The majority of sports fans agree that eating and drinking is a big part of watching sports (60 percent), according to Chicago-based Mintel. Nearly all sports fans consume beverages while watching sports at home with at least half reaching for water, soda or beer. 

White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA’s Strongbow Hard Apple Cider is gearing up to make this fall Strongbow Season with a fully integrated, 360-degree program that encourages consumers of legal drinking age to experience Strongbow at its “bestest” when it is served over ice, the company says. The program includes national TV advertising, targeted digital media, social media engagements and point-of-sale (POS) materials designed to drive purchase of Strongbow’s four flavors all season long, it adds. 

In order to attract new consumers, Melbourne, Fla.-based ArKay Beverages released ArKay alcohol-free tasting shots, the company says.

Each shot is a 1.7-ounce bottle sold in a tasting kit containing 15 varieties. 

Bud Light, a brand of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, is teaming up with its partner Google to market unique, premium content directly to football fans through its new Full Season Football program, which features content from the NFL and other properties on Google Search and YouTube. Beginning Sept. 10, the beer brand, sports leagues and video platform will partner to capture football fans on the coveted second screen, the company says.

Coronado Brewing Co., Coronado, Calif., has been working to increase the efficiency and capacity of its brewery during the past few months. The current brewery will be expanding its capacity to 65,000 barrels due to its multi-million dollar renovation plan including the addition of four 240-barrel fermenters at the end of August, the company says. In addition to the fermenters, the brewery has been adding and upgrading some key components to help increase efficiency, it adds. 

Today, New York-based Heineken USA announced a new partnership with experiential marketing platform, Gratafy, to give complimentary beers to consumers 21 and older in select markets via Facebook and Twitter. The campaign aims to connect fans in social settings through social media in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston by offering a free Heineken, Heineken Light or Dos Equis at restaurants and bars partnered with Gratafy. 

Xyience, a zero-calorie energy drink, re-launches today under its new ownership, Austin-based Big Red Inc. The re-launch unveils a new look for the energy drink line and the rollout of an integrated marketing campaign leveraging the college football season.

Denver-based urban winery The Infinite Monkey Theorem (TIMT) partnered with Whole Foods Market to roll out its signature, single-serve canned wines nationwide, offering consumers across the country endless opportunities to pick up a four-pack, the company says.

Lifeway Foods Inc., Morton Grove, Ill., a supplier of kefir cultured dairy products, today announced that Protein Kefir, the company's latest kefir innovation, has expanded distribution to Harris Teeter, and more retailers will be carrying the product within the coming months.

Despite increasing awareness, milk crates, plastic pallets, bakery trays, beverage shells and other containers made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) are disappearing at a rate that costs retailers and CPG businesses $500 million per year. Ultimately, consumers end up paying this $500 million annual expense in the costs of goods purchased.