Smaller size

St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is introducing smaller-sized cans and bottles for its Select 55 brand. Now available at retailers nationwide, Select 55 “Little Lights” are available in 8-ounce 35-calorie cans in 12-packs and 7-ounce 32-calorie clear glass bottles in six-packs. The new smaller-size cans and bottles were designed for those looking to limit calorie intake, the company says. Each 8-ounce can of Select 55 has

1.9 grams of carbohydrates and less than 1 gram of protein in each serving, according to the company. Seven-ounce bottles of Select 55 contain 0.8 grams of carbohydrates and less than 1 gram of protein in each bottle, it says.

Ready for change

Honest Tea, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co., made changes to its label and bottle. The nutrition facts panel has been updated to reflect that one bottle is equal to one serving to make it easier for consumers to watch their calorie and sugar intake, the company says. Changes to the bottle include transitioning from a dome that was at the bottom of the plastic bottle to a flatter bottom. The original dome design was needed to accommodate the 22 percent plastic reduction used in each bottle, but some consumers thought the dome resulted in a reduced amount of tea, the company says. Honest Tea worked with its engineers to develop an eco-friendly, hot-filled plastic bottle that also appealed to consumer requests for a flat bottom. The new bottom is stamped with a company seal that reads: Est. 1998, Bethesda, Md.

Re-crafted beer

Portland, Maine-based craft brewer Gritty McDuff’s renamed and repackaged its 21 IPA four-packs. The beer is popular on draft and in 22-ounce bottles, but the four-packs of 12-ounce bottles did not sell well, the company says, so the brewery decided to rename the beer Maine’s Best IPA. The newly renamed beer is available in six- and 12-packs. Distribution of Maine’s Best IPA started in Maine this month and will spread to additional New England states.

Superberries makeover

Mae’s Health and Wellness Superberries, created by a division of Omaha-Neb.-based Westin Foods, is available in lightweight bottles custom-designed by St. Louis-based TricorBraun. The packaging company decreased the bottle’s weight by 13 percent, from 41 to 36 grams, which in turn decreased distribution costs, according to TricorBraun. To avoid discarding packaging that had been stained by juice during filling, the bottle features decorations that are directly screened on the bottle. The new TricorBraun design features an embossed logo to enhance brand visibility, the design firm notes. In addition, the top of the bottle is rounded to resemble the shape of an aronia berry. The bottle’s slender profile and shape was designed to let consumers hold the bottle and open the flip-top closure with one hand.

Mountain view

Niche Import Co., Cedar Knolls, N.J., relaunched its Glacier Potato Vodka, which is available in a 750-ml. bottle. The handcrafted vodka made from Idaho russet potatoes and Rocky Mountain water features a new design that depicts the Teton Rocky Mountains and surrounding spring water. It also incorporates red, white and blue colors for its “Made in America” theme.

Resealable lid

Scottish Spirits Imports Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., introduced a resealable latex cap for its Scottish Spirits Single Grain Scotch Whisky in a can. The brand’s patent-pending latex lid will allow the can to be resealed and maintain product freshness and taste, the company says. Scottish Spirits Single Grain Scotch Whisky is not meant to be a one-serving beverage; each recyclable 12-ounce can has eight shots and can be shared by several people. The resealable can offers portability of the product for outdoor uses such as sporting events, tailgating parties and boating, the company says.

New twist 

NYSW Beverage Brands Inc.’s VBlast vitamins and spring water brand introduced a newly designed closure that dispenses its liquid vitamin blend into pure mountain spring water with the turn of the cap. The two-piece, 28-mm. cap features a 6-ml. reservoir that ensures the quality and year-long shelf life of VBlast’s vitamin blend, the company says. To maintain the potency of the vitamins, they are introduced to the spring water as the consumer opens the bottle. The new closure will be featured in the current line of VBlast flavors as well as in line extensions, it says.

Bootlegger inspiration 

Stillhouse Distillery LLC introduced Original Moonshine, a clear corn whiskey, in a bootlegger-style jug sourced by TricorBraun. The 750-ml. rustic flint glass container’s neck features an “XXXX” branding along with a looped glass finger-handle to resemble a Prohibition-era moonshine jug. It also capitalizes on contemporary packaging strategies including the following: “Stillhouse Moonshine” is embossed around the bottom diameter of the jug; the brand’s howling wolf logo is etched into the bottle’s shoulder; and the bottom is embossed with the Stillhouse name and logo. The label consists of clear film with a three-color decoration. The jug’s bar-top closure features a 45-mm. closure disk that has the appearance of weathered copper and displays the brand’s logo. It also uses a synthetic cork.

Vodka facelift

Blue Ice Vodka, a 21st Century Spirits brand, recently updated its label. Design firm Flowdesign further refined the label to correlate with the distinctive look and texture of the bottle while maintaining the complimentary relationship between the look, feel and taste of the potato vodka, the company says. The redesign includes the use of simpler font, targeted copy and a bolder blue background to help the branding pop, Flowdesign says.