Dive Brief:
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Smithfield Foods has introduced a new bratwurst infused with the flavor of Yuengling amber lager, Meat+Poultry reports.
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The Smithfield Yuengling Traditional Lager Bratwursts are part of the company’s new Smithfield Craft Collection of brat offerings pairing craft beer and pork, the company says.
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The 19-ounce, five-link packages have a recommended retail price of $4.99, and will be available at East Coast retailers during the summer.
Dive Insight:
The product’s limited availability during the summer suggests the company is looking to boost sales at a time of year when consumers are buying more pork products – and beer – for family barbecues. For Yuengling, the product could serve as a reminder for shoppers to pick up some beer, even when they are in the meat aisle, potentially increasing sales for the lager brand as well. The beer-and-pork pairing also serves up a natural opportunity for retailers to cross promote high-margin meat and beer products together.
This is not the first time the two companies have teamed up with a beer-flavored bratwurst. Smithfield already offers a Yuengling-infused bratwurst under its Farmland brand. Farmland has also partnered with Boulevard Beers on long-term and seasonal offerings, including a Boulevard Pale Ale bratwurst, Boulevard Pils bratwurst, and a Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat bratwurst.
Beer and brats are already a common summer pairing. Beer is often used in meat marinades, so the pairing seems quite natural — especially compared to other beer-flavored products on the market, like Burt’s Guinness-flavored potato chips, or Jelly Belly’s beer-flavored jelly beans, for example. Manufacturers have also targeted ice cream for craft beer flavors, including the Frozen Pints brand, and New York-based Mercer’s Dairy has released a range of wine ice creams, which contain 5% alcohol.
Smithfield is seeking to register the Smithfield Craft Collection name as a trademark. It has yet to launch any other pork products under the brand, but its trademark filing suggests there may be more to come.