Bud and Beam Team Up for Black Lager

CHICAGO -- Brewers are thinking spring as they release a lengthy list of new drinks that aim for light and refreshing.

Here's a look at 10 new beers coming to store shelves this spring ...

Bud Light is expanding the brand's citrus portfolio with a refreshed Bud Light Lime and the addition of Bud Light Orange. Both light lagers are brewed with real lime and orange peels, and they "deliver a clean and crisp taste that highlights natural citrus flavors in every sip," the company said.

"Our millennial consumers are eager to try new, flavored options in the light lager category. We wanted to create something new to engage with these consumers and bring them into the Bud Light family," said Andy Goeler, vice president of marketing, Bud Light, for Anheuser-Busch. "Flavored beer has seen steady growth with consumers continually looking for higher-quality beverages made with real, natural flavors."

A-B also teamed with Jim Beam to introduce a new Budweiser. In September, Budweiser’s brewmasters and Jim Beam’s seventh-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe will celebrate the upcoming 85th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition with the unveiling of a new limited-edition collaborative brew: Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager. The Copper Lager is brewed with two-row barley and aged on Jim Beam bourbon barrel staves to create a toasted oak aroma and nutty taste with caramel rye and vanilla notes.

Henry's Hard Sparkling Water is now available in new 12-ounce slim cans at retailers nationwide. With only 88 calories and no sugar per 12 ounces, Henry's Hard Sparkling Water has the lowest calories and sugar among the largest players in the category, according to manufacturer MillerCoors.

Henry's Hard Sparkling Water is a lightly fruit-flavored hard sparkling water with "bright effervescence and crystal-clear appearance." With the same alcohol content as a traditional light beer, it aims to provide a fun, refreshing alcoholic option. Henry's Hard Sparkling Water comes in three natural flavors: Lemon Lime, Passion Fruit and new Strawberry Kiwi, which is exclusive to the 12-pack variety pack.

"The goal is to offer the best possible hard sparkling water," said Josh Wexelbaum, MillerCoors senior marketing director of emerging brands. "We heard from drinkers that calories and sugar matter most to them when choosing a hard sparkling beverage. So we delivered the lowest in both so women and men can feel good, and have fun all at the same time."

Pottsville, Pa.-based D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. is adding a new beer, Yuengling Golden Pilsner, to its core product portfolio. Golden Pilsner is a modern pilsner crafted with a "balance of hop and malt character for crisp, smooth refreshment," the company said. It is Yuengling's first year-round beer to debut in 17 years.

At 4.7% alcohol and 135 calories, Yuengling Golden Pilsner, an all-malt beer, combines pale and specialty malts, and Hallertau and Saaz hops, "to create a bold, noble hop-flavored brew with a smooth, clean finish."

Starting April 1, Yuengling Golden Pilsner was available in cans and bottles in several markets: Cleveland; Harrisburg and Schuylkill County, Pa.; Atlanta; the Virginia Beach area; and Rhode Island. In Florida, Yuengling Golden Pilsner will be available in the Tampa and Fort Myers areas, as well as Orlando. Yuengling Golden Pilsner will expand throughout Florida and Georgia in April and May, and it will be available across Yuengling's entire 22-state footprint by the end of the year.

San Diego-based Ballast Point used a newly developed Belgian yeast strain to develop its newest product: Aloha Sculpin, now available nationwide.

Aloha Sculpin IPA features a yeast strain known as Saccharomyces Bruxellensis Trois, or brux trois, “turning the flagship IPA into a tropical oasis with aromas and flavors of guava, mango and pineapple without any fruit additions,” the brewer said. Its use in Aloha Sculpin marks the first time an IPA brewed with Saccharomyces brux trois is being packaged and made available nationwide.

Aloha Sculpin IPA is a spring/summer seasonal release under Ballast Point’s flagship tier and is now rolling out nationwide in both draft and six-pack bottles.

Constellation Brands launched a latest addition to the Corona beer line in March. The new Corona Premier is a lifestyle light beer with 90 calories and 2.6 grams of carbohydrates per 12-ounce bottle. The drink was test-marketed in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; and markets in Texas, and it rolled out nationwide this spring.

MillerCoors entered spring with a new brew that it's marketing as "good, cheap beer," hoping to appeal to younger legal-aged drinkers. Two Hats is a new line of light beers with a hint of all-natural fruit flavor. Launched in lime and pineapple, "Two Hats is introducing a good, cheap option that suits the taste and budget of a new generation of drinkers who aren't currently big on beer," the brewer said.

With an alcohol by volume of 4.2%, Two Hats merges the refreshing character of a light beer with a familiar hint of all-natural fruit flavor, the company said. Drinkers can pick up 16-ounce Two Hats cans in a four- or six-pack for about $5 nationwide.

In February, Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra unveiled its newest innovation: Michelob Ultra Pure Gold. Pure Gold is made with organic grains with only 85 calories and 2.5 carbs per 12-ounce serving.

Boston Beer Co. pays homage to its roots with the national release of Samuel Adams New England IPA, a "refreshingly juicy and hazy IPA." Previously available only in New England, New England IPA was the best-selling growler of 2017 at the Samuel Adams Brewery and Tap Room in Boston. Orignially available only on tap, New England IPA rolled out in four-packs of 16-ounce cans in April for a suggested retail price of $8.99 to $9.99.

Scottish craft brewer Innis & Gunn and distiller Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey have collaborated for the first time to create Kindred Spirits, a limited-edition Scottish stout aged using triple-distilled Irish whiskey barrels.

Using a barrel-aging process, Kindred Spirits is matured using the triple-distilled, triple-blend Irish whiskey barrels from Tullamore D.E.W. to create the Scottish stout. The result is a one-of-a-kind craft stout with the character of Innis & Gunn's beer and the sweet, spicy taste of Tullamore D.E.W., with notes of dark chocolate and coffee alongside hints of vanilla and oak, according to the company. It is 6.1% alcohol by volume.