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Spring 2020 | V.31 SAINT ARCHER GOLD THE BEST LIGHT BEER IN THE WORLD Delivering Excellence Seasonals Rethinking Retail New Products Programs SUFFERFEST BEER COMPANY | SPRING SELECTIONS | TIME TO DRINK YOUR WHEATIES Letter toTHE TRADE ITH SPRING UPON US, OUR weather is finally starting to In This W warm up in New Hampshire. ISSUE But it’s not only the temps that are on the rise… the hot seltzer market is getting even hotter! Looks like there’s no end in sight Delivering the for hard seltzer domination, as Taste of Excellence ...............1 consumption in the U.S. is set to triple by 2023. But will consumers be able to support the stream of new Cover Story .........................2 launches? Hard seltzers will continue to increase their retail presence and Brewer Highlight .................4 sales throughout 2020. The segment’s primary strength so far is in off-premise retail, where it’s typically found on Belmont Village Store ..........6 cooler shelves next to beer or stacked in floor displays, but sales on-premise are on the rise. New England’s Tap House Grille ..................7 Amoskeag’s two top-selling seltzers, White Claw and Truly, are not only the top- selling brands in the state and country, but they each grew triple digits in 2019. Dave Burwick, president and CEO of Boston Beer Co., notes that two key trends New Products .....................8 driving category growth are healthiness, especially among millennials, and flavor variety. “Drinkers are looking for great-tasting and refreshing options that aren’t Seasonal Selections .......... 13 high in calories, sugar, or carbohydrates,” he says, adding that Truly offers the most flavors among hard seltzers with 13 different variants. A fourteenth flavor, Truly Lemonade hard seltzer, recently hit shelves. Available Year-Round, Can the trends last? Perfect for the Season ....... 17 Not indefinitely, obviously, but the category doesn’t seem to be slowing down just yet. In fact, more and more seltzers are entering the market. Constellation Programs ......................... 18 Brands has officially launched Corona Hard Seltzer, Night Shift Hoot Hard Seltzer is available, Molson Coors is introducing their newest brand, Vizzy, to the market Rethinking Retail .............. 25 in April; and Coors Seltzer will debut in July. (Read about these products in the “New Products” section on page 8). Smirnoff Hard Seltzer Red, White & Berry and PRESS Blood Orange Chili are just a few other hard seltzers that are hitting the shelves, while Arctic Summer has revamped their variety pack, called The Weekender Mix. “Talk to your sales representative today and take advantage of Amoskeag’s unmatched portfolio of options. We’re here to answer any questions and to help you grow your business,” says Scott Proulx, VP of Sales. We are privileged to serve you and thank you for your supportive partnership as we work to ensure the safety of our employees, customers and communities during this difficult time. We will get through this together. Scott Proulx Ed Murphy VP of Sales President Heady Times is published four times a year, courtesy of Amoskeag Beverages. DeliveringTHE TASTE OF EXCELLENCE Amoskeag People Get The Job Done Bret Pollock Craft Brand Manager How long have you been with Amoskeag Beverages? I started in 2009 – so 11 years. What’s your favorite part of your job? I really enjoy working with all of our suppliers and trying to help grow their brands. We’ve got some amazing products and new ones coming in all the time. What’s the most challenging? Managing inventory. What’s your most used emoji? I’m not really an emoji guy, I like to type out what I want to say, but if I had to pick one, I guess I’d say the thumbs up. Coffee or tea? Definitely coffee. Do you have a fun fact about yourself Favorite meal and what beer would you pair with it? Come you can share? For a wedding gift, my summertime, it would be BBQ with a cold IPA. wife bought me a small plot of land in If you had your own talk show, who would your first 3 guests be, Scotland. It’s on a nature preserve in past or present? Good question. Will Ferrell because he’s hilarious, Eric Lochaber, which is on the Isle of Skye. We Clapton, one of my favorite musicians and the late Michael Jackson, an have been to Scotland three times and English writer and journalist. He was the author of many influential books have visited it every time. I guess you could about beer and whisky. call me Lord Bret Pollock of Lochaber. Chuck Lamoureux Driver How long have you been with Amoskeag Beverages? Since the merge of Amoskeag and Capitol in 2009. What’s