Boston Beer Won't Revive Its Samuel Adams Brand by Doing This
Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) will introduce two new beers next year to help boost sagging sales of its ailing flagship Samuel Adams brand. Depletions, or sales to distributors and retailers, have fallen for nearly three straight years, so the leading craft brewer needs something to increase sales. But we've been down this road before without success, so why will this time be any better?
The first beer is called Sam '76, a "revolutionary beer" that's a mix of a lager and an ale. To the uninitiated, that might not mean much, but aside from some different brewing techniques -- lagers are typically fermented and stored cold, while ales typically are not -- the primary difference between the two styles is the types of yeast used. An ale yeast gives off fruity esters; lager's yeast is what gives the beer its "crisp" taste. Blending the two into one beer isn't exactly common, but it has been done before.
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Source: Fool.com
