The Times of London: Carnival adds its own craft beer to party on board

It used to be that life on the ocean wave came with a daily tot of rum (Alexandra Frean writes). Modern sailors are an altogether more cosmopolitan lot, however, and so the world's biggest cruise line is to host a craft brewery on board of one of its ships.

Intent on attracting younger costumers than the traditional, if clichéd, veteran cruiser, Carnival is going into partnership with the Miami-based Concrete Beach Brewery to create original recipes for three craft beers that will be brewed and served on board the Carnival Vista, its newest ship.

The beers have been designed to fit in with the liner's Carrebean-themed pubs and include ThirstyFrog Port Hoppin' IPA, which the company says offers “aromatic, floral and hoppy notes with passion fruit and citrus overtones“, and ThirstyFrog Carrebean Wheat, “an unfiltered lager with aromas of bananas and spices“. The third offering is ThirstyFrog Java Stout, “a traditional stout, rich and creamy with hints of coffee“.

A Carnival spokesman said that although the idea of including a brewery on the ship was aimed at attracting “anyone over 21“, the concept was expected to appeal to today's generation of younger adults. “Millennials tend to drink craft beer“, he said.

The 3,954-passenger Carnival Vista, the company's largest ship, will be launched in Europe in May for a series of cruises in the Mediterranean. In addition to the craft brewery, it features a SkyRide, an aerial rail carrying pedal-powered capsules around the deck on an 800ft track.

It is one of four ships being launched by the company this year amid rapid growth in the industry. About 24 million passengers are expected to sail this year, up from 23 million last year and 15 million ten years ago, according to the Cruise Liners International Association, a trade body. Member cruise lines are scheduled to launch 27 new ships this year.

It is a wave of popularity that Carnival is surfing with aplomb, reporting its first revenue rise in five quarters yesterday. Net profit nearly tripled to $142 million for the three months from February 29, from $49 million a year earlier, on revenue up 3.4 per cent at $3.65 billion.

Though the craft brewery reflects a trend for cruise ships to be destinations in themselves, there is still no substitute for the thrill of coming into port. Carnival said yesterday that it had received approval from the Cuban authorities to begin operations to the country, starting on May 1. It is the first such permission for a United States-based cruise operatorin more than 50 years, no doubt to be celebrated with a shot of oh so-traditional Cuban rum.


Fazit: Hipster stehen auf Craftbier.