The Coca-Cola Company is taking another step into the beverage alcohol market, announcing today the launch of a global partnership with spirits conglomerate Pernod Ricard to introduce Absolut Vodka & Sprite as a ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktail (RTD) in 2024. 

Available in Sprite and Sprite Zero Sugar varieties, the product will enter select countries in Europe – including the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain and Germany – early next year. It’s unclear when the product will be introduced in the U.S.

The global benchmark for alcohol by volume (ABV) is 5% but will vary depending on the market, according to a press release.  

The RTD marks another instance of Coca-Cola teaming with a spirits company to integrate one of its top-selling IPs into a bev-alc product. Last June, the soda giant partnered with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey to release a pre-mixed Jack & Coke in 12 oz. cans (5% ABV), becoming the first alcoholic drink to carry Coke’s official branding and packaging. The line debuted in Mexico before launching in the U.S. in March. 

Coca-Cola also licenses its brands to third parties for use in alcoholic drinks; Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked and Peace Hard Tea are produced via partnership with Molson Coors, while Constellation Brands makes Fresca Mixed.

Coca‑Cola's chairman and CEO James Quincey said in a statement: “We keep consumers at the center of everything we do as we continue to develop our portfolio as a total beverage company. We are expanding in the alcohol ready-to-drink space, including products that use select brands from our core portfolio. We are excited about our new relationship with Pernod Ricard and look forward to the introduction of Absolut & Sprite.”

Pernod Ricard CEO Alexandre Ricard added: “This very promising and pioneering project brings together two leading companies who are committed to offering their consumers new experiences around premium products.”

Brewbound Insiders can read more here.

New Crystal Red is a drum roasted crystallized malt that contributes gold and red hues at low usage rates, with minimal flavor impact. It can be used at moderate levels for caramelized notes and darker red/brown hues. Crystal Red works well in a variety of beer styles from lagers to dark ales. Ask for a sample today! Learn more

Sheehan Family Companies’ New Jersey subsidiary Hunterdon Brewing Company will lay off 143 workers, effective December 1, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice filed in September. 

The layoffs follow Sheehan striking a deal to sell its New Jersey distribution branch to the Anheuser-Busch network in the state.

Five A-B distributors – High Grade, Ritchie & Page, Northern Eagle, Harrison and Konrad – will take over distribution of more than 1.2 million cases of beer, including offerings from Founders, Lagunitas, Allagash, Stone, Tröegs and CANarchy.

Sheehan has offloaded several of its craft distributors this year, including its Legends Distributing branch in Maryland and Washington, D.C., and Craft New Hampshire to the A-B networks in those states and Craft Rhode Island to Molson Coors house C&C Distributors.

Sapporo has placed Anchor Brewing’s San Francisco real estate for sale for $40 million, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

The Potrero Hill location had housed Anchor Brewing for 44 years. Earlier this year, the Japanese beer giant said it would cease operations at Anchor and liquidate its assets through an assignment for the benefit of creditors process. 

The 2.17-acre property includes two buildings and totals 108,728 sq. ft.

Sam Singer, a crisis PR professional who is serving as Sapporo’s spokesperson, told the Chronicle that the creditors chose CBRE to market the property “because there are disparate buckets of value” and they wanted to maximize the value of the brewery’s assets. An investment bank has also been retained to sell the brewery’s other assets.

Anchor’s workers have publicly stated their intention to acquire the brewery. Singer told the Chronicle that they will have to present to the investment bank, which will consider their bid and others to maximize value for the creditors. 

The property could be “repositioned” under production, distribution, repair zoning to allow for “research and development, storage, electric vehicle charging and shipping logistics,” the Chronicle reported. Anchor’s neighborhood has been described as “Area AI,” due to several artificial intelligence startups taking root in industrial spaces there, the outlet reported.

Craft had a “slightly more promising outlook” in Bump Williams Consulting’s latest quarterly craft review. However, the performance of the segment’s top 25 brands continued to vary in Q3. 

Six of the top 25 craft brands in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels recorded volume growth year-to-date (through September 30), measured by case sales:

• No. 2 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA (+5.3%);
• No. 3 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing (+3.4%);
• No. 5 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force (+92.3%);
• No. 11 Kona Big Wave Golden Ale (+32.1%);
• No. 14 Bell’s Two Hearted (+4.1%);
• No. 19 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Hoppy Pack (+18.2%).

BWC wrote: “We continue to see lots of volatility among the T25 Craft leaders.

“There is also a notable gap in the avg. items per store among leaders, an important metric to monitor for ANY craft supplier angling for space at retail. How much space is up for grabs & how productive are you on a per item basis?”

Stay tuned for more from the report on Brewbound.

UFC fighter Conor McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout is now available in the United States, the company announced last week. 

