Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer, produced by the oldest brewery in Colorado Tivoli Brewing, has teamed up with country music singer HARDY to accelerate the national expansion for its craft beverage business.
Founded by Yale graduate and former Vice President of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Ari Opsahl, after recruited by Tivoli Brewing to be its CEO in 2021, Outlaw was designed to challenge national incumbents, such as Bud Light and Coors Light, in the light beer market.
“The category is a monster within beer representing the bulk of annual sales for macro breweries like Anheuser Busch and Molson Coors
Molson Coors
According to Straits Research, light beer accounted for a whopping 39.8% of all beer consumption in the U.S., and North America makes up a lion’s share of the global light beer market, led by top-selling brands including Bud Light, Corona Extra, Miller Lite, and Heineken.
Regional breweries are also stepping up their game in light beer with The Boston Beer
Boston Beer
Commenting on HARDY’s equity partnership with Outlaw fostered by Get Engaged Media, cofounder of the talent marketing agency, Cam Fordham, said: “When something feels this right, we have to make it happen. HARDY is a perfect and authentic partner for Outlaw, and we’re so excited to play our part in the storytelling process.”
The country music artist and Mississippi native notes how beer was the only alcohol available in his county growing up. During an exclusive interview with me, HARDY said: “I just love light beer… Outlaw is all about thinking differently and breaking barriers. Their slogan ‘America deserves a new light beer’ totally rings true for me. Outlaw brings a fresh flavor and a cool brand that’s perfect for outdoor types like hunters and fishermen. I think tapping into this market could make a big impact.”
‘Boots On the Ground’ Market Strategy
Outlaw is a Kölsch (a German style beer known for its crisp profile) brewed with pilsner malt and a special German hybrid yeast, which allows the brand to maintain top-tier quality while producing from grain to can within a week, noted Opsahl.
The company’s signature navy-colored 12oz cans, decorated with a large golden elk head to attribute to its roots in the Centennial State, contain 4.2% ABV and 105 calories each.
From left to right: Cam Fordham, Cofounder of Get Engaged media; Ari Opsahl, CEO of Outlaw Light … [+]
Since launching in 2022, Opsahl and his team have laser focused on brick-and-mortar retailers, offering their distributors high autonomy to quickly increase brand awareness. The brand is on the fast track to be available across 40 states with placements in large national retail banners, such as Walmart
Walmart
“When Outlaw launched in Colorado, Tivoli’s total annual volume was less than 3,000 barrels per year, and now we’re well exceeding that mark in weeks,” said Opsahl, who attributes the company’s early success to their “boots on the ground” strategy.
He explained: “This approach has seemingly been lost within the beer category as well as consumer goods overall. Everyone has gone towards digital marketing thinking that it will deliver the same value as a brand representative tasting and discussing Outlaw in-person and in hand.”
Onboarding HARDY as Outlaw’s brand ambassador and shareholder, the company anticipates a significant increase in brand awareness moving forward. “It has been extremely successful for us, and I am excited to see how much velocity we gain by now adding digital and traditional marketing on top,” added Opsahl.
The Rise Of Non-Alcoholic Beer
Outlaw launched amid the rising popularity of non-alcoholic beverages, led by Heineken, Athletic Brewing, and Budweiser Zero, with the global market size expected to reach $45 billion in revenue by 2033, growing at a 8% CAGR between 2023-2033, according to Future Market Insights.
In the U.S., Circana’s data extracted from multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ending January 28, 2024 showed dollar sales for non-alcoholic beer neared $368.7 million, a 29.2% jump from the previous year.
Commenting on Outlaw’s potential of tapping into the non-alcoholic segment, Opsahl said: “If you look at non alcohol’s share of beer business globally, it’s much higher than it is in the U.S. Consumer trend and preference are definitely and will continue to be there. However, in my opinion that this category will hit a ceiling in volume/revenue relatively quickly due to price pressures and inflation.”
“The light beer category has been built over decades,” he added, “and we are the new brand to the party. Nothing will come easily, but we have so much confidence in our product and our teams that we know we will continue to grow quickly.”