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]

Alright. We all know that the macro lagers are continuing to lose market share to the craft brews. Not enough to put the majors out of business, but certainly enough to make them sweat.

Which probably explains why earlier this week, while getting my daily dose of Pardon The Interruption, I heard something that caused me to fully utilize the rewind function of my DVR remote. In a new Miller Lite ad, Miller relentlessly touts the recent realization that Miller Lite is "triple hops brewed." Apparently Miller is so enamored with this claim, they've gone and plastered it on the front page of millerlite.com (as seen in the image above).

Here's the thing: I'm sure Miller Lite is "triple hops brewed." I'm sure they do add hops three times during the brewing process. But come on, Miller. Let's not kid ourselves. And let's not start slinging buzz words we can't take back and making up brewing terms that are as original as they are vague.

What is the point of this campaign? Are you trying to convince people Miller Lite is a "hoppy" beer? Every sip sends an opposite reminder to our taste buds. Or are you trying to imply that Miller has a craft-like brewing process? Maybe then you'd like to tell us what kind of hops you're putting in there? And honestly, it's not the hops I'm worried about, it's the adjuncts.

I've created a new ad campaign for Miller Lite. It will be their best, most honest yet: Miller Lite is Miller Lite. If you don't know what Miller Lite tastes like, go drink one! They're easy to find. On the flip side, if you regularly drink Miller Lite (or brew Miller Lite), don't be ashamed of it. Everyone who has ever grabbed an ML knew exactly what he or she was getting. And that's fine, it's a matter of personal taste and preference. But don't try to re-frame Miller Lite as something fancy or finely crafted. When I eat Kraft Mac & Cheese, I do it because I'm jonesing for some Kraft flavored mac or trying to save a little cash, not because I'm going to delude myself into pretending its smothered with gruyere and parmigiana reggiano.

I'd like to believe this whole thing is just a publicity stunt. I mean, it is almost as hokey as the 1-second Super Bowl ad.

Can not airing a commercial bring you as much publicity as airing one? Apparently, the advertising brains down at Miller High Life think so.

High Life has garnered a lot of brand recognition positioning recent spokesman Windell Middlebrooks as a beer delivery guy who's extra picky about which establishments "deserve" to stock his precious product. As beer ads go, these rate pretty high: Middlebrooks brings a lot of energy and personality to the table and the image-building is spot on now that High Life spends more time battling with the anti-establishment antics of Pabst Blue Ribbon for marketshare than Bud's mainstream ideology.

Pushing those ideas to the next level, Miller High Life has announced plans to air a 1-second Super Bowl ad instead of paying out the $3 million dollars required for a full 30-second spot. "I don't care how big the game is, who got $3 million?!" emotes their outspoken delivery man in an online commercial. High Life would rather be "delivering more honest beer at a tasty price."

As with most Super Bowl ads, the details are being kept under wraps until the big game, but you can see "outtakes" at 1secondad.com. (They're actually kinda funny.) However, let's just hope for Miller's sake that this big-budget, anti-advertising adverting-stunt doesn't backfire on the them. (It sounds like dangerous territory!)

Tell you what, I feel a bit like a dirty corporate shill just reporting on it. Blech!

[via MSNBC]

Americans love foreign beer. And in many ways, until the advent of the craft beer revolution, the words "imported beer" were synonymous with "good beer." So enamored with this notion are Americans that even Canadian and Mexican brews are afforded such a higher status, often regardless of their actual quality, simply because they crossed a border.

In other parts of the world, however, drinkers aren't as easily impressed by the simple idea of importation. Case in point: UK brewer Scottish & Newcastle will no longer be producing Miller Beer. Miller has undergone a number of changes in the British marketplace trying to find its niche. Launched in the late '80s as Miller Lite, before twice being rebranded as, first, Miller Pilsner, and then Miller Beer, this particular product never found much traction with UK drinkers. A recent double digit decline in sales sent it packing, though Brits will still have a Miller option as MGD production across the pond won't be affected. (In fact, Miller Genuine Draft saw a small gain in sales.)

Limitted empirical evidence: During a recent trip to London and Sheffield in England, I noticed American beers in general were few and far between. Not once do I recall seeing any American beers on draft. Likewise, mentions of American macrobrews were typically regarded with language reserved for early Guy Ritche films. Hmm... Maybe the reason Americans developed their love of imports is because the best of the big brews really are found elsewhere.

[via Talking Retail] [Photo Credit: millercoors.com]

Drink all the Budweiser "Lagers" you can this weekend: On Monday, the American beer market will change forever with the official rollout of Budweiser "American Ale." Drinking macro-brews will never be the same!

Or so they'd like us to believe. Sure American Ale isn't meant to replace Anheuser-Busch's flagship lager, but its definitely an attempt at rebranding -- a not so subtle marketing trick that has left many a New Coke in its wake.

That dark red American Ale label reminds me of another much hyped macro beer rollout. Most may not remember, or even care, but 2008 marks the 10th anniversary of the failure of Miller "Red."

