Molson Coors Beverage Company’s innovation strategy moving forward will focus on the segments where the company believes it has “a right to win.” 

Those areas include:

• Low- and no-alcohol beer;
• Flavored adult beverages;
• Whiskey;
• Energy drinks; 
• And pure-play non-alcoholic beverages.

Chief commercial officer Michelle St. Jacques provided a high-level view of the strategy during a Q&A with: 

• CMO Sofia Colucci;
• VP of innovation Jamie Wideman-Rotnicki;
• Executive chairman of Coors spirits David Coors;
• VP of non-alcoholic Kevin Nitz; 
• And Coca-Cola's chief of new revenue streams Dan White. 

💡 Innovation Inspiration

Wideman-Rotnicki set the expectations for Molson Coors’ innovation strategy last year with a “fewer, bigger, bolder” mantra. That strategy carries over to 2024. 

She said she and her team look at: 

• Non-alc to see which flavors are becoming popular and “consumers are really gravitating toward;”
• Bars and restaurants to see which “ingredients bartenders are obsessed with, Because those ingredients are ultimately going to make it into our aisle;”
• And what legal-drinking-age Generation Z consumers’ are drinking.  

On taking new brands to market, Wideman-Rotnicki said the company will deliberate and take a regional approach, pointing to the roll out of another Coca-Cola partner brand, Peace Hard Tea, in the southeast before scaling the brand elsewhere. 

Wideman-Rotnicki made it clear that the company will still “take big swings” but they need distributors’ help in executing against those brands. 

Finally, she shared that the company has changed the way it approaches its retail partners with new products. Wideman-Rotnicki’s team is sharing its innovations with its top retail partners and a consumer panel, getting their feedback, and then iterating on that feedback before taking those items to its distributors.

📈 Growing Share in Flavor

Colucci shared how Molson Coors is prioritizing its approach to hard seltzers as the segment continues to decline double digits. She noted that hard seltzer is still bigger than spirits-based seltzers and an entry point for consumers. 

She said: “We've been really focused and thoughtful about having a diversified approach in flavor, and because of that, we're the No. 2 share grower in flavor.” 

Molson Coors’ strategy with hard seltzer is to present differentiated brands, such as Vizzy Hard Seltzer and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, that are incremental to their distributors’ portfolios. 

💍 Coca-Cola Committed to Existing Partnership Structure

Coca-Cola’s White said the carbonated soft drink maker’s future in beverage alcohol “is going to be built on this existing structure” with Molson Coors. 

White added: “What we want to reinforce from a Coke perspective is we're not here to change things, but we’re here to grow the business together.” 

Asked about Coca-Cola’s formation of Red Tree Beverages alcohol subsidiary, White said it was established “as a governing and operating organization” separate from the core business. It’s not a signal that Coca-Cola will get into the distribution business, like competitor PepsiCo.

Brewbound Insiders can read more about Molson Coors’ partnership with Coca-Cola, and the company’s spirits and non-alcoholic beverage strategies. 

The University of California San Diego (UCSD) has discontinued its brewing certificate program, San Diego Beer News reported. 

Students enrolled in the program were notified last month. 

Program manager Kyle Wiskerchen told San Diego Beer News that the program had already been experiencing lower demand prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and education’s shift to remote learning afterwards made it difficult to teach courses as intended. 

Wiskerchen thanked the many instructors and advisors that helped make the program possible, as well as the two annual scholarship programs that helped fund students’ education: the Karl Strauss Brewers Education Fund and the Ballast Point Brewing for Diversity Scholarship.

Erik Fowler, one of the program’s instructors and the newest executive director for the San Diego Brewers Guild, commented on a Facebook post that shared the news that the program ending is “more of a representation of saturation in the educational offerings for our industry in San Diego” rather than a complete effect of current health of beer. 

Both Fowler and Wiskerchen pointed out that several other brewing programs are still available in the area for interested students.

New Jersey craft breweries continue to fight for action on restrictive state laws and have expanded their efforts with what they do best: brewing beer. 

The Brewers Guild of New Jersey (BGNJ) and Lakewood-based Icarus Brewing have teamed up to launch “Sign the Bill Phil,” a collaboration IPA. 

As August 18, 13 other breweries have signed up to brew the beer: Buttzville Brewing, Ghost Hawk Brewing, Farmers and Bankers Brewing, Seven Tribesmen, Toms River Brewing, Fort Nonsense Brewing Company, Departed Soles Brewing, Autodidact Beer, Eighth and San Beer Co., Czig Meister, Death of the Fox, Hackensack Brewing and Manskirt Brewing.  

