For Brits that are feeling woeful about the results of the Brexit vote, the folks at Sam Adams may soon have the perfect beverage to ease their sorrows.
The brewer’s parent company Boston Beer (SAM) has filed to trademark the term “Brexit” for a potential hard cider, according to a document filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Wall Street Journal, which originally reported the story, notes other firms have filed Brexit trademark requests for a variety of goods, including clothing and nutritional supplements.
While Boston Beer isn’t sure how the name would be used just yet, it would likely be for a small batch of cider out of the company’s Angry Orchard research and development orchard in Walden, New York.
Boston Beer already has a hit on its hands with the Angry Orchard cider brand, which commands more than 50% of the growing cider market here in the U.S. That category grew by 14.7% in 2015, according to beverage alcohol research firm IWSR. That growth far exceeds the broader beer business, but is decelerating from 2014’s 64% increase and the 74% jump in 2013. Sam Adams has acknowledged that the overall cider business has slowed of late, citing increased interest in “hard” sodas.
Still, Boston Beer has made impressive inroads with the Angry Orchard brand, which has fended off rival offerings with innovative new flavors and a strong presence at retail outlets and behind bars.
A potential “Brexit” cider would also make sense as especially relevant to the U.K. Consumer. Cider is actually a far bigger category in the United Kingdom than it is in the U.S. Hard ciders make up a little over 1% of total beverage alcohol in the U.S., but is closer to 8% in the U.K.
