Hike beer occupies a special place in the portfolio of the Ukrainian company Obolon. Despite the abundance of original advertising, the sales volume of this drink is much less than Obolon or Zibert. The manufacturer positions “Haik” as a youth beer, designed for people who are brave, determined, prone to experimentation and dreaming of adventure.
Historical reference. Hike beer has been produced since 2004. The drink was created by the technologists of the Obolon company in collaboration with specialists from the Munich Academy of Beer Brewing Doemens. The recipe was developed in accordance with the basic principle of Obolon: to brew beer only from natural ingredients. The soft taste of the drink is explained by the fact that it is prepared on water from an artesian well. In the 70s of the last century, Czech brewers, who were looking for a place for the plant, having examined the coastal zone of the Dnieper, came to the conclusion that Obolon water is the best.
The name of the drink is translated from English as “walk” or “camping”. To match the name and the advertising motto: “Freedom is your way” (Your way is freedom). The philosophy of the creators of Hike is that everything will work out if you do it easily and with pleasure. And “if you have free time – drink Hike”!
From the very beginning, Hike ads were fundamentally different from many “beer” commercials. Her hero was a man who constantly found himself in life situations that he overcame thanks to resourcefulness and fortitude. What is the video about a young man who ended up in a mountain village, where the word hike in the language of local residents means “a challenge to a duel”. Movie fans were happy to recognize in the promotional videos allusions to the films of Kusturica and Tarantino.
However, Hike is a territory of freedom not only for fans, but also for the technologists and marketers of Obolon themselves: it is convenient to “run in” various interesting innovations on this brand. Limited editions (0,8–1,2 million bottles each) have already become a tradition, of which 2004 have already been released since 8. Fans had the opportunity to celebrate the New Year with apple-cinnamon, chocolate, ginger beer or citrus punch, and on a hot summer day enjoy wine punch, mint or unfiltered Hike, celebrate the arrival of autumn with aromatic apricot beer.
By creating new varieties and relatively small limited series of Hike, it is easier for Obolon to compete with other brewing companies. Thus, experts consider chocolate Hike to be the answer to Lvov Rozhdestvenskoye and Chernihiv Rozhdestvensky Evening, and Hike Chill is a serious rival of Slavutych Ice.
Such a strategy pays off: even now, when buyers prefer cheaper beers to expensive ones, according to the Pivnoye Delo online publication, Hike’s share in Obolon’s portfolio has not decreased.
Types of beer “Haik”
Hike Premium is a light beer with a strength of 4,8% and a density of 11,5%, characterized by a light taste with a delicate hoppy bitterness.
Hike Chill is a golden straw colored beer with 4,6% ABV and 11% gravity. Foam – medium-grained, unstable. The drink has a malt aroma with fruity undertones. The sweetness of the malt-grain flavor with a note of fruity caramel is offset by the hop bitterness in the aftertaste.
Hike Alcohol-Free – non-alcoholic beer.
