Why Boston Beer Stock Was So Frothy on Thursday

On Thursday, plenty of investors bellied up to the bar to put money into Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) stock. Best known as the brewer of the Samuel Adams line of suds, the company received a recommendation upgrade from a top U.S. bank tracking its fortunes. In mid-afternoon trading, Boston Beer's share price was up by more than 3%.

Fizzy potential

Well before the market open that morning, Citigroup's Filippo Falorni pushed his Boston Beer recommendation up one peg, to buy from the previous neutral. He also raised his price target on the beverage stock, to $280 per share from $265.

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According to reports, Falorni believes that the company's upcoming launch of Sun Cruiser, a new line of canned vodka cocktails, will be a catalyst for growth given the heavy advertising spend bolstering the brand. Assisting this will be what the analyst feels should be improvements in the sales of other company brands, such as its Truly "hard" (i.e., alcohol-infused) seltzer.

The change in sentiment on Boston Beer was part of a wider Citigroup update of beverage brands. The company was included in the bank's selection of top picks in the beverage sector, and was tapped as one of eight elite picks. Among the others were Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, and -- ranked No. 1 -- Keurig Dr Pepper.

This bear doesn't want a drink

Personally, I don't envision American consumers suddenly developing a more serious alcohol habit for any reason. And while Sun Cruiser is a somewhat interesting take on the recent spiked soft drink trend, it doesn't feel to me like it's got blockbuster potential. Therefore, I'm not as excited as Citigroup is on the future of Boston Beer.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Boston Beer and Monster Beverage. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.