Brewbound 2022 Innovation of the Year: New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA

Speaker 1 [00:05] For the 2022 Brewbound Awards, we've added a new award given to the Innovation of the Year for one standout new product. For 2022, the award goes to New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA. Joining me now to discuss is Dave Nosby, senior brand manager for New Belgium. Thanks for being here and congratulations, Dave.

Speaker 2 [00:26] Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. This is, uh, quite an honor. I didn't know it was the first time the award has ever been given, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna quote that a lot. Yeah,

Speaker 1 [00:36] you should. Well, you, you guys sold all this juice for, so I, I, I feel like it's very, very deserved.

Speaker 2 [00:43] Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 1 [00:45] So, Juice Force is a 9.5% ABV hazy Imperial IPA launched earlier this year and has become the top craft beer launch of all time. Voodoo Ranger has done a great job with connecting to consumers, but what was it about Juice Force that really took that connection to the next level?

Speaker 2 [01:05] Yeah, it's been crazy to watch Juice Force. Um, it's been a huge success for us, obviously, um, and surpassed our expectations. I think, I think there's a couple of things that really work well with Juice Force and, and drove it to where it is today. I think the first one is just the style combination of a hazy Imperial. You know, obviously, we are not the first by a long shot to come out with a hazy Imperial. That style has been out for a while, and there's a ton of incredible beers. But I, I do think making that available on a national scale was something that really worked well in our favor here. Um, that's where beer drinkers are, are going towards. We obviously knew that from Voodoo Ranger, Imperial IPA. Um, and the success of, of Juicy Hayes as well. Um, but to put those two styles together, I think that was huge for us and unlocked kind of a, a new segment within IPA that we could, we could capitalize on. I think the other pieces are probably a little less, um, you know, easy to put on a slide or something like that. And one is just the momentum of Voodoo Ranger. People love the brand. People love the Voodoo Ranger brand. And I'm, I think that extends to Juice Force. Like we see that when we roll out our rotating IPA series, we introduce new characters, fans really get behind them. And we can see, you know, they like some more than others, but the, the Juice Force character has been really special. It's been just, you know, we, we're starting to see tattoos of it. Uh, we see people buying the jacket that, uh, that Juice Force wears. It's, it's turned into kind of its own little fan brand within the Voodoo Ranger family. And then I think the final thing is probably just the beer is really good. I think it drinks just so incredibly differently than all other IPAs that I've had. And I, I think You know, that goes beyond the marketing. That's, that's not like an ad campaign, that's not a social media post. It's just really giving the reins to our talented brewers and having them create something, giving them the freedom to just say like, go make something great and something completely new. Um, so, I'm glad that happened because, you know, that's a little scary too. It's like, we taste something and we're like, wow, this is really different. Is different good? It could be good, it could be bad. Um, and in this case, uh, we found that, you know, booty Ranger drinkers especially just really liked it. So. Little bit of luck there

Speaker 1 [03:35] and this was a brand that the company really got behind from the start. Uh, it invested a pretty substantial marketing spend behind it. What did you all learn from that approach?

Speaker 2 [03:48] the marketing spend really kind of showed us that this was a beer that could appeal beyond our core audience. So we put a, we put a lot of money behind it, like you said. Um, and I think some of that works for the Booty Ranger fans, because I think they saw Juice Sports, they saw 9.5% hazy Imperial IPA, high drinkability. That just makes sense, I think, when you think of the Voodoo Ranger brand and how we built it. Um, so we benefited a lot from that. So while we spent a lot of money, I think we had a much higher ROI than this, this investment from the investment that we made. Because there was just so much brand building and so much love and affinity for Voodoo Ranger before Juice Sports came that when it, we introduced that to our fans, I think they were like, yeah, this makes sense. Like we're in, we're in. But then the, just the, the broad awareness piece that was unlocked from a high investment in marketing, got this in front of consumers that did not drink Booty Ranger before. And it sounds a little silly, but what it What it kind of showed me specifically is that It was almost an entry into craft, which sounds like an insane statement for a 9.5% Imperial IPA. But I think we were able to bring in drinkers that do not normally drink craft beer, tasted this, and it kind of unlocked this idea of like, oh wow, this is what craft beer could be. It's just creative new flavors, different experiences that maybe some of these drinkers have never really had before, or didn't really associate with craft beer. Um, so that, that's only made possible through high, high awareness, um. And then I guess the final thing is just, I think we invested a lot in things like media, but we also invested a lot in retail marketing. Um, and we really saw that pay off. Uh, we got a lot of display. That's, that's coming through great retail partners and distributor partners as well. Um, but really hats off to our retail marketing team, who spent a good portion of the first half of this year driving trial on this. And you can kind of see that in rebuy rates that we've never seen for a beer before, let alone a new beer. Um, and that's just all from, yeah, trial, display. Um, and, you know, that stuff takes money. Um, but, Yeah,

Speaker 1 [06:10] Well, and the old adage is that brands are built in the on-premise, but this is a brand that you all launched in 19.2 ounce single-serve cans that, you know, is built for the convenience channel. So, tell me about the strategy, uh, there.

