Our Beer Growth Brands Hall of Famers must receive at least 15 Growth Brands Awards during the past 25 years, in any category. Entering the Hall of Fame this year is Samuel Adams and Twisted Tea, both from Boston Beer Co.
Congratulations to the winners!
Growth Brands HOF: Samuel Adams
Making its debut in 1984, Samuel Adams is one of the largest and most respected craft beer brands, with a particular focus on lagers and seasonal beers.
Innovation is at the core of its DNA, the Samuel Adams team is on a pursuit of better beer, says Lauren Price, head of brand, Samuel Adams. The beer and alcohol space is constantly evolving and expanding, with a noted increase in sober-curious consumers.
More drinkers are looking for no- and low-alcohol alternatives, which is why Samuel Adams spent two years crafting the beer lover’s non-alcoholic product Just The Haze.
“Drinkers can rotate in this hazy non-alcoholic IPA to their drinking sessions and get more out of their days, their nights, and every cheers in between,” Price says. “And, drinkers can also experience our second iteration of non-alcoholic beer with Gold Rush, featuring subtle malt notes, a light body and medium carbonation with a dry, refreshing finish.”
Beyond non-alcoholic beers, Price says the Samuel Adams team is seeing drinkers — who’ve experienced a bit of hop fatigue from the prevalence of bitter, hoppy IPAs — return to lagers for a smooth, sessionable drinking experience.
With the latest tweaks and culmination of a 38-year process, the Samuel Adams team is closer to perfection in a pint glass with Boston Lager Remastered. The brew is helping drinkers rediscover the elegance of lager with a full-flavored beer.
Samuel Adams also capitalizes on relevant and cultural moments to activate in ways that engage and resonate with drinkers. The brand continues to show up in unexpected ways.
This year, Samuel Adams elevated its spring seasonal, Cold Snap, by becoming the Official Beer of Groundhog Day. Samuel Adams activated on the ground in Punxsutawney, PA, with “everyone’s favorite drinking buddy,” Your Cousin From Boston, and, after snapping into six more weeks of winter, rewarded drinkers nationwide by giving away $50K worth of Cold Snap.
Beyond inserting beer into key cultural moments that resonate with drinkers, Samuel Adams’ team of brewers are dedicated to the constant pursuit of better beer and exploring creative brews to bring a unique drinking experience to fans.
Growth Brands HOF: Twisted Tea
Founded in 2001, Twisted Tea has become the best-selling hard tea in the country. Boston Beer’s Twisted Tea accounts for 91% of hard tea sales in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels (through May 13, 2023), according to data from Bump Williams Consulting.
Twisted Tea’s senior brand director, Erica Taylor, says the following three key factors have contributed to the growth of the brand throughout the years:
Driving broad national brand awareness to invite more people to the Twisted Tea party than ever before. With elements like the Tea Drop ad campaign, now in its third year, they’re able to drive significant national awareness all year long with strong media support.
Focusing on physical availability to make sure Twisted Tea is available wherever drinkers are. The team supports all classes of trade to ensure big blocks of Twisted Tea yellow are easy to spot for drinkers everywhere.
Developing innovation that welcomes a new drinker into the brand or expands into a new occasion. In addition to supporting the core flavors with pack innovation, the team is also seeing growth with Twisted Tea Light, testing a new 8% ABV lineup with Twisted Tea Extreme for those higher-ABV occasions, increasing their Hispanic households through strategic flavor innovation with Twisted Tea Mangonada and more.
The brand’s social channels have also been a positive extension of its personality. Twisted Tea shows up on social like a friend, with a lot of relatable memes, photos of different fans and plenty of product.
The brand is backed by a passionate community, so its social channels enable it to keep up with customers and chat with different drinkers.
Melissa Dowling is editor of Cheers magazine, our on-premise sister publication. Contact her at mdowling@epgmediallc.com, and read her recent piece, Announcing The 2023 Beer Growth Brands Awards Winners.