The beer name is in reference to Gov. Phil Murphy, who has had a bill easing brewery and taproom restrictions on his desk for more than two months. Sign the Bill Phil is the second collaboration beer from Icarus and the BGNJ made to bring attention to New Jersey legislation. The two companies launched Brew Jersey IPA in January. 

Murphy allegedly plans to send the bill back to lawmakers this fall, following November elections, NJBiz reported Monday. The update followed previous reports that Murphy planned to issue a conditional veto on the bill. 

Jennifer Scirotino, a spokesperson for Murphy’s office, has repeatedly shared the following statement on the issue: “The Governor unequivocally supports easing restrictions on New Jersey breweries, which is why he proposed these reforms himself earlier this year. However, he has been clear that our outdated liquor license system needs comprehensive reform, not a piecemeal approach, in order to ensure equity and affordability so that all small businesses and the entire industry as a whole will benefit.”

Catch up on Brewbound’s previous reporting on New Jersey’s restriction here.

With less than two weeks left of operation, Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider has become a “target of a hate campaign,” founder Nat West shared Wednesday on social media.

In a Twitter/X thread, West wrote: “This week, we were the target of a hate campaign by the alt-right attempting to link the closing of Rev Nats to our support of Black Lives Matter [and] the LGBTQ community.

“The trolls attempted to hack our social media accounts, spammed emails and we received hundreds of hate-fueled comments including calls to physically harm us.”

Rev. Nat’s is “choosing to love in response” and will donate 20% of all taproom sales through the end of the weekend to the LGBTQ+ charity, the Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Rev. Nat’s last day of operation is September 24. Catch up on the closure news here.

September has brought not only a heatwave to the Northeast, but a flood of beer industry news.

On this week’s Brewbound Podcast, Justin and Zoe dive into some of the latest headlines, including several business deals, such as Brooklyn Brewery’s minority investment in Hoplark and Green Man and Appalachian Mountain Brewing’s new joint venture.

The duo also discuss:

• The closing of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider;
• The search for new equity partners at Weathered Souls and Lost Nation;
• And the changing of the guard that’s happening in beer. 

Plus, Justin and Zoe play Another Round or Tabbing Out on candy corn hard cider and share their experiences sampling Dunkin’ Spiked.

Listen to the episode here or on your favorite podcast platform.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beer away from home increased to +5.2% year-over-year (YoY) and +1% versus July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The YoY increase was also +0.7 percentage points higher than the YoY percentage increase recorded in July. The CPI for beer at home increased +4.2% YoY and +0.2% month-over-month (MoM) before seasonal adjustment. 

However, as previously reported, Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson has noted that beer’s July CPI was “only 0.5% higher” than December 2022, before seasonal adjustment, and trends might “really come down in the coming months.” 

Brewbound Insiders can read more, including the latest CPI numbers for wine and spirits.

Before the Great American Beer Festival, Brewbound’s Brew Talks meetup in Denver will explore draft trends in Colorado, one of the most mature craft beer markets in the U.S.

Brew Talks will take place Thursday, September 21, from noon to 3 p.m. MT at Cervantes Masterpiece (2637 Welton St., Denver, CO, 80205). Tickets are available now.

Leaders from all three tiers of the beer business will discuss Centennial State draft trends, including:

• Hops & Pie owner and chief beer buyer Drew Watson;
• Ska Brewing president and co-founder David Thibodeau;
• Holidaily Brewing founder Karen Hertz;
• And Elite Brands of Colorado account manager Katie Nierling

Brew Talks will also explore national draft trends, as draft has not returned to pre-pandemic levels,

Panelists will discuss the challenges facing draft beer and strategies for improving trends. They include:

• Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione
• Buffalo Wild Wings director of beverage strategy & innovation Jason Murphy
• Tamarron Consulting co-founder and president Lori Scheiffler. 

Tickets are available now.

It’s Miller Time for J.J. Watt. The now-retired NFL star has signed a “multi-year partnership” with Miller Lite. 

During Wednesday’s Molson Coors distributor meeting, Elizabeth Hitch, Miller Lite’s senior director of marketing, called Watt “the new face of Miller Lite football.”

The partnership kicks off with a new Miller Lite ad featuring Watt titled “99 Bottles of Beer,” a nod to his No. 99 jersey. Watt’s wife and pro soccer star Kealia Watt also makes a cameo in the spot, which begins playing across digital, retail and national TV. Watch the 15-second spot here.

Molson Coors is investing big in sports, particularly football season. The company has already inked a deal as the exclusive sponsor of ESPN Fantasy Football. 

“Miller Lite is on track to grow volume for the first time in 15 years.” – Anne Pando, director of marketing for Miller Lite, during Wednesday’s distributor meeting in Orlando.