CHICAGO -- MillerCoors will release a new line of flavored, sessionable alcohol beverages called Cape Line this coming spring, even as it pulls the plug on another flavored-beer offering.
Cape Line is designed for consumers who are looking for lower-calorie versions of their favorite beverages without sacrificing taste and flavor, according to a report on the MillerCoors blog Behind the Beer. Cape Line will contain about half the sugar and calories, on average, of leading flavored malt-based beverages, said Bryan Ferschinger, MillerCoors vice president of marketing for innovation and national crafts, in a note to MillerCoors employees and distributors.
“As a company, one of our top priorities is driving growth in above premium,” Ferschinger said. “In addition to building on the foundation of existing great brands like Blue Moon, Leinenkugel’s, Sol and Peroni, another way we’ll achieve growth in the segment is through innovation.”
Cape Line, which will launch nationally, will be made with six ingredients, none of them artificial. It’s made with fermented cane sugar and qualifies as gluten-free.
The announcement comes just weeks after Chicago-based MillerCoors said it will discontinue its Two Hats beer brand, which rolled out earlier this year.
The light, flavored and economically priced beer brand targeted younger legal-age drinkers. It launched in two flavors—lime and pineapple—in February 2018. MillerCoors will cease production of the drinks in early 2019, it said.
MillerCoors CEO Gavin Hattersley recently told Behind the Beer that the company is seeking a fresh perspective on its marketing and portfolio, including an “urgent focus” on accelerating growth in the above-premium segment and turning around Coors Light.
“We recognize that we need to move quickly and decisively,” Hattersley told the blog. “And we are.”
Image courtesy of MillerCoors
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