USA: AB InBev introducing another Mexican beer in ten states

As sales of Mexican imports continue to grow, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced on March 21 plans to bring another label from south of the border into select U.S. markets, Brewbound.com reported.

In a press release, AB InBev said it would begin rolling out Estrella Jalisco, a light-flavored 4.5 percent ABV pilsner originally brewed in the city of Guadalajara, across 10 states this month.

“Many Mexican and Mexican-Americans have roots in Jalisco, and we’re excited to reunite them with the beer that they—or their relatives—could previously only enjoy in Mexico,” Jorge Inda Meza, marketing director, West Region for Anheuser-Busch said via the statement.

The brand’s red, blue and yellow label is a “nod to the flag of Jalisco, and the crest on its packaging is inspired by the coat of arms of Guadalajara,” AB InBev noted in the release.

“Estrella Jalisco is a symbol of Mexican pride that evokes rich traditions and history,” Inda Meza added.

The U.S. launch will be supported through an “integrated marketing campaign,” and the company hopes to attract drinkers to the label by bringing “Mexican traditions to life” and “celebrating the customs of the Jalisco region.”

Estrella Jalisco is brewed by AB InBev subsidiary Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de C.V., and rollouts in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington are planned for this month, the company said.

The introduction comes at a time when sales of Mexican import brands in multi-outlet and convenience stores are up 15.8 percent over the last 52-weeks, according to market research firm IRI.

Though Constellation and Heineken dominate the category with their Corona, Modelo and Dos Equis labels, AB InBev already has a small piece of the action with its Montejo and Oculto lager offerings. Sales of Montejo, which AB InBev first launched on a limited basis in the U.S. in 2014, are up 6.9 percent year-to-date through February 21, according to IRI.

23 March, 2016