Licensed beers have represented a growth area within the food and beverage sector over the last year or two, with properties that have dabbled in the category ranging from apparel brands (e.g. Carhartt) to musicians (Grateful Dead). A particularly active niche of late has consisted of beers tied to entertainment properties.
This is especially true for sci-fi and fantasy tales. Three villains from Warner Bros.’ book-based Hobbit movies (Gollum, Bolg, and Smaug) have inspired ales from licensees BevLink, Fish Brewing, and Ocean Brands. CBS Consumer Products’ Star Trek has lent its name to Klingon Warnog, brewed by licensee Tin Man Brewing Company of Indiana. And HBO’s Game of Thrones, also literary-based, is on its fourth brew, all from Brewery Ommegang.
Examples outside of fantasy and sci-fi include Duff Beer, tied to Twentieth Century Fox’s The Simpsons, which has been available in counterfeit form around the world, but never officially until this deal. It is brewed by City Brewing Company and available only in Australia to date.
Beer or ale is strongly associated with certain characters within all of these entertainment vehicles. But that is not the case with all properties active in the category. Sanrio’s Hello Kitty also has a beer, brewed in Taiwan and available only in China. It comes in a variety of fruit-infused flavors, from banana to passion fruit.
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