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The Weekly Sip is Food Dive’s column focused on the latest news in the rapidly changing and growing beverage sector. From inaugural product lines to big investments and controversial topics, this column aims to quench the thirst for developments in the category.
Miller High Life bottles the dive bar scent in a perfume
Cracking open a Miller High Life is synonymous with the dive bar experience. The Molson Coors-owned brand is bottling up that nostalgic scent into a perfume for the holidays.
High Life Dive Bar-Fume launched Wednesday for $60 a bottle. It will be available through Friday, Dec. 6 while supplies last. The blend includes smells that mirror the bar top; worn-in barstools; the crisp, refreshing aroma when the bartender cracks open a Miller High Life; and a basket of fries.
“Holiday marketing plays a huge role in helping the brand continue its momentum and finish the year on a high note, while also setting High Life up for a strong start to 2025,” Frank Cirone, senior marketing director of economy brands at Molson Coors, said in an email to Food Dive. “We’re looking to give our fans more reasons to pick up Miller High Life when they celebrate with friends and family.”
Miller High Life has brought that classic dive-bar aesthetic to the holiday season with limited edition holiday items in the past.
Pepsi brings gingerbread cookie flavor to a can
PepsiCo is leveraging the power of a limited-time offering with its latest holiday cola flavor.
Pepsi Zero Sugar Gingerbread Mini soda combines the sweet citrusy flavor of Pepsi with tastes of a classic cookie, including brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and molasses notes, the brand said in a statement.
“We’re excited to bring fans a taste of the holidays with this unique twist on a classic cola, with its perfect blend of warm holiday sugars and the zest of ginger,” said Jenny Danzi, the head of brand marketing for Pepsi, in the press release.
The flavor is available exclusively on TikTok Shop with the purchase of two 10-pack cans of Pepsi soda. The company is also conducting a giveaway of the flavor on its website through Dec. 11.
The limited-time launch follows the debut of Pepsi Lime and Peach flavors earlier this year ahead of the summer season. In 2021 ahead of Easter, the brand debuted a collaboration with Peeps candy for marshmallow-flavored Pepsi.
Anheuser-Busch boosts manufacturing spend
Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch continues to add to its roughly $2 billion in facility upgrades in recent years with a $10 million investment in its Jacksonville, Florida brewery.
The investment includes upgrades to manufacturing equipment for beer production and plant infrastructure.
“Anheuser-Busch’s investments in its facilities, including our brewery here in Jacksonville, ensures that we are able to continue showing up locally as an employer and community partner while brewing at the highest quality and efficiency standards,” said Craig Tomeo, senior general manager of the Jacksonville brewery.
The company behind Michelob Ultra and Budweiser operates over 120 plants in the U.S. The upgrades follow other investments to the company’s manufacturing facilities announced this year, including $16 million each spent on breweries in Houston and Los Angeles.
AB InBev, the parent company of Anheuser-Busch, is also aiming to cut costs by shuttering some facilities that are less profitable, such as a Massachusetts distribution facility that closed this fall.