The Boston Beer Co has released details of a new-to-market RTD brand for the US to sit alongside its Truly hard seltzer flagship.
Lytt Electric Coolers comprises six variants at launch, with the malt-based RTD’s packaging redolent of rival BuzzBallz’s novelty packaging. Instead of a 20cl tennis-ball-shaped pack, Lytt comes in 20cl patent-pending lightbulb-shaped plastic containers that glow in the dark, which according to Boston Beer, are “widely recyclable”.
At 15% ABV, the range consists of Blue Raspberry, Grape, Long Island Iced Tea, Peach Mango, Strawberry Rita and Tropical Punch. All six go on sale this week with an SRP of US$3.99 per unit in Florida, Illinois (where distribution will be “limited”), Ohio, Texas and Washington.
Further markets are expected to come on-stream later this year.
“Lytt stands for standing out in the crowd,” said Boston Beer’s associate director of innovation, Tim Kerrigan. “The single-serve convenience factor packs a punch on flavour and ABV while clearly signalling that our drinker is ready to light up the occasion.”
In results for the first three months of this year, announced late last month, the Samuel Adams producer, and owner of not only Truly but also Sun Cruiser and Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea in the RTD category, booked a 4.4% fall in sales on the corresponding quarter a year ago.
