Winter 2018 | V.22 ORIGLIO BEVERAGE – READING KEITH VILLA BLUE MOON BREWING CO. Delivering Excellence Seasonals Rethinking Retail New Products Programs GUINNESS BREAKS NEW GROUND | WINTER SELECTIONS | SHELF TALKERS STOP THE SHOPPER Letter toTHE TRADE Welcome to the World of Beer 2018 In This S YOU KNOW, THE BEST WAY TO DELIGHT YOUR CUSTOMERS and maximize profits in the beer business, is to stay ahead ISSUE Aof the trend curve� Consumers want what they want, when they want it and in the format that suits the occasion� Through our emails, website and Heady Times content, we do our best to keep you Delivering the informed� But nothing cuts through the clutter like a check list� So we peered into Taste of Excellence ���������������1 beer’s “crystal growler” for a list of six trends you should expect to see in 2018� Canning The market is beginning to see a shift from bottles to cans� Cans make beer Cover Story �������������������������2 more portable, they increase freshness and give breweries more space for design and advertising� Check out Ballast Point’s new offerings on page 8 and Guinness Gilroy Sloth cans on page 13� Brewer Highlight �����������������4 IPAs aren’t going away Americans love bold flavors and brewers continue to create IPA styles that D&R Beverage Center ����������5 consumers can’t resist� From fruity IPAs like Stone Tangerine Express, to hop bomb Sixpoint HI-RES and on to hazy, luscious Sam Adams New England IPA, there’s plenty to be discovered� Kutztown Tavern �����������������6 Sessionable beers with great flavor Reflecting the cocktail trend, these beers, like Dogfish Head Namaste White, UFO Apricadabra, Great Lakes Holy Moses and Shiner Strawberry Blonde are New Products ���������������������7 low in alcohol and not too sweet, so you can enjoy several, when drinking time is “in session”� Seasonal Selections ���������� 12 The return of lagers It’s tough to make a great lager, but the best brewers can’t resist a challenge� Try these innovative, best-in-class examples: Samuel Adams American Programs ������������������������� 19 Craft Lagers Variety Pack and Firestone Walker Lager, which is back by popular demand� Rethinking Retail �������������� 25 A rosé by any other name Loved by men and women alike, the U�S� is now the world’s second biggest market for rosé� Angry Orchard Rosé Hard Cider, made with hibiscus and rare, red-fleshed apples from France, has a floral aroma balanced by refreshing, light tannins found in the best semi-dry wines� More rosé-inspired beverages like Crispin Rosé are no doubt in the offing� Innovation Leave it to Boston Beer founder Jim Koch to create a totally new beer style� Sam ’76 is the first beer to be made with both ale and lager yeast� Beer writer Lew Bryson says the liquid “drinks smooth and slippery like a cellar- aged lager, but with the round body of an ale�” Of course, this edition of Heady Times features many more products that are trending� But, I know what you’re thinking… how am I going to inform my customers about all these new products? Your friends at Origlio have you covered� Turn to Rethinking Retail on page 25 for an explanation of our website’s latest feature, shelf talkers� Free, full-color and filled with information, they will sell beer (and more of it) the way wine is sold� Now that’s a trend I’d love to see in 2018� ® As ever, thanks for making Origlio your partner in the beer business� Sincerely, Heady Times is published five times a year, courtesy of Origlio Beverage. Dominic Origlio President DeliveringTHE TASTE OF EXCELLENCE Find Out More About Origlio – Reading’s Employees Bill Long Delivery Service Representative How long have you been with Origlio Beverage – Reading? I started part-time in 2005 and became full time in 2007� What areas do you service? All four counties� I also train new drivers and help employees that are studying for their Class A driver’s license� How do you provide the best service to your customers? I just use common sense� I get to know them so I can find a delivery schedule that works for them� What do you like to do when you’re not working? I’m always running my kids around� They’re involved in a lot of activities after school so we are always busy with them� LeeAnn Thompson Yuengling & Craft District Manager, Berks County How long have you been with the company? Just over 10 years What other positions have you held in the company? I started as a sales rep for Lancaster Beverage and have now been the Yuengling and Craft District Manager for Berks County for over four years� What has been the best thing about your job? The people I get to meet and interact with� This job has allowed me to build relationships on a business and personal level that I’ll never forget� What does it take to make sure your department runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis? Managing a sales team involves numerous moving parts and requires organization, multitasking, positive attitudes and communication� I try to communicate as straightforward as possible with What do you like to do when you’re not my team and give constructive criticism as needed� We work hard but working? If