Speaker 2 [06:28] Yeah, so we, we had seen a lot of success in convenience. Um, Voodoo Ranger Imperial is the number 1 19.2 ounce, uh, single serve. We had seen success with IPA and with Juicy Hayes. Um, so for us, when we're innovating, we have to take that channel. It, it's just a little bit different than how we've innovated in the past where, I think we prioritize things like six packs. Here, we have 19 2s and 6-packs are competing number one priorities for us with innovation, um, which was a huge advantage to us here because as we launched the, the brand, we knew that Voodoo Ranger was already going to work in that channel. And we could build this brand so that it would work at, at CStore as well. Um. So it was one of those things where I think traditionally, like when we rolled out Imperial IPA and Juicy Hayes, it was six pack 1st, 192 to follow. Here it was 1A and 1B from a priority standpoint.

Speaker 1 [07:27] Yeah, and when we spoke earlier this year, Juice Force was on pace to be the company's 4th largest brand. Um, I know that it's exceeded some expectations. So where, where did it land?

Speaker 2 [07:39] This question is going to cut into the credibility of everything I say, because I was so wrong, so wrong. Um, so, Juice Force is now the #2 brand for New Belgium. Um, and it, it got there within 7 months of launching, uh, which is incredible. Um, Considering it's, it's a 19.2 and a 6 pack. There's a spri sprinkling of draft here and there. Um, but as you can imagine, 9 or 9.5%, not, you know, our, our number one draft brand by a long shot. Um, but yeah, the, the, that comment was pretty far off. De Sports is now the number 3 IPA nationally, and we're, we're rapidly closing in on the number 2 spot. Um, it's the number 6 craft brand. And within the sizes that we have, so the six pack and the 19.2, it's the number 2 six-pack with an IPA and it's the number 219.2 ounce, uh, IPA, uh, out there. So, where we have it, and, um, the sizes that we have it, it is just an absolute runaway train, um. So, yeah, I, I've, uh, I've definitely been teased once or twice about calling it uh the number 4 brand for us when uh I was so, so wrong so quickly.

Speaker 1 [08:59] Yeah, I mean, I, I guess we're gonna have to give you a mulligan on this one.

Speaker 2 [09:02] Yeah, damn.

Speaker 1 [09:05] So I, I, I guess with this, you know, you've had such a fantastic year, year one with the brand. How do you accelerate in year 2?

Speaker 2 [09:16] Yeah, I think the, the first one is just from a release standpoint. Like I said, it's, it's a 19, 2 and a 6 pack. I think that You can probably guess what I'm going to say now, which is that we're going to launch a 12 pack of Juice Force next year. So that'll roll out in March. We've heard, heard that a lot. It's just, there's a, there's a ton of appetite for that. Um, and we're also going to release a second iteration of the brand, uh, here in a couple of months. So that'll be a, uh, a new national release again, uh, it'll be 9.5% ABV, uh, and it'll kind of build this, this idea of like the Force family. We're going to have now 22 forces, which is really exciting. So we'll have, we'll have more to come.

Speaker 1 [09:59] And eventually I imagine building toward a variety 12.

Speaker 2 [10:04] I, I hope, I hope. The mar the market will tell us that, but it's, it's definitely, um, that's in my, my dreams.

Speaker 1 [10:12] What, what do you think this says about where craft consumers are now, you know, that a brand that is 9.5% ABV that was primarily, you know, a, a convenience launch in 192's and 6 packs, you know, has really sort of Been on such a roll.

Speaker 2 [10:34] What it says is that the traditional craft audience is probably changing of of who drinks craft beer and what they expect out of a craft beer. You know, as IPA has become half of the category, um, we know that Preferences have changed, and especially as IPAs have changed over that time. Um, but just to see how it's evolving into different channels as well. I think that there was a time when, you know, raft or IPA just didn't fit in the CStore environment, and that's changed a lot. Um, and I think, I think Voodoo Ranger has done a lot of that, um, to be honest with you. Um, but that It's, it's funny though, because as all that changes, and I talked about the consumer, and the, the buyer all changing, there's, there's something at the core of this that is actually very consistent, which is just, you know, new innovative beers. And I think that's what everyone has come to associate with craft. And I think that maintains, uh, to this day. And I think JuiceForce is just an example of that. I think it's the latest example of, of many, many innovations within, within our, our craft category over time. Um, But as we see that evolve, I think you're going to just start to see things like, um, the drinker evolved, the channel strategies evolve. Um, and this is probably just a shining example of like how that, how that can work within craft.

