Hi, there! 

Few admin notes:

1. This is the first of four exclusive topics we’re covering here in our newsletter as part of the broader 2025 Beer Branding Trends Report. 

We aren't publishing these insights in the main article, so if there’s someone on your team who you think would benefit from reading these, please forward this email to them or have them sign up here.



2. We've got a few events planned for CBC in Indy later this month (let's grab a beer and talk shop). Check those out at the end of this issue.

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Let's get into it.


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Innovation will always drive the craft beer industry. From the earliest days that saw founders building breweries by welding derelict dairy tanks together to carting hand-bottled beer from bar to bar to build their businesses one account at a time — it’s in your DNA. 

But we also have to recognize that we’re coming down from a ~10-year period of non-stop innovation that, at its peak, saw as many as three new breweries opening per day across the country. 

The competitive landscape ballooned so quickly, that some markets which might have boasted a few dozen outfits across an entire state now have that many jammed into only a few square miles. On top of that, we saw Hazy IPA and hard seltzer dramatically alter the industry, as well as the (continuing) rise of Imperial IPA, NA options, Hard Teas and various other RTDs and FMBs. This skims the surface of what the beer industry has churned out over the last decade, but one thing is becoming painfully clear: Consumers are kind of over it.

According to the Brewers Association’s 2024 mid-year Harris Poll, Bart Watson reported that 37% of survey respondents said there was “too much / more than enough brands” available today. And this was after a year that saw about 1,000 fewer new brands than the previous year. 

So where does that leave a brewery that has been hanging its hat on constant innovation for the last several years? 

I think this data points to a big opportunity to re-invest in your flagships for sustainable growth. 

We’ve had several conversations with brewery CMOs and wholesalers on this topic over the last year. Here are a handful of things we’ve heard that you could consider to ensure your flagships thrive in the coming years.

1

On Brand Architecture: Do your flagships need to live under a Branded House, or can you have some Sub Brands in the mix as well? 


Reshaping your portfolio is a Brand Architecture problem. And there are a variety of ways your lineup can come together. 

A Branded House is different from a collection of Sub / Endorsed Brands which will be different from a House of Brands and so on.

We’ve seen a natural inclination — perhaps a holdover from craft’s heyday — to have your flagships look the same, particularly when building a Branded House. Just to address this head on: Your labels do not have to look identical to fall under a Branded House. 

And you should build whatever system best suits your specific portfolio and brand and competitive set context. 

The line here that helps you decide what Brand Architecture model is appropriate, and then how to actually design your packaging comes down to which brand is the Main Purchasing Driver.

If a beer has its own unique name and label but is still clearly positioned as being from your brewery, then your parent brand is the main purchasing driver. This means you’re still rocking a Branded House. (Read more about this topic here: Are fancifully names beer Sub Brands?)

A semantic point here: We call any system under which your parent brand is the main purchasing driver, a Branded House. When all of your flagship brands fly under a rigid (nearly identical) template, we call this a Monolithic Branded House. In its most extreme form, this would look like a rigid template across your packaging and NO fanciful names. So Prost Pils. Or Schlafly Pale Ale. Or Fernson IPA. Or Birdsmouth Black Lager. 

Either way, your packaging does not have to look rigidly similar to work as a Branded House. It’s more about why someone buys your beer. And specifically, if they’re doing so because it’s from your brewery.

(Above, Top): Firestone Walker has built a well-rounded House of Brands that include several fully developed Sub Brands and standalone brands.

(Above, Middle): Zero Gravity's portfolio is a good example of a Branded House that doesn't follow a rigid template. These beers all have their own fanciful names and look and feel, while still flying under the Zero Gravity's parent brand.

(Above, Bottom): Left Field Brewery's Ice Cold Beer Sub brand has become an important flagship over the last few years.

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2

Look for opportunities to scale the “Sub Brand Ladder”

We outline some interesting use cases for Sub Brands in the Brand Architecture section of our 2025 Beer Branding Trends Report. But when it comes to your flagships, I think there are two subtle shifts you should make in how you view your portfolio:

1. Think about these brands as platforms: So, what opportunities exist to spin your Sub Brands out to stand more on their own? How can you extend these brands via Line Extensions and variety packs? And how can you take these independent brands into new spaces and occasions to credibly reach new audiences? 

