths”

Dear Client: “Hard seltzers have emerged as the most disruptive innovation in beer since the advent of light beer in the mid-1970s, changing the overall beer industry trajectory in 2019, and widening the gap between the haves and have nots.” That’s how Evercore ISI analyst Robert Ottenstein opened his note, titled (spoiler alert): “Seltzers to … Continue reading “Evercore Says Seltzer Could be 11% of Beer by 2022”

Dear Client: After a three-year hiatus, Tenth & Blake is back cutting deals in craft. The U.S. craft division for Molson Coors Beverage Company has just announced an agreement to acquire Detroit-based Atwater Brewery. The transaction is expected to be completed within the next couple of months. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. BBD … Continue reading “Molson Coors Beverage Co. to Acquire Atwater Brewery”

Dear Client: How are top retailers setting their shelves? Staying profitable? How did they deal with White Claw out of stocks — especially as it’s now a top beer sku? We asked that of Whole Foods and Walmart beverage aces. Here’s what Jason Fremstad, VP, Adult Beverage, Walmart and Mary Guiver, Global Senior Category Merchant, … Continue reading “Two Big Retailers Share Beer Secrets”

Dear Client: Bud Light Seltzer has only been out in market for a week now, but distributors are already describing the launch to BBD as “incredible,” “exceptional,” and as one colorfully put it, “f***ing killing it.” Indeed, we’ve already heard of some distributors selling tens of thousands of cases in the first few days. In … Continue reading “Your Way-Too-Early Read on Bud Light Seltzer”

Dear Client: Heineken USA chief Maggie Timoney took the stage at The Breakers this week. She opened up asking the audience if there were any Seinfeld fans in the room, because “this’ll be about 20 minutes of nothing,” she joked, as the company is in its quiet period.  That didn’t prove true. She teased imminent … Continue reading “HUSA Chief on the “Infinite Game””

Dear Client: Babe Wine was the subject of a lot of talk during both our BBD and WSD Summits.  Indeed, Kevin O’Brien, Principal, Zepponi & Company, which handles bev alc M&A, told the Wine & Spirits Daily Summit that A-B’s big canned wine play is definitely something that could disrupt the established wine players.  Babe’s … Continue reading “Babe Wine Could be “A Big Problem” for Big Wine”

Dear Client: Some takeaways from some heavy-hitting wholesalers on stage at the Beer Summit: Some beer wholesalers are looking at doubling their hard seltzer business. CDL drivers constitute some of their biggest headwinds. Yes, distributor alignment matters. You gotta play ball with Amazon. And it’s worth taking on wine and spirits. For more detail, read … Continue reading “Giant Distribs Sound Off on Alignment, Amazon, Seltzer and More”

Dear Client: Whew, another successful Summit in the books. For all those who missed it, have no fear, we’ll be spending the next week or so relaying all the top-notch content shared on the big stage. We’ll kick things off with some notable quotables from our first speaker of the Summit, Boston Beer chief Dave … Continue reading “Burwick’s “Bizarro World””