"Coors Light" news and stories

Miller will geniunely be on draft, in the fridge. Photo: William Hartz, Flickr

Beer conglomerate MillerCoors, The Wall Street Journal reports, has responded to sliding sales with some tweaking in the packaging department. For $20, their new "Home Draft" beer box will keep 1.5 gallons -- equivalent to 16 12-ounce beers -- of Miller Lite or Coors Light fresh in the fridge for about 30 days, a change from previous "mini-keg style" distribution systems meant to be consumed in one sitting (with a number of guests, of course!). This disposable, recyclable and affordable "draft beer system" has already begun test marketing in a number of cities.

MillerCoors is hoping the new packaging will help woo "the 30 percent of beer drinkers who say they prefer draft beer to the bottled or canned variety." Much like Heineken's DraughtKeg which started with strong sales before cooling off, the novelty of the gadget itself may be part of the appeal. With Miller Lite witnessing a 7.5-percent sales drop, they're happy to move product any way they can.



[Via The Wall Street Journal]

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Beer snobs take note: Last year 48.7% of all beer consumed in the U.S. came via a can. Sure, that's no aluminum mandate, but it easily beats out bottles (41.5%) and the almighty draught (at a piddling 9.5%).

Pondering the power of the can isn't one of my regular activities, but after reading this article about MillerCoors continuing to tweak their highly advertised "cold-activated" technology, I was reminded that canned beer is big business -- so much so that making both sides of Coors Light cans cold-activated (with "a thermochromatic label, which changes color depending on temperature") as opposed to the former single-sided color-changing can is a news worthy event.

These can advances aren't unprecidented. Earlier this year Coors introduced the "Vented Wide Mouth" for smoother pours. And the now-ubiquitous wide mouth can itself is a relatively new phenomenon introduced in the late 1990s. But seriously, what's the big deal?

Funny you should ask; some small brewers are saying the same thing. Today I stumbled upon this interesting article on Chow.com discussing how changes in canning technology are now allowing for more canned products in the craft beer industry. Previously -- the stigma of canned beer aside -- canning micro brews wasn't even plausable. But with the recent introduction of smaller canning systems, craft brewers saw the opportunity to target new consumers. Credit Oskar Blues for leading the charge. Since canning their Dale's Pale Ale in 2002, the Colorado brewer has become nearly synomous with high-end canned craft beers... and made a name for themselves in the process.

Canned crafts have a number of appeals -- the cachet, a retro vibe, rarity -- beyond the basic portability and convenience of aluminum cans, but is it a trend that's here to stay? Well, 48.7% of beer drinkers can't be wrong. If the craft beer market continues to grow, and more craft beers end up in cans, that means more cans in our immediate future.

[Photo Credit: oskarblues.com]

Here's a tip for bartenders and restaurant workers: make sure the beer tap is connected to the right beer.

The American Legion Bar in Port Washington, WI got a $172 citation after police discovered that a half barrel of Coors Light had a Miller Lite handle on it. Owner Ray Wendt isn't too happy, because the beers cost the same, explaining "it's not like I was pouring different liquor into a bottle."

He also said that he actually explained to customers that it was Coors Lite and that he didn't lie to customers about it.

Can your beer get too cold? Coors Light wants to make sure there is absolutely no doubt that their beer is the coldest available with the launch of Coors Light Super Cold Draft.

If you are looking for it at your local pub, rather than using a traditional beer tap, Coors has developed their own counter-top 'glacier tap' that sits independently from the other brews. The handle on the glacier tap forms a layer of ice as the beer is poured, resulting in the beer being an average of 5 to 10 degrees cooler than a typical draft beer. If it is that cold you probably can't taste it anyways, but maybe that is the point.

Coors Light has also developed a cold-activaton bottle, where part of the label turns blue when the ideal serving temperature has been reached. Now really - though I kind of like the glacier tap idea, is it honestly that difficult to figure out when a bottle of beer is cold enough to drink?

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