The beer is expected to roll out in New York City, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in “select bars and restaurants” in October. The rest of the northeast is expected to be filled in during Q4 with additional states to follow into 2024, along with launches in Canada and Australia.

A spokesperson said the goal is to be in 35 states by the end of 2024.  

More than 1 million cans have been produced since launching in Ireland and the United Kingdom eight weeks ago. 

McGregor, in the PR, appeared to be taking shots at top-selling Irish stout maker Guinness: "It's time the world got to experience a true Irish stout that is 100% Irish compared to the competition. My team and I have worked extremely hard to produce the world's creamiest stout here in my brewery in Dublin, Ireland and it is breaking all records in Ireland and the UK. Now it's time to take over the USA."

Keep an eye out for additional coverage of the Beer Institute Annual Meeting, Bump Williams Consulting’s Q3 craft scan report and all the daily news. 

Also, a fresh Brewbound Podcast will drop midweek, with a field report from Justin and Zoe from NBWA, a catch up on the latest news and a game of Another Round or Tabbing Out.

The 2023 National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Annual Convention is in the books. Zoe and Justin have recaps from the show, including what the trade organization’s top leaders said and a report from the Alliance For Women in Beer and BREW Making Moves event.  

• Industry Leaders Speak to Beer’s Internal Diversity Needs at BREW and Alliance for Women in Beer: Making Moves Event
• NBWA CEO: Beer Category Health Top Concern Among Beer Distributors
• NBWA Chairman: ‘We’ve Learned that We Cannot Rely on Anyone Else to Fight for Our Businesses’
• Incoming NBWA Chairman: ‘We Must Control Our Own Destiny’
• Kevin Johnson Calls for More Inclusiveness in Beer Industry During NBWA Annual Convention
• Coca-Cola Leadership: Soda Giant Not Interested in Being a Bev-Alc Distributor

In other news, Molson Coors is bringing a line of uncarbonated spiked refreshers called Happy Thursday to stores in 2024. Think spiked pink drinks.

Also last week, Seattle’s Two Beers Brewing Co. will cease operations later this year. However, sibling brand Seattle Cider will continue on. 

In brighter news, San Diego’s Karl Strauss is buying its original location. 

What are bigger brewers bringing to convenience stores in 2024? Here’s a recap from the NACS show, including new products and packages from Monster, Boston Beer, Constellation Brands, Anheuser-Busch, and Molson Coors.

Catch up on the latest Brewbound Podcast, featuring the leadership team from Schilling Cider discussing National Cider Month.

Take a look at the latest industry data points, including August shipment numbers (-5.1% compared to August 2022), the September Consumer Price Index (+4.7% for beer at home and +5.7% away from home YoY), and CGA’s latest on-premise report (beer prices +10.2% YoY in last 52 weeks).

From Generation Z to the silver tsunami, keeping up with consumers and their rapidly changing drinking habits isn’t easy. 

The 2023 Brewbound Live business conference (December 6 + 7 in Marina del Rey) will try to break the mystique with a presentation by NIQ beverage alcohol vertical director of thought leadership Kaleigh Theriault and 3 Tier Beverages analytics and client success consultant Stephanie Roatis.

Theriault and Roatis will provide fresh perspectives and share strategies to help brands better understand the consumer, from changing demographics to sober curiosity to consumer powered trends on flavor, pack size and channel choices.

This session is your ticket to unlocking a level of consumer engagement as strong as Swifties watching a Kansas City Chiefs game.

Theriault and Roatis join a speaker roster that includes: Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson, NBWA chief economist Lester Jones, Tilray president of U.S. beer division Ty Gilmore, National Black Brewers Association executive director Kevin Asato, Bell’s Brewery EVP Carrie Yunker, BuzzBallz founder Merrilee Kick, BeatBox co-founder Aimy Steadman, and Stateside Vodka CEO Clement Pappas. More speakers to be announced in the coming days.

Brewbound Live takes place December 6 and 7 in Marina del Rey, California, at the Marina Del Rey Marriott Hotel (4100 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA). 

Tickets are available now.

The Brewbound Live business conference returns December 6-7 in Marina del Rey. Speakers and conversations to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Registration and the discounted room block is now open. Find out more details here.

Anheuser-Busch InBev halted production of Cacti Agave Spiked Seltzer, a hard seltzer brand made in partnership with rapper and producer Travis Scott, at the end of 2021. 

However, Cacti may be making a comeback. 

The brand is heavily featured in the music video for Lil Blessin & G Herbo’s song “Likka Sto 2,” featuring Scott and BIA, which dropped over the weekend. The video shows refreshed packaging and possibly single-serve cans. 

In his guest verse on the song, Scott also shouts out the brand and a retail chain: “So much Cacti in this bitch, it’s like the BevMo."