> How to scale the “Sub Brand Ladder” – [ BBT Newsletter ] + Podcast

2. Think about how your parent brand evolves (along with changes to the flagship brands themselves): So, what happens to your parent brand if you end up with a Sub Brand that outshines its parent? What changes do you need to make at the parent level (including Brand Architecture, marketing, and even corporate structure)?

> Repositioning your parent brand (for better or worse) – [ BBT Newsletter ]

(Above): Fernson Brewing decided that a monolithic approach was no longer serving their needs and leaned into fanciful Sub Brand names and package design. Read more about this package refresh and Brand Architecture project here.

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3

Does a flagship have to be beer? 

Does that question make you uncomfortable? Really, think about it. Your flagships are the three or four (or five) brands that carry your business. These bankroll most of your operation, keep the lights on and allow you the freedom to make the funky, fun creative other stuff that your team and fans love. 

But again, does this have to be beer? 


Could your flagship brand be a Hop Water (like Lagunitas)? Or could it be an NA beer (like Deschutes).

Due to your time in the market, Brand Equity and legacy, a few of your flagships will likely always be beer, but don’t let this limit you. If you see an opportunity to prioritize and promote a beyond beer brand to top billing, go for it.

4

How to safely leverage your Brand Equity (how far to extend brand)

We opened this section by saying that innovation is slowing down due to consumers tiring of chasing all new, all the time. 

Building on our previous point about spotting opportunities to build Sub / Endorsed Brands within your broader portfolio, there will also be opportunities to extend your existing brand(s) to create new products that consumers and wholesalers alike are excited about.
 

A few good examples of this happening out in the wild right now include:

– Sierra Nevada extending their Little Thing family with several new styles and dedicated variety packs. 

– Bells scaling its Two Hearted brand into a proper brand family.  

– Oskar Blues fully scaling the Sub Brand Ladder with its iconic Dale’s brand.

– Rogue leaning into the Dead Guy brand family (complete with a spirit(s) Brand Extension).
 

A few words of caution here:

– Any extension you make needs to be slow and methodical. These are not cash grabs and treating them as such could tank any momentum you’ve built up. 

– There’s nothing wrong with starting small. Test the waters in your home market and see how your fans react. Listen, take notes and refine before making a bigger launch.

Once you feel like you’ve rounded out your portfolio and individual Sub Brands, don’t be afraid to slow down for 12–18 months to let consumers catch up. Continue marketing and brand building and get people to understand where your priorities are and why they should be drinking your beer.

> How to Line Extend (while maintaining your audience’s trust) – [ BBT Newsletter ]

> How far can you extend a brand? – [ BBT Newsletter ]

(Above): Oskar Blues recently spun Dale's Pale Ale into a deeper brand family to include a light lager and DIPA. Rogue is doing the same with its Dead Guy line. 

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5

Plan for continual refreshes

We’ve already beat the package refresh topic to death, but this concept applies to future-proofing your flagships as well. 

You need to work to stay top of mind with your customers, and a package refresh can be a great way to achieve this. Depending on what pain points you’re addressing, this can be a subtle fresh coat of paint and/or a more drastic change or opportunities you’re moving on. But either way, a refresh, and all the marketing and POS that comes along with it, can be a great way to drive a bump in sales.

(Above): Alewerks and Malibu Brewing are two great examples of breweries investing in flagship package revamps.

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Quick aside: On sustainability as positioning

Sustainability will become an increasingly important idea in our lives over the coming years, particularly among younger LDA consumers (though don’t think that older folks don’t care about this either). 

This will create new positioning opportunities for your parent brand and individual flagships.

I think this is inevitable. The trick is, do you go all in on this messaging? 

For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t recommend that right now for most breweries. 

Fat Tire is a good example of a brewery (New Belgium) pivoting hard into sustainability messaging. But I’m not sure it’s working. 

