When it comes to the overall alcohol market, manufacturers not only are analyzing their own brand sales but also the respective categories in which they compete. For the beer category, hard ciders are offering consumers an entry point into this multibillion dollar industry, experts note.
New hard cider capitalizes on popularity of IPAs and seasonal beers
March 7, 2014
Vermont Hard Cider Co. LLC, Middlebury, Vt., released its new Woodchuck Hopped Apple hard cider exclusively on draft in bars, pubs and restaurants across the United States.
On-premise ale and cider sales were on the rise in the third quarter of 2013, reports Restaurant Sciences LLC, Newton, Mass. Ale sales grew 2 percent and cider sales grew 39 percent compared with the prior-year period, it reports. Comparatively, nationwide on-premise lager sales were down 7 percent compared with the third quarter of 2012, it adds.
Following its acquisition by C&C Group, Hornsby’s Cider received an updated brand image to capture its 15-year-old brand essence while helping it stand out from other brands in the category, the company says.
Manufacturers urge Congress to pass legislation to grow industry, jobs
August 7, 2013
Congressmen Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Chris Collins, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan Cider Industry Deserves Equal Regulation (CIDER) Act. The act would amend the section of the tax code that deals with wine and related beverages to allow hard cider-makers increased flexibility in their final products without potentially facing increased tax liability.
Strongbow, a brand of Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y., launched its “Golden Hour” on-premise, retail and event activation for the summer. The cider brand will act as a catalyst for spur-of-the-moment experiences to excite consumers of legal drinking age and encourage them to create their own “Golden Hour” celebrations with Strongbow, it says.
