Heineken USA, which acquired import rights to the Strongbow Hard Cider brand in January 2013, is phasing out the original Strongbow Hard Cider recipe and replacing it with new Strongbow Gold Apple Hard Cider and Strongbow Honey & Apple Hard Cider. The new hard ciders began appearing at on- and off-premise accounts this month, says Alejandra de Obeso, Strongbow brand director. Strongbow Gold Apple offers a balanced, crisp apple taste that captures the sweet and tart notes of the Golden Delicious apple along with hints of Honeycrisp apple and pear, while Honey & Apple blends fresh apple taste with honey to create the new flavor, the company says. The inclusion of honey is new to the hard cider category and is expected to attract new consumers to the brand and the category, de Obeso adds. In a blind taste test conducted last year by Rogil Research, both men and women noted that they strongly preferred the new crisp, refreshing flavor profile of Strongbow Gold Apple, the company says. Both Strongbow Gold Apple and Honey & Apple are gluten-free, contain 5 percent alcohol by volume, and offer fewer than 200 calories in each 11.2-ounce bottle.

Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y.
Telephone: 914/681-4100
Internet: www.heinekenusa.com
Distribution: National