Cold and boozy are both ‘hot’

Innovations like energy coffee drinks, cold brews, and nitro options (infused with nitrogen gas and often containing more caffeine for a fast caffeine boost) are hiking up coffee sales, according to Beverage Marketing Corp.’s (BMC) Managing Director of Research, Gary Hemphill. “Once primarily a category dominated by single-serve packaging, ready-to-drink coffee in chilled, take-home packaging has burst onto the scene and is driving much of the growth.”

Both emerging and established brands are brewing captivating can decorations to lure consumers. Starbucks together with PepsiCo offers Starbucks ready-to-drink Nitro Cold Brew canned coffee drinks following the success of Nitro Cold Brew in its stores, which became available nationally in 2019. Attention-getting, dark colors and gold and silver accents are used in the line’s graphic color scheme. The popular brew infuses regular coldbrew coffee with nitrogen, which gives it a creamy, cascading texture similar to a Guinness beer.

Now, Guinness & Co. is rolling out Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee, a beer incorporating nitro-brewed coffee flavors, in 14.9-ounce cans. Replicating the dark beer’s signature color scheme, rich colors, and gold harp logo, the cans incorporate the brand’s patented “widget” device that releases nitrogen gas into the can, giving the beer its distinctive creamy head when poured.