Kraftig Lager and Kraftig Light Get New Look

Refreshing its look after five years on the market, the William K. Busch Brewing Co an independent St. Louis brewer, is rebranding its Kraftig Lager and Kraftig Light beers with attractive new labels on its bottles, new can designs, and brighter packaging for a fresh, clean, premium, and contemporary look, the company announced. “Kraftig and Kraftig Light are real American lagers brewed for beer drinkers who enjoy a fun lifestyle, are fiercely independent, and value great taste,” said William K. “Billy” Busch, president and CEO of the William K. Busch Brewing Co. “They work really hard at their jobs and their relationships, and try to make every day the best it can be. They deserve a great-tasting beer.”

Busch, the son of the late brewing giant August A. “Gussie” Busch Jr., said after five years of successful sales, the company is changing the primary and secondary packaging for Kraftig and Kraftig Light to a “lighter, fresher look to further enhance our brand’s appeal among consumers who appreciate great flavor when choosing an American-styled lager beer.” The company unveiled new Kraftig and Kraftig Light labels for its 12-ounce bottles, new designs on its 12 and 24 ounce cans, and new secondary packaging, which Busch said “reflects the quality and great taste of our American-made, purity-brewed lager beers.”

The new colors – principally Gold and Silver – salute the brand’s 29 national industry awards over the past five years for Kraftig’s taste and quality, Busch explained. “There’s nothing artificial about our customers or our beers,” he said. “Just great-tasting, real American lagers brewed with uncompromising quality and the finest, all-natural ingredients: Hallertau hops, malt from two- and six-row barley, robust yeast, and pure water.”

Kraftig and Kraftig Light Brewmaster Marc Gottfried explained that the unique hops and barley icon on the top of the new cans “reflects Kraftig’s great lager taste and denotes that no artificial flavors, additives, or grain adjuncts of any kind are ever used to brew our beers.” Rick Davis, the company’s vice president of sales, said the rebranding is designed to help educate consumers about the quality of Kraftig and Kraftig Light, which he described as “real American lagers.” “As a tribute to Billy’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father – brewers Adolphus Busch, August A. Busch Sr and “Gussie” Busch Jr., respectively – we maintain an uncompromising commitment to quality in everything we do,” Davis said.

“Consumers also appreciate our fierce independence, and our underdog status in a highly competitive market filled with foreign-owned, mass-produced beers that increasingly dissatisfy the palates of more knowledgeable beer drinker,” he added. “The new colors and expanded information on our updated packaging provide more clarity regarding the brand’s positioning within the beer category, while delivering a more inviting look on retail store shelves and in bars and restaurants.” Busch said “the new packaging better reflects the fact that Kraftig and Kraftig Light are premium-priced, American lagers. We want to ensure that beer drinkers clearly understand that Kraftig and Kraftig Light are neither craft beers nor imported beers, but quality, premium, American lagers.”

Other subtle changes in the brand’s new design include:

The “K” in the new Kraftig shield extends beyond its borders to denote the brand’s continued growth;
Added “William K. Busch Brewing Co St. Louis, MO” above the shield to inform consumers the company is St. Louis-based, and represents the next chapter in the Busch family brewing legacy.
Added a “heritage” story and the company’s commitment to quality on the sides of the new cans;
Adopted “American Owned – Purity Brewed” as the brand’s new slogan, reflecting that the WKBBCo. is an American-owned company that brews flavorful, all-natural lager beers;
Removed the German umlaut from above the old Kraftig shield to broaden its appeal among male and female consumers, 21 to 39-years of age, a key demographic in the beer industry; and,
The new packages of Kraftig and Kraftig Light will start arriving next week on retail store shelves, in bars and restaurants, and at selected sports and entertainment venues throughout Missouri, Eastern Kansas, Western Illinois, and in Houston and Austin, Texas, Davis said. The company’s largest market is St. Louis, while sales also continue to grow across the brand’s other markets, he added. Kraftig and Kraftig Light are distributed by Summit Distributing in the St. Louis, MO area, and by Fritz Distributing in the Metro East area in Illinois. “Our most loyal consumer is an informed beer drinker,” Busch said. “They know that it isn’t about a brand’s size as much as it is about the quality and flavor of the beer. We’ve found that our male and female consumers are fiercely independent, enjoy an active lifestyle, work hard, and play hard. When they want to enjoy a good, cold beer, they look for a more flavorful experience, and Kraftig and Kraftig Light deliver on that promise.”

Source: Kraftig