(Though if they can stick it out for another 15 years, who knows?)

A few things here:



1. Beware of the Value-Action Gap. The phenomenon of consumers saying they care deeply about a cause or a value, but still shopping in ways that do not support these ideas is very real. 

We could call this virtue signaling, if that weren’t such a politically charged term. Either way, be wary of chasing positioning that may prove to be mostly hollow.

2. You can start messaging around sustainability now without going all in on it from a positioning standpoint.

A brewery that’s doing a great job of this today is CODO client, KettleHouse. They’re heavily invested in environmental initiatives — from solar capturing, to partnering with local farmers and supporting environmental nonprofits throughout Montana. And this ethos extends to their (beautiful) amphitheater where they sell canned water and use all compostable cups/plates/straw/etc. 

But even with all of these measures in place, sustainability is just one of KettleHouse’s Key Communication Pillars. It’s not the lead. 

This is a core value that would guide their business decisions whether or not they could talk about this in their marketing. And in this way, it augments their broader positioning as being Montana’s craft brewery. 

And by sprinkling this into their messaging now, they’re in a position to scale this idea up over time should this become more relevant as a differentiator or key insight their customers (current or potential) are actually looking for when shopping for beer.

 

6

Invest in storytelling and content marketing 

We’re giving you a primer on defining your Key Communication Pillars in our final exclusive issue on how Legacy Breweries can sell more beer (stay tuned).

But for now, I want to make a case for why you need to invest in content marketing and storytelling today.

I’ll keep this short: Social media tools and channels are ever-changing. New regulation, terms of service changes and algorithm shifts will directly affect how far you can reach. Short form videos will continue to rot our brains. And with the rise of AI, people will (hopefully) trust less and less of what they see out in the world (or just accept it at face value. I'm kind of 50/50 on this one…). Or just tune out 99.999% of it entirely…

One thing that won’t change, is that people will learn and bond through stories. Real, authentic, compelling stories. 

So, think about your brewery’s brand, and your flagships themselves in terms of stories and how you can connect with people in a deeper way, no matter what channel you’re on. 

What do your flagships stand for? Why do they matter? And what role should they play in someone's life?

Whoever tells the best story will win in the end.

(Above): Fat Tire's latest rebrand goes all in on sustainability. Unfortunately this hasn't helped them increase sales (though it does look beautiful, so they've got that going for them).

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7

Remember what you’re *actually* selling 

Harvard professor Theodore Levitt once said, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill bit. They want a quarter-inch hole.” 

This is an oft-repeated sales axiom about understanding your customers and their motives. And while it’s kind of awkward to think about in a beer context — (Sure, I get the drill bit metaphor, but we’re selling Hazy IPAs to… people who enjoy Hazy IPAs.) — I think breweries should keep this idea in mind to ensure their flagships will remain perennial best sellers.  

People — you and I included — are emotional creatures and whether we actively think about it or not, signaling and status governs almost all of our decisions. This is most apparent in the things we buy. 

So, you’re not just selling a 4- or 6-pack of beer. You’re selling: 

– Social connection (My friends like this brand.)
– Identity and self-expression (I’m outdoorsy, so my beer should be too.) 
– Experience and adventure (I need to head to the mountains for a few days.)
– Relaxation and stress relief (I just need to unplug and not think for an hour.)
– A great buzz after a shitty week (Oof.) 
– A celebration (My spouse got a promotion!)
– Supporting a local business (I enjoy knowing where my money goes.) 
– Nostalgia and tradition (My grandpa used to drink this beer.)
– Sensory pleasure (This beer tastes amazing!) 
– Health benefit (I can enjoy this beer without wrecking my gains.)

> Role Theory: What does drinking this beer say about me? – [ BBT Newsletter ]

You can think about this at both your parent brand level and on a per-product level. When someone buys one of your flagships, what are they really buying? What problem are you solving for them? And what story can they tell the world about themselves by purchasing and repping your brand? 

This is powerful stuff. And I think more breweries should be thinking about it.