Speaker 1 [11:57] You mentioned there's a sequel in the works and a couple of months away, we've seen a TTB filing for Fruitforce, a fruit punch IPA, um, you know, what can you tell us about that, you know, is that on track and, you know, how do you approach line extending such a, a young brand?

Speaker 2 [12:18] Yeah, yeah, the secret's out, I guess. The, the TTV shows our hands there. Uh, but yeah, we're, we're, we're going to launch Fruit Force. Uh, it's a fruit, fruit punch IPA. And again, it's, it's showing another example of how you can continue to push beyond, um, just kind of like the category convention of what a style should be, uh, into making what can be like a really fun and interesting beer. Uh, so I'm excited for you to try it. Uh, we're going to be brewing it here. In the next couple of weeks. So it's, it's on track. Um, but to, to your other question, just line extending is really hard, really hard. I, I think you can argue that we're line extending an extension. I think at one point, Hooty Ranger was just considered a line extension of New Belgium. Um, and it's, it's really easy to just kind of say like, you're going to build a brand family, and then you're we're gonna throw a bunch of styles out there, we'll we'll make a brand, we'll line extend it to hell, and we'll see what sticks. That's generally kind of a, a losing proposition, um, and really, really difficult to execute, even if it kind of Makes sense from a strategic perspective. Um, so I think what works here, and, you know, even though it is a very young brand, is that we're building on a lot of strength. Um, we know that this kind of idea of a first line has, has some legs and, and drinkers have told us that, like with comments and DMs and it's incredible with like Booty Ranger fans, they, they come up with a lot of ideas, and they're like, you should make this. And we're like, it's like a pretty good idea. Uh, which is really, it's, it's really fun to have that level of engagement. But obviously, they've also told us with the purchasing decisions, just seeing how quickly, uh, Juice Force is kind of ramped up to be one of these top brands within craft. Um, but that, those purchasing decisions kind of also tell us like, this isn't behaving like a normal craft brand anymore. Um, it's or a craft launch, I guess you could say. Um, so while we might in a normal time be a little bit more restrained and say, let's see how Juice Force behaves, let's see what year 2 does, we'll try to, we'll, we'll release the 12 pack. We'll see how that interacts with the rest of the portfolio. We know this is just kind of an exception to the rule a little bit. Um, and we have that momentum and we have the desire from our fans to, to release more, more new flavors, uh, more varieties. Uh, and that's kind of fun too, because then it's like, that gives us the freedom to just be like, yeah, we're going to, you want us to continue pushing what an IPA can be? We're down. Like, let's do it. Uh. And, and that's just kind of fun and, and it eases, eases a little bit of the risk. Um, so that's what kind of just makes me excited about Fruit Force. But yeah, on track, January, um, I'll pull one off the line for you.

Speaker 1 [15:06] Awesome. Yeah, I can't wait. Um, so last question for you. Uh, what do you see as the biggest opportunities ahead for Juice Force and the overall Voodoo Ranger family?

Speaker 2 [15:19] Yeah, I think for Juice Juice Force specifically, um, I think the 12 pack is a big one. Like I think that we've just heard the desire for that so many times since we've released, released the brand, and One of the things that makes us feel pretty good about that is As we've released Imperial IPA as a 12 pack, that's been in double digits every year since that that canned 12 pack has been out. Um, I think it's up like 30% this year, and Juice Force behaves a lot like Imperial in market, um, sometimes even better, honestly, our 19.2 ounce can. Uh, performs better for G Sports than it does for Imperial, which is wild because Imperial is the number one within that, that size set. Um, so we just think as, as we've seen the twelve-pack grow for high ABB beers like Imperial, we think that Juice Sports can, can work really well and also at the same time interact really well with Imperial. So, so that's a big part of, of next year's strategy for us. I think the other thing is just, continuing to capitalize on the idea that two force can expand the tent of craft. Um, like I said earlier, like I, I do think of it as this weird entry point into craft. And I think The more we can bring Juice Force to new channels and new drinkers, the better that is for all of Kraft. I think as you get, as you taste Juice Force and you become a fan there, I think that obviously elevates the Voodoo Ranger family. Of course, like I'm not going to Um, pretend that, that, that it doesn't, but I think that also opens up opportunities for, for craft to appeal to that, that drinker that maybe wouldn't have been considering it in years past, which is, I think, kind of just a cool opportunity for, for voodoo and for the, the entire category.

Speaker 1 [17:14] Well, Dave, looking forward to seeing where Juice Force and the Voodoo Ranger family go from here, and congratulations, um, and thanks for, for chatting with us today.

Speaker 2 [17:24] Yeah, thank you very much, and uh I look forward to, uh, choosing a fruit forest with you soon. Yeah,

Speaker 1 [17:29] awesome. Sneak one to Santa Monica.

Speaker 2 [17:31] There we go. I like it. All right.