This past weekend at the Banff Craft Beer Festival, a variety of premixed cocktails were featured alongside the traditional assortment of IPAs, lagers, and sour beers. Frozen margaritas, hard iced teas, and canned espresso martinis have now become part of the offerings as craft beer brewers in Alberta adjust to evolving consumer preferences.
Statistics Canada reports a decline in beer consumption in Alberta over the last decade, while the market share of ciders, coolers, and ready-to-drink cocktails has doubled during the same period. Despite beer still leading in sales, the province’s 140-plus small beer breweries have taken note of this trend.
Dan Allard, co-founder of Cold Garden Beverage Company in Calgary, mentioned that the brewery began producing premixed cocktails in 2020 due to a decrease in beer demand. He emphasized the importance of adapting to consumer demands to stay relevant in the market.
Premixed cocktails currently account for about 30% of Cold Garden’s revenue, with Allard anticipating this to rise to 50% by the next summer season. Blair Berdusco from the Alberta Small Brewers Association noted that the craft beer industry peaked in 2018 and highlighted the necessity for breweries to innovate and remain profitable in the long run.
Peter Johnston-Berresford, an instructor at Olds College’s brewery and beverage program, remarked on the changing landscape of the industry. He emphasized the need for breweries to diversify their offerings beyond beer, incorporating products like canned cocktails, ciders, and kombucha to cater to consumer preferences.
Johnston-Berresford stressed that consumer preferences are shifting towards a wider range of beverage options and highlighted the rise of canned cocktails as a response to this demand. He emphasized the importance of continuous innovation for breweries to thrive in the evolving market landscape.