The Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams, Twisted Tea, Truly Hard Seltzer, Angry Orchard and Dogfish Head, is launching a non-alcoholic beverage under the General Admission (<0.5% ABV) brand.
General Admission combines the flavor attributes of a non-alcoholic beer and a fruited seltzer water to create a sober-centric sipper. Designed for drinkers that want to limit their alcohol intake, General Admission is available in four flavors: Lemon-Lime, Orange Ovation, Grapefruit Groove and Raspberry Remix.
General Admission is currently available on shelves in Albany, N.Y.; Raleigh, N.C.; and throughout the state of Indiana. Adults 21 and older from coast-to-coast can snag some General Admission online.
“The non-alc category is seeing explosive growth (up more than 30% in 2023, according to NIQ) and it is becoming a sizable piece of the industry,” says Tim Kerrigan, The Boston Beer Company’s assistant head of innovation. “In fact, non-alc is now bigger than hard cider. Knowing that, we wanted to create a new type of product that offers a much broader view of what we believe non-alc can be. We believe it’s actually alcohol drinkers that are the primary consumers of non-alc products, and we must find a way to make something that appeals to everyone, whether they drink spirits, beer, wine or only non-alc. That was the inception point for General Admission, and we’re excited to see how consumers will respond to this unique brand and its distinct proposition.”
The Boston Beer Company aspires to be an innovative, consumer-oriented beverage company. Using a two-fold innovation strategy, the company is committed to thoughtfully expanding existing product lines to meet shifting consumer needs and developing new brands that capitalize on current and future industry trends. While some new products will be launched nationally, others will be released in a limited number of test markets to iterate and learn before expanding distribution.
General Admission is the first brand from Boston Beer that will utilize direct-to-consumer shipping as a method of product distribution.
“With General Admission, we’ll be testing not only how drinkers respond to the product itself, but also how we can best leverage a direct to consumer platform as an impactful sales tool for the future,” Kerrigan says. “Because General Admission is non-alcoholic, we have the opportunity to simultaneously test and market our hypotheses on both a regional and national scale, both at traditional retail locations and through the growing e-commerce channel – it’s really a win from all angles.”