• by Erik Oster , November 28, 2023

Blue Moon is bringing its distinctive orange peel and coriander wheat ale flavor to an unlikely place: your morning bagel.

The MolsonCoors brand teamed up with Popup Bagels for the Blue Moon Beer Bagel.

Popup is the artisan bagel and schmear shop launched in Westport, Connecticut during the pandemic via a backyard pickup window that quickly grew into a business with locations across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Manhattan, and Palm Beach, Florida. After pop-up shops sprouted in Brooklyn, the Hamptons and Manhattan, the brand was praised in the New York Times, where it was described as “smaller, airier and crisper” than a traditional New York bagel.

Popup is also introducing a Valencia Orange Cream Cheese to mimic the garnish traditionally served with the Belgian-style wheat ale.

“We all know you can make beer bread, but were thinking ‘What about a beer bagel?’ And that’s when we reached out to Popup Bagels… one of the hottest spots for an iconic NYC bagel on the East Coast,” Blue Moon Brand Manager Lindsey Wesloski told Marketing Daily.

Wesloski placed the collaboration in the context of Blue Moon’s “Pie Pints” collaboration with Baked by Melissa last Thanksgiving, and its partnership with Austin-based Tiny Pies this Thanksgiving season. “All of these partnerships not only help us bring Blue Moon to life in a fun, authentic way, but also help us to connect to our fans.”

In addition to the bagels themselves, PopUp Bagels is known for creative schmear selections, making the garnish-imitating cream cheese a natural extension. Both items will be available for purchase at any of PopUp Bagels’ Connecticut or New York locations and for shipping nationwide through Dec. 3, while supplies last.

"Blue Moon has been on a journey to modernize the brand and reach a younger legal age-drinking audiences,” Wesloski said. “This partnership aligns us with one of the hottest new food brands while reaching new audiences in a culturally relevant way.”

The beerification of Popup Bagels seems tailor-made to generate hype (and press) for MolsonCoors’ flagship craft brand Blue Moon ahead of a 2024 brand refresh. It also arrives as the company introduces Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic Belgian White Belgian-Style Wheat Brew across stores this December. We take it the bagels are non-alcoholic, too.