I’m not working I’m spending always make sure to have fun! time with my family� We enjoy traveling and finding new adventures for our children on What does it take to be a top notch sales manager? In order to be a regular basis� a top notch sales manager, you need to be a leader, a motivator and a teacher/coach� You have to be able to put together many different pieces If you could be anywhere in the world and deliver it to your team as one� You must be knowledgeable of your drinking any beer, where would you products and audience and flexible to adapt as trends and other factors be and what would you be drinking? I change� And mostly, as a team you must be open to new lessons – you would be on any beach, preferably in the can never learn too much� Caribbean, drinking a Corona Light� www.origlio.com HeadyTimes v.22 1 CoverSTORY Blue Moon A-Rising In 2017, sales of Blue Moon Belgian White, the country’s largest craft brand, were up 9% according to I.R.I. Now, as the brand’s newest release Blue Moon Mango Wheat begins its ascent, some say it has the star power to “eclipse” the original. HOOSING WHICH BEERS WILL DELIGHT YOUR CUSTOMERS AND aromatic beer, while vacationing in drive sales can be a difficult and confusing task nowadays� Beer Scandinavia� One day as he passed by an Cstyles and releases have never been more varied or outrageous� artisanal bakery, the smell of freshly baked Beer drinkers are more adventurous and more finicky than ever before� bread with cardamom filled the air� That And there is an endless stream of new beers and breweries popping up scent inspired Keith to brew a beer with every day� With our business changing at breakneck speed, it’s hard to fresh apricots and a touch of cardamom�” remember how this all got started – not to mention the trailblazing beers This winter seasonal has already proved that were there at the beginning and continue to drive volume today� to be a perfect alternative to heavy stouts and porters� Once in a Blue Moon New Year, New Look One such beer appeared in 1995� After receiving his PhD in brewing at a prestigious Belgian school, master brewer Keith Villa returned to A good brewery doesn’t just innovate by Denver’s Sandlot Brewery located in Coors Field, home of the Colorado brewing new beers, a good brewery looks at Rockies, and dreamed up the Belgian-style wheat ale that would end every aspect of their business with an eye up taking America by storm: Blue Moon� “At that time, drinkers weren’t for reinvention – and that’s exactly what necessarily used to seeing a hazy beer, much less one garnished with an Blue Moon did for its packaging in 2018� orange,” explains Cris Rivera, Blue Moon’s National Craft Director� “But, “Packaging evolutions allow Blue Moon to once they tried it and realized it was not only refreshing, but sessionable play in more occasions and offer additional and delicious, people became more open-minded to trying other unique value to our drinkers,” says Rivera� Cans styles of beer�” have become the format of choice for younger drinkers� So this year, Blue Moon By today’s standards, Villa’s Blue Moon Belgian White is thought of as will replace the 12-pack can package a “gateway beer” – one that helps drinkers transition from approachable with a 15-pack� “We’ll be launching the domestics like Coors Light to the world of craft, where IBUs and exotic 15-pack cans just in time for summertime hops reign supreme� But at the time, this craft brewer’s recipe was truly get-togethers�” revolutionary� “Blue Moon opened American drinkers’ minds to what was possible when it came to great tasting beer, allowing them to accept Reaching a Diverse Audience twists to what was, up to that point, considered ‘normal’,” says Rivera� Blue Moon is also well positioned to combat More than 20 years later, the creative brewers at Blue Moon continue to a growing concern in the beer industry – deliver on their mission to brew interesting, sessionable, American wheat younger drinkers veering away from beer beers, like Mango Wheat and Cinnamon Horchata� as their number one beverage of choice� Villa and his team will leverage their light, Blue Moon Mango Wheat Lands a GABF Silver Medal refreshing wheat beer portfolio to bring those After experimenting with limited releases and seasonal offerings for drinkers back to beer� “We’re excited to reach several years (Cappuccino Stout, Belgian Table Pils, White IPA) the folks spirits drinkers with a new and inventive at Blue Moon decided to focus on what they do best… making flat-out mixology program,” says Rivera� “Nationally, stellar wheat beers� And wouldn’t you know it? They hit a homerun� “Our we’ll be introducing four Blue Moon cocktail Mango Wheat earned a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival recipes to get people thinking a little and was a huge hit at the brewery,” says Rivera� “So we knew our fans differently about our beer and cocktails�” across the country would love it too�” Following the success of Mango Wheat, now available year-round, the team at Blue Moon conjured up another outstanding beer: their new winter seasonal, Blue Moon Pacific Apricot Wheat.