AB enters US hard root beer category

Anheuser-Busch has launched a new brewing project whose first release will be an alcoholic root beer, tapping into a trend for “sweeter taste profiles”.

Best Damn Brewing Co., will sit within the brewer’s existing portfolio and will be used to “leverage the talent of its brewmasters” across the US to produce products that its hopes will be “the best damn thing you’ve had all day”. The project’s first product is a sweet 5.5% ABV root beer aged on vanilla beans, its second its Best Damn Apple Ale.

“We’ve seen a growing consumer interest in sweeter taste profiles, and we jumped at the opportunity to brew an easy-drinking, hard root beer,” said Rashmi Patel, vice president, Share of Throat, Anheuser-Busch. “People like beers that are approachable, down-to-earth and don’t take themselves too seriously, so Best Damn Brewing Co. aims to bring all the flavor without any of the fuss.”

To support the launch of Best Damn Root Beer, Anheuser-Busch plans to make use of its 70-foot Jumbotron in Times Square, and its network of sports sponsorship deals, which includes more than 80 professional team and stadium/venue partnerships.

“We’re constantly testing new ideas and we’re excited to bring more to the market through the Best Damn Brewing Co. brand in 2016,” added Patel.

Alcoholic root beers have been gaining popularity in the US. Earlier this year Small Town Brewery of Waukonda in Illinois launched its Not Your Father’s Root Beer, while Coney Island Brewing in Brooklyn launched its Coney Island Hard Root Beer. According to market research company IRI, US consumers have spent $111 million on root beer in off-trade outlets this year, with Small Town’s Not Your Father’s Root Beer commanding 80% of sales.