Dive Brief:
- Somerville Brewing, the makers of Slumbrew craft beers, has released Saturday Morning, a new Belgian-style ale that’s made with the berries from Cap’n Crunch, according to Tasting Table.
- Somerville released Saturday Morning almost exclusively on-site, on tap and in 16-ounce cans. Select retailers will sell some of the product.
- Without reveling the recipe, Somerville co-owner Jeff Leiter said adjuncts, such as the cereal and flaked corn, comprise approximately 10% of the grain bill.
Dive Insight:
While Somerville’s new beer might seem an odd pairing, Saturday Morning isn’t the first beer to use cereal as an ingredient. In fact, Black Bottle Brewery has released an entire Cerealiously series, with rotating iterations of a milk stout showcasing brands like Count Chocula, Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Big Time Brewing produces a Breakfast Cereal Killer Stout, with Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Cocoa Puffs added to its mash. And then there’s Ben & Jerry’s Salted Caramel Brownie ice cream beer, which although not a cereal shows how creatively some of these brewers are thinking.
Most of these ideas seem to be designed more for getting buzz about the company than a real attempt at sustained growth. Somerville, for instance, appears to be doing this as a one-time thing. It’s a way to get people into its tap rooms and attract people to stores with the specialty designed cans. With the number of U.S. breweries topping 5,000 in 2016 for the first time, much of them craft beer makers, sud producers are desperate for a way to stand out. Craft breweries are finding just because they make beer is no longer enough to guarantee their success.
By utilizing social media for its launch, Somerville is reaching out to a millennial consumer who may be drawn into the nostalgia of the cereal and still craves a craft brew. It's a smart move for Somerville to conceive the Cap’n Crunch-inspired beer regardless of how it tastes. With consumers eager to try new brews and beer makers eager to stand out, this is probably not the last cereal to be paired with an alcoholic drink.