Sierra Nevada Appoints New CEO, Eyes 5 Percent Growth in 2019

Given that disconnect, has anyone ever done an in-depth analysis of how accurate IRI numbers are to judge overall industry sales for large craft breweries?

How many other states are like PA in which given the definition of the stores IRI tracks (grocery, convenience, drug, club, dollar, mass-merchandiser and military), that would appear to account for exactly 0% of sales in our state?

 

Just curious what their #3 brand would be if Hazy is #4. Tropical Torpedo? Does Celebration move that much as a seasonal to be 3?

 

Another interesting quote:

Since I ferment my own Kombucha at home, and know how completely different a process it is than brewing beer, that statement seems odd. Also considering if its raw it needs to be kept refrigerated through the whole distribution and retail process. That seems like it would not be the same logical extension for a beer brewery like hard cider and FMBs might be.

 

From the Brewbound article:

“White takes over a company that narrowly returned to growth in 2018 after two consecutive years of mid-single digit declines. According to Whitney, Sierra Nevada’s sales increased 0.2 percent, which amounted to about 25,000 cases.”

It is certainly a plus that Sierra Nevada experienced growth in 2018 vs. the declines they experienced in 2016 & 2017 but an increase of 0.2% is rather anemic.

“Still, Whitney said he’s bullish on Sierra Nevada’s prospects heading in 2019 and he’s projecting 5 percent growth. He believes that advertising will help turn around Pale Ale’s negative trajectory, and that continued growth for Hazy Little Thing, combined with increased focus on Hop Bullet and Sierraveza, will propel the company forward this year.”

We will have to keep track here. If Sierra Nevada realizes a growth of 5% in 2019 that would be quite impressive. Will advertising turn things around for SNPA? Adding Sierraveza as a new year-round product will be an interesting thing to watch. I recently saw a bunch of 6-pack boxes of this beer at my local retailer and it was priced at $10.99 per 6-pack; that is rather pricy for a 6-pack of AAL beer. In contrast I could purchase a 6-pack of Yuengling Golden Pilsner (an all malt product) for $6.99 a 6-pack. At this price Sierraveza will be a pass for me.

I noted an interesting comment posted on Brewbound:

“Bruce Deck

SN - you need new offerings for growth, not additional advertisement of your existing lines. I was recently at your Fletcher brewery / taproom and was surprised how few offerings there that were not nationally distributed. Get creative and back to your CRAFT roots.”

I must say I had a similar thought when I visited the taproom at the Mills River, NC brewery. I really wished that the excellent beers I consumed there were available to me as distributed/packaged beer.

Best of luck to Jeff White in his new position as CEO of Sierra Nevada. With his emphasis on advertising he seems to be operating like a BMC CEO and I have my concerns whether this is the best approach for a brewery like Sierra Nevada. If Sierra Nevada grows at 5% this year I suppose this will prove that Jeff White is ‘right’?

Cheers!

@SierraTerence @BillManley

 

Maybe Hop Bullet? It benefited from being a seasonal and then brought back for the last third of the year where they say it sold between 8-10K barrels.

 

They don't get it. Just because something is super popular doesn't mean you have to make it a year rounder. There is definitely a new
Beer and seasonal allure. What's popular now may not be in 8 months.

Hazy little is solid but maybe fans want version 2.0 to try this year. Instead it's just a straight up year rounder.

Big Brewers love stability and trying to project the future. Smaller Brewers have more leeway. I don't see this problem ever really resolving itself. Big Craft is trending down.

 

Resillience has given the a lot of positive PR, and I have been drinking more SN in general because of this.

I'm looking forward to beers made with a new hop called Zappa. SN used it in a variety pack. They bought most all of the crop this year.

 

FWIW my local wegmans has both Sierraveza and Hop Bullet priced @ $9.99. Excellent deal for Hop Bullet, for Sierraveza not so much. I too would rather grab the Yuengling pils at that price, or pay the same thing for a higher quality Sly Fox lager.

 

Bingo! This article seems to reflect exactly what I pointed out on the Flagship thread- they will still exist because there's a need for them, but what the flagship(s) is/are will be driven by prevailing tastes. The casual and crossover markets are the drivers of this, not the beer enthusiast market.

 

Dang that price for that Lager.
This year's Celebration I bought for under $9 a sixer. Shrugs.

 

Jeff (@hopfenunmaltz) made mention of a new hop variety called Zappa. I thought others might be interested in learning more.

Below is a linked article; go the section entitled “YES, THAT FRANK ZAPPA”.

Sierra Nevada is presently brewing a beer branded as Wild Stache IPA which is available on draft at certain test markets. The most recent version uses Zappa (50%), Amarillo (25%) and Loral (25%). Terence (@SierraTerence) is quoted in this piece.

Cheers!

https://www.mydigitalpublication.co...=html5&view=articleBrowser&article_id=3237850

 

I would think Summerfest before Celebration but expect the right answer is Nooner.

 

Maybe Terence (@SierraTerence) will answer your question?

Cheers!

 

Damn. I know that I had a beer recently brewed with Zappa but I can't remember which one it was. Getting old...

 

Do you remember if you enjoyed drinking that beer?

Cheers!

 

Low and behold, it was the Zappa Wild Stache that I had at Frontier Brewing and Taproom in Casper.
My notes:
Lots of lemon citrus, dank, and the pine really shines. Funky? I will have to pour myself a full portion. Which I am doing right now. Funky..I think of Brett. Heck, it might be; easier to detect in a Saison..