THE GIST
As reported earlier this year, the Guinness Nitro IPA is soon visiting the U.S. It’s a clear indication of the macro-trend towards more hops and the explosive global growth in the IPA segment. And it’s also representative of the ever-growing preference towards cans.
WHY IT MATTERS
It’s a great reminder that we – the consumer – can influence the marketplace through our purchase power. Beers get hoppier, we gobble them up, the industry (see: brewers, distributors, retailers) responds by making more, we drink more, our palettes lean bitter, and so it goes. As for Guinness, this could be a smart step for the struggling Guinness brand. Why? When you think of Guinness’ core brand equities, a few quickly come to mind: Dublin, dark, smooth, creamy, etc… This Nitro IPA builds off their smooth and creamy attributes, both deriving from their iconic nitrogen blend. Brand extendability works best when the extension is borrowing a core equity. So we'd expect this Nitro IPA launch will fare better than launches that fail to build off a core equity or attribute, such as the Guinness Blonde Lager. — Nate Micklos
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GUINNESS NITRO IPA COMING TO THE U.S. IN CANS via First We Feast