Seasonal Beers to Warm Hearts and Coffers
Brews To Battle Blustery Weather

Customers like the way winter beers typically enjoy the hearty flavor profile and higher alcohol content that helps cut the chill, while bar owners recognize a higher profit margin. It’s a festive proposition for everyone.

Winter Guests
    Think of winter beers as history in a mug. And with the relatively new surge in seasonal, craft beer sales, special winter brews are becoming a national phenomenon. Paul Gatza, director of The Brewers Association, says the first seasonal craft brewer in the United States was Anchor Brewing of San Francisco. In 1975, they introduced Our Special Ale.
    “You can still get it in a few places,” he says.
    Anchor Brewing’s winter offering is Anchor Christmas, a favorite, but, of course, Anchor is no longer the only brewer on the block. Gatza cites impressive statistics: “Today, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 3/4 of a million barrels of winter craft beer being produced. We expect a couple hundred different beers will be available this year.”
    Aside from great taste, another factor that makes these beers a hit with consumers and bar owners is the packaging.
    “The fall and winter are definitely the nicest packaging of the year,” Gatza states. “You get wine bottles with corks, swing bottles with caps and wonderful art work. Along with that comes higher prices, making the margins even better.”
    Miller Spokesperson Lori Barthelemy agrees.
    “Seasonal, craft beers provide a higher price point,” she says. Miller purchased the famous Leinenkugel’s Brewey of Chippewah, Falls, Wisc.
    “Leinenkugel’s is still run by the family,” Barthelemy says. “It’s a fifth-generation brewery, operating in the same historic location. Miller recognized that Leinenkugel’s nicely fits in with our general strategy of focusing on higher-end beer and higher-margin brands. Seasonal craft beers provide a higher price point. Customers are trading up, particularly this time of year.”
    Leinenkugel’s is offering an Octoberfest beer and a winter brew called Apple Spice. The brand’s new off-premise marketing campaign “What’s Your Mix?” invites beer lovers to mix Leinenkugel’s beers together.
    “We’ve jumped on this promotion,” Barthelemy says. “For the holidays, we’re recommending Creamy Dark and our Apple Spice. The whole idea came from a customer who wrote in and told us how terrific mixes can be. Customers can get and submit recipes by going to the Leinenkugle’s Web site — all of which keeps things personal, with a family brewery and a promotion that takes advantage of the trend toward customizing drinks.”
    Heineken again is bringing a world treasure to market with its Affligem Noel, from a Belgian abbey founded in 1074. Its Christmas Ale is a dark, ruby red, with an aroma of holiday spices such as orange zest and liqourice.
    “Affligem Noel is a very special beer that consumers eagerly await,” says Damiano Possenti, Star Brand Imports marketing manager for Affligem.
    For the first time, Coors will be making Blue Moon Full Moon Winter Ale available nationwide. The beer is a deep copper, abbey, single-style ale with a tasty toffee finish.
Spokesperson Jennifer Volanakis points to the fact that “Neilson data has shown that craft, seasonal beers experienced double-digit growth in 2007. We tested Full Moon Winter Ale regionally, and now we’re excited to go forward.”        NCB