New Craft Beer Variety Packs For A Changing Retail Landscape

With Covid-19 still lurking around, no one wants to hang around at retail outlets for very long anymore. Shopping trips have become more like hit and run affairs, the quicker the better.

And brewers are addressing this strange new retail climate by releasing more variety packs than ever before. 12-Packs have gotten more adventuresome and they address a very specific consumer need.

And here are two widely available mixed packs that you might want to chase down next time you’re doing a quick retail drive-by…

Brewed With Glacier-Fed Water

That’s the tag-line on Alaskan Brewing’s newest mixed pack that offers four unique flavor profiles which the Juneau, Alaska-based brewery claims are “as bold as the Alaskan wilderness.”

Anchored by its original, award-winning Alaskan Amber and the brewery’s popular Alaskan Icy Bay IPA, Alaskan’s newest mixed pack also includes Alaskan Lo-IPA – a specialty option for beer fans who prefer lower calories and lower alcohol content with all the balance and complexity of a traditional IPA.

“Mosaic and Citra hops bring a refreshing mango and tangerine aroma to Alaskan Lo-IPA, giving it a crisp, clean finish that appeals to many different palates,” said Rob Day, brewing manager for Alaskan Brewing.

The newest entry to the mixed pack, Alaskan Citrus Wheat, rounds things out smartly. Slightly hazy with a light golden color and slightly tart at the start, this winter to spring seasonal delivers exactly what you would expect from a refreshing warm-weather ale.

“This beer is one of our most exciting offerings to date,” said Merv Boyce, director of sales & marketing for Alaskan Brewing. “One sip and you are transported to the West Glacier Trail. And with its lower alcohol content, Alaskan Citrus Wheat is perfect for enjoying as part of an active lifestyle.”

All four varieties in the new Alaskan Mixed Pack are brewed with Alaskan glacier-fed water and  packaged in 12-ounce aluminum cans. But you may have to wait on this one…the mixed pack will be available in stores nationwide beginning in March.

Hopheads Rejoice!

St Paul, MN-based Summit Brewing is celebrating craft beer’s most popular style, the India Pale Ale, with a 12-pack designed to satisfy hopheads everywhere.

The Summit Mixed Pack IPA Edition includes three 12oz cans of the following:

Sága IPA

Named after the Norse goddess Sága, drinking companion of the God Odin. Featuring a divine tropical fruit hop aroma and clean, assertive bitterness.
ABV: 6.3%
Hops: Centennial, Amarillo, Citra, Bravo
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Crystal

Summit Slugfest Juicy IPA

Summit Slugfest is an unfiltered IPA with an orange appearance, low in alcohol and bitterness but big in citrus hop flavors and aromas.
ABV: 4.7%
Hops: Huell Melon. Azacca, Mandarina, Bavaria, Experimental Hop Varieties
Malts: Malted Barley, Malted Wheat, Flaked Barley, Crystal Malt

Summit Twenty-One IPA

In Summit Twenty-One IPA, seven brewers came together to craft a bold IPA, each bringing forward one malt and one hop. Lightly golden in color with an abundant white, creamy head, it has a big bitter and effervescent mouthfeel with a dry, clean finish.
ABV: 7.0%
Hops: Eukanot, Azacca, Simcoe, Amarillo, Chinook, Calista and Columbus
Malts: Rahr Pale malt, Simpsons Golden Promise, Simpsons Maris Otter, Patagonia Pale malt, Weyermann acidulated malt, Breiss aromatic malt, and Moravian 37

Summit Elderflower IPA

An unfiltered, full-bodied IPA, it has light biscuit and bubblegum flavors that are followed with lavender and honeydew notes.
ABV: 6.2%
Hops: Rakau, Bru I
Malts: Pale malt, Moravian 37, Carapils, Malted wheat, Simpson’s Dark Crystal