The beer industry, trends, and inspired new creations are ever-changing. As a beverage distributor, it’s important that we spend time researching and discovering new brands we believe consumers with various beer palates will enjoy all year long. How do we do this? We sample beer! We’re proud to say, and we’ll brag for a moment, that we often gather as a team to sample new beers and styles from a variety of sources. It’s a vigorous job, but somebody’s got to do it! Now, let’s guide you through some of our beer research and share what we’ve observed and what we predict for 2019.
According to a recent Nielson report published in Brewbound, over the last six years, the number of craft breweries in the US has grown from 2,475 to 7,450. We can’t talk about local craft breweries without mentioning our favorite local brewery, Proof Brewing Co. This company’s demand and popularity locally, and throughout North Florida, have allowed it to grow into its new brewing facility off South Monroe. With its new production facility, it now packages four of its flagship brands: EightFive-0, Mango-Wit, Lager, and LaLa Land. Proof, like other breweries in the industry, has collaborated with other brewmaster gurus to create distinctive beer. Quantum Foam Double IPA was born from the beer physicists at Proof Brewing and New York City’s Finback Brewery. These types of limited release collaborations crossing state lines are what makes the diversity of craft beer taste amazing, and unbelievably brilliant in the beer biz.
The beer market is highly competitive. With collaboration, comes innovation. With changes in consumer taste, emerging beverage categories, such as hard seltzers, kombucha, and spirit collaborations, have emerged and captured market share in the alcohol segment.
The rise in popularity of hard seltzers has spiked due to health-conscious drinking habits. This past year’s Superbowl commercials featured BON & VIV Spiked Seltzer, an innovative hard seltzer brand from Anheuser-Busch. The beverage is both sugar-free and gluten-free, and it’s made with natural fruit flavors. With an alcohol by volume of 4.5%, this seltzer is sessionable on its own or mixed with your favorite cocktail. We suggest trying a Prickly Pear Margarita. Add 1 ounce of tequila, 1.5 ounces of triple sec to your Prickly Pear Bon & Viv, top if off with lime and salt, and Wa-lah! Salud!
The hard seltzer category is continuing to grow, and more craft brewers are tapping into the market with their own variations. For instance, in 2018, St. Pete-based 3 Daughters Brewing introduced a line-up of Florida Hard Seltzers. The well-known craft brewery, Oskar Blues Brewery, introduced Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water earlier this year, offering consumers a boozy, 100-calorie sparkling water in lime, lemon agave hibiscus, melon basil, and cucumber peach flavors. Within the fruit and malt beverage industry, hard seltzers are projected to grow in 2019, as more choices become available to consumers.
Another new, favorable beer that is flocking to Tallahassee this summer is Naturdays. A sessionable light lager infused with strawberry lemonade. This fun-loving summer beer brands itself with a pink-and-yellow can and refreshingly fruity flavor. The packaging is covered in fun pink flamingos and is a perfect brew at poolside, on the boat and is easily one of our favorite lawnmower beers this summer (remember to mow responsibly!).
In addition to the trending growth of hard seltzers and fruit-inspired beers, sparkling wine spritzers and canned wine hit shelves in 2018. This tapped into a similar consumer demographic, offering people a refreshing and bubbly option with cocktail and wine familiarity. By thinking outside the bottle, we can now pinky up to our favorite Merlot, Chardonnay, Pino Grigio, or Rose.
We’re excited to share that Tri-Eagle Sales will be introducing a new liquor and wine portfolio this summer, offering consumers a selection of products from recognized wineries as well as some classic cocktails. Our wine portfolio will be led by Cupcake Vineyards and includes the growing canned wine products mentioned above. With the many events we participate in and support, we’re sure many of you will enjoy a canned wine in the near future at a local concert at Cascades Park, on the golf course, or, perhaps, while tailgating this fall. In the spirits space, Boulevard Brewing Company has introduced a line of natural, gluten-free craft cocktails. Available in cans, their lineup of Fling Craft Cocktails offer consumers natural flavor options available in Cucumber Lime Gin & Tonic, Blood Orange Vodka Soda, Mai Tai – made with rum, and Margarita – made with American Agave Spirit.
In addition to our core portfolio of brands we are growing our offerings outside the alcohol category. For those of you who love a caffeinated pick-me-up halfway through your workday, let us introduce you to BANG energy. Bang Energy drinks are one of the more exciting energy drinks that have hit our market this year. This non-alcohol beverage is filled with Branched Chain Amino Acids, Electrolytes, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. The packaging comes in a 16-oz can with over fifteen different flavors. Alongside Bang we sell and distribute many other fine non-alcoholic brands such as Starbucks Teavana, HiBall Energy, Five Organic water and Icelandic Glacial water. Operating in the non-alcohol segment has allowed us to grow our portfolio and become a more complete source for beverages for our retail customers.
Understanding the evolution of beer and beverages allows us to better market our brands and offer choice and variety to consumers. Following beverage trends and discovering innovations are crucial to our business. This is the evolution of beer distributors, and we continue to drive innovation and stay ahead of the curve to offer the most diverse and profitable portfolio of brands for our retail customers while bringing our local consumers brands that are at the forefront of consumer trends.
Cheers,
Tri-Eagle Sales
