Have you had a chance to try out any of the new low or no alcohol beers and spirits? In St. Louis, and around the nation, the market for these products is exploding and the reasons are plentiful. One of the primary reasons is that increasing health and wellness is trending, meaning more consumers are interested in reducing, but not eliminating alcohol consumption.
On their website, the folks at Haus, write that they “designed Haus to have less alcohol than liquors so you could enjoy it with friends without having to keep tabs on your intake.” They are also interested in bringing back what they call apéritif culture.
The word “ apéritif” in French, means “to open,” and it literally means to open your evening. Haus is an American version with more natural flavors and with 15% alcohol by volume (about a third of whiskey, gin or tequila) it’s enough for a hangout, without getting hungover.
The newest addition to the Haus portfolio is called Bitter Clove.
With low-ABV drinking culture on the rise, Bitter Clove has one third the alcohol of whiskey and satisfies the previously unmet need of consumers who want to enjoy the earthy, spicy taste of dark liquor without the undesired consequences.
Haus launched in June 2019 with its first flavor, Citrus Flower – an alternative to Aperol, which saw soaring demand. Its first allocation sold out within hours; the second selling out before it was even released. Founded by Silicon Valley startup creative veteran Helena Price Hambrecht and third-generation winemaker Woody Hambrecht, they launched Haus to solve a problem they personally experienced.
“We wanted the ritual of drinking without the consequences of high sugar, high alcohol liquor — And it turns out millennials want the same thing,” said Co-Founder and Co-CEO Helena Price Hambrecht. “Nothing in the market worked for us, so we decided to make a new product that’s delicious, yes, but also lets us bring the focus of drinking culture back to how we spend time with the people in our lives. With Bitter Clove, we’re excited to deliver the first low-ABV solution for brown liquor lovers.”
Bitter Clove is made with a base of distilled and fermented chardonnay grapes, as is common with apéritifs, as well as natural botanicals, including cloves, star anise, Saigon cinnamon, and ginger. Whenever possible, the ingredients are sourced from the Hambrecht’s ranch in Sonoma County, and each bottle is made and batched by Woody and the Haus team.
“I created Bitter Clove to be reminiscent of drinking an old fashioned by the fire,” says Haus Co-Founder and Co-CEO Woody Hambrecht. “Bitter Clove recreates that experience and taste to give whiskey lovers the lower ABV option they’ve been looking for. We’re proud to be the first to create a whiskey alternative that appeals to the new generation of drinkers who, like us, want to put the emphasis back on how we gather.”
Bitter Clove, and every Haus apéritif, is meant to be served the way you prefer it – on the rocks, with soda, in a spritz or in a cocktail. Thanks to its low-ABV, Bitter Clove is designed to be enjoyed throughout the evening.
Breaking away from the alcohol industry’s 100-year-old norms, Haus sells direct to consumer and can be shipped to customer’s home, office, coworking space, or wherever is most convenient. Haus is the first competitor to the liquor space to leverage a direct to consumer model, which enables the company to build a meaningful relationship with its customers.
Right now, customers can pre-order a single bottle of Bitter Clove for $35 or two bottles for $70. All purchases are exclusively available online at Drink Haus.
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