Crafting variety

Charter Oak Brewing Co. LLC released a Legendary Variety 12 Pack that allows craft beer drinkers to sample three Connecticut-brewed beers in one sample pack. The pack features 1687 Brown Ale, Royal Charter Pale Ale and Wadsworth India Pale Ale. The packages have convenient dye cutouts that enable consumers to see the contents, and the beers are hand-packed to ensure the label always faces out, the company says. The ales featured in the sample pack all are named after a person, time or event in history, and the side-panels of the case have the SRM (beer color) and IBU (bitterness scale) as well as a description of the Charter Oak legend, it adds. The Charter Oak variety pack is available in Connecticut and Delaware, and soon will be released in New Jersey, for a suggested retail price of $18.99.

Refreshing coffee

Community Coffee Co. released new packaging that features a new logo on its 12-ounce packages for Community Signature Dark Roast, Community Breakfast Blend and French Roast coffees. The new logo and package design eventually will replace existing packaging for all of the company’s premium coffees across all of its markets, the company says. Tested for effectiveness and appeal by consumers, the revised look aims to increase the brand’s premium quality perception while preserving the key elements that customers have appreciated for nine decades, such as the signature red color and attention to family ownership. New features include enhanced color blocks with blend names and flavor descriptors, a more pronounced satisfaction seal, thicker film on the coffee bags, and a more prominent display of fourth-generation owner Matt Saurage’s signature on packaging. “It’s important that we find a balance between honoring our rich history and adapting to the needs of our evolving consumer,” said Vice President of Marketing Scott Eckert in a statement. “This packaging refresh helps us do just that by modernizing our brand’s image while simultaneously preserving the elements that we love most about our company and the Community brand.”

A wicked good time

Wicked Tango LLC launched Wicked Tango’s Wicked 87 Go Boxes in recycled, eco-friendly boxes. The small-batch, 100 percent corn-based whiskey is packaged in a 750-ml box that features an easy-to-pour spout.

Catching a wave

Kona Brewing Co. released Big Wave Golden Ale and Longboard Island Lager in light, easy-to-carry six- and 12-packs of 12-ounce aluminum cans for the first time. Big Wave Golden Ale is a 4.4 percent alcohol-by-volume beer with 21 international bitter units (IBUs), the company says. The 4.6 percent alcohol-by-volume Longboard Island Lager contains 18 IBUs and is fermented and aged for weeks at cold temperatures to yield its smooth flavor, the company says.

Dram & a draft

Edrington, the importer of Highland Park Whisky, in partnership with Deare2, launched “7-Packs,” a campaign and new seven-pack packaging that features Highland Park Whisky and six craft beers. This custom carrier holds six craft beers and a 750-ml bottle of Highland Park, the company says. The program features three expressions of Highland Park: Highland Park 12, Highland Park 18 and Highland Park Dark Origins. “It’s obvious that the current beer of choice is craft beer. Whisky is also growing in popularity among most age groups, so the concept of paring the two together, in an easy-to-carry, all-in-one case, is a win-win,” said Jennifer Deare, president of Deare2, in a statement. Highland Park Brand Manager and Brand Ambassador Stephanie Ridgway added: “Whisky and beer just naturally complement one another, each having complex flavor profiles that are meant to be savored and enjoyed. We thought it would be a great idea to unite them and create a memorable drinking occasion for our consumers…here in the U.S.” The Highland Park Dark Origins seven-pack is available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $79.99.

Irish eyes are smiling

Luxco Inc. introduced two new limited-edition flavors — the first-ever flavor variations of its Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream — in Salted Caramel and Peppermint Bark varieties. The recent launches feature an updated label that reflects a more contemporary design for the classic banjo-shaped bottle. The new packaging reflects Saint Brendan’s quality ingredients sourced from Irish Friesian grass-fed cows from one of the most distinguished dairy farms in Derry, Northern Ireland, it adds.