your favorite part of your job? I love the freedom I feel being a driver. I’m either in Plaistow delivering to accounts or doing brewery pick ups. What’s the most challenging? I guess you could say, getting older. It hurts a little more getting up in the morning after a day of delivering beer. If you had your own talk show, who What’s your most used emoji? No emojis, just exclamation marks! would your first 3 guests be, past or Coffee or tea? Coffee. present? Being a coach, I’d love to have Vince Lombardi, arguably the greatest Favorite meal and what beer would you pair with it? Pizza with a football coach of all time and John Wooden, Miller Lite. one of the winningest college basketball What do you like to do when you’re not working? Coach football. coaches. Lastly, because I’m a huge Civil I am the defensive line coach and JV coach for Concord High School. War buff, I’d have Abraham Lincoln. www.amoskeagbeverages.com HeadyTimes v.31 1 CoverSTORY Saint Archer Gold: “The Best Light Beer in The World” Early test markets show it’s already attracting a strong following. In the four markets where the beer was tested, a whopping 53% said they would spend their own money on the product. That speaks volumes. (Most test marketers are happy if 30% of those who sampled indicate they would purchase it, if left to their own devices.) “Our team spent a year getting the taste of Saint Archer right,” says Verdu. “It is slightly more hop-forward in flavor than other light beers, but it’s still crisp and refreshing. And it’s a more upscale alternative to most light beers.” Saint Archer Gold was crafted in response to two major industry trends: the huge growth in above-premium, lower-calorie, Saint Archer Brewing President Brad Nadal low ABV beers (Gold clocks in at just S MOLSON COORS RECENTLY RELEASED THEIR WHITE-HOT 4.2% ABV and is one of the lowest-calorie brand Saint Archer Gold nationally, the taste and quality of the liquid lagers in the market) and the renewed Aunderscore why some call it the best light beer in the world. Low in interest in flavorful, light lagers desired by calories, but bursting with flavor most light beers can only dream of, Saint modern consumers. Archer Gold is attracting “mindful millennials” back to the beer category. Verdu went on to explain that a helles beer Brewery president Brad Nadal has recognized that active-lifestyle millennial this good could only be made by a team consumers are looking for an authentic drink to join them in their pursuit of of highly skilled brewmasters. “This style is happiness – a beer that doesn’t hold them back, a “light for the journey.” regarded by many as the absolute pinnacle Enter Saint Archer Gold. of brewing science and art. The beer must mature for a long time – about six weeks A helles-inspired lager made with Noble hops, Saint Archer Gold has – and there is no room for error. Any off made huge waves in initial test markets. At 95 calories and only 2.6 flavors have no place to hide.” All that hard grams of carbs, Saint Archer Gold fills what Nadal calls a “white space work has paid off – Verdu and his team for taste and lifestyle authenticity in the above-premium light space.” believe that “the stars really aligned” when Saint Archer’s aim with Gold was to create a “beer that appeals to they created Saint Archer Gold. The liquid is Michelob Ultra drinkers, who have prioritized lower carbs and calories that good. over flavor and quality.” Founded in San Diego by Josh Landan Mindful millennials are seeking brands that embrace a life of balance in 2013, with the help of a group of and self-actualization [see sidebar: what is a mindful millennial?] just professional surfers, skateboarders and like the Saint Archer brewers. This validates the brand’s authenticity. snowboarders, Saint Archer was born out “When consumers taste the liquid, they buy it for its flavor,” said Paul of his team’s “commitment to following the Verdu, vice president of sales & marketing for Tenth and Blake, the path less travelled, and the realization that Molson Coors craft and import division. “That’s when we decided it sometimes when you’re going down a road wasn’t an exaggeration to call it ‘The Ultimate Light Beer.’” Nadal points out, “We’re essentially the opposite of Ultra. We aren’t about the finish, we aren’t about the end game or being the best… we’re about being in the moment… the journey. Being there for our consumers’ passions, whether that’s art, music, sports, outdoors etc. We want to be there for our consumers along the way, as they do the things they love.” This is the Saint Archer lifestyle.

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