It's official name was simply Miller beer, and the logic was simple: Miller Lite had served as a worthy competitor to Bud Light, maybe a Miller beer could chip away some of the market from Bud. It was a bold move -- almost literally putting their name on the line. But, rest in peace, after a massive 1996 launch, by 1998 it was gone. Now, a short 10 years later, I struggle to even find a picture of this revolutionary product online.

Will a similar fate befall Budweiser American Ale? Only time will tell. But I definitely see some striking similarities that go way beyond the red labels...

[Photo Credit: beerinator.com]

For my entire life, when it came to American breweries, three names came to mind: Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors. Well, in 2002, Miller was purchased by South African Breweries to form SABMiller. In 2005, Coors merged with Canada's Molson to form Molson Coors. And now, the multi-continent conglomerate InBev is buying Anheuser-Busch. It's enough to make your head-spin: You shouldn't need an M.B.A. to get tipsy.

The question becomes, with all of these international buyouts, what true blue American breweries are left?

A lot of companies have been quick to fly the American flag, but fittingly, the new #1 American owned brewery takes their brand name from an American patriot. Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams, is now not only America's largest "craft brewer", it's also the country's largest domestically owned brewery. If that doesn't further blur the line between the modern craft brewery and their macro counterparts, I don't know what does.

So who are in line to be the new "Big 3"? Breaking it down strictly by 2007's beer sales volume here you go: 1) Boston Beer (makers of Sam Adams), 2) Yuengling, and 3) Sierra Nevada.

Surprised? I was. See the entire list (compiled by the not-for-profit Brewers Association) here.

[Photo Credit: yuengling.com / sierranevada.com / samueladams.com]

Flavored beers are most often produced by smaller, regional breweries, while the national brewers tend to stick with the tried-and-true brands that they know their consumers already have a taste for. But it seems like more of the major brewers are catching on to the trend and releasing seasonal or flavored brews. Miller Brewing Co. is introducing a chocolate beer, Frederick Miller Classic Chocolate Lager, that will be sold throughout the midwest from October to December. The beer won a gold medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival and is made up of a blend of cacao nibs and six different malts, which supposedly give it a more complex flavor than regular beer. It will be sold in "sold in four packs of 12-ounce bottles and will be marketed for holiday gift giving."

I won't comment on the gifting value of a four-pack of beer, but I guess it's nice to know that the company encourages sharing.

Coca Cola will be making its first entry into the alcoholic beverage market in Australia. The soda company has partnered with SABMiller to promote three types of beers, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell. Currently, all three beers are sold in Australia, but they only make up 0.13% of the 1.6 billion liter per year beer market. All will be marketed as premium brands.

The speedy growth rate in the premium beer sector (up 15% over 5 years) explains why Coca Cola is interested in expanding beyond sodas, which have remained steady and without increase over the same time period in the country.

Though Coke will not be releasing its own brand of beer at the moment, one has to wonder if the company will eventually branch out into that sector, which seems as though it could be more likely if this venture is a success.

Are you sitting down? Good, because Miller Genuine Draft has some shocking news: today's man can't be defined by the terms "meathead," "metrosexual," and "yuppie."

MGD and Kelton Research Group polled more than 800 men between the ages of 21 and 34 with an eye towards repositioning the beer to cater to these "evolving" adults. Miller's even come up with a buzzword of its own: "the evolved entertainer." This 21st-century stud keeps his living space tidy, owns at least one cookbook, and has no problem whipping up an impromptu meal for a lady friend who pops over unannounced.

Lest I forget, 44% of those surveyed prefer a good beer over wine or liquor. Guess that means they're skipping the MGD and going straight for a Belgian ale.

I'm not a big beer drinker. In fact, I'm not a beer drinker, period. Beer has always tasted extremely bitter to me, and I had it in my head that beer is very very bad for the belly (whereas wine and cocktails are diet drinks, right?).

But this weekend, I finally developed a little bit of a taste for beer. I tried several different ones (five to be exact) just to prove to myself that all beers do not, indeed taste like the same nasty dirty dishwasher that I thought. My personal, introductory tasting notes:  

• Tecate and Corona were good, and in LA, these are very familiar beers. I certainly liked the fact that we squeezed lime wedges into them. Without the lime, though, both were just okay. Now that I've tasted it with the lime, I don't think I could drink it plain.
• Samuel Adams was a little too bitter for me and i couldn't finish the bottle without squeezing lime into it. What? Is that wrong? Why can't I squeeze a lime into a Sam Adams?
• Pilsner-Urquell is a beer from the Czech Republic, and I didn't know how to pronounce it. It was even more bitter and stinky than the Sam Adams. I think I am learning that I don't like beers that come in green bottles.
• Granted, I'm years behind most people in the beer drinking evolution, so yes, I am still on what most people start with - Miller Genuine Draft, or as we beer drinkers say, MGD. This was the winner of the weekend and what I will be drinking during